How To Choose The Best Anchors For Your Walls

At Willow and Grace Designs, we do care, and we read every comment, email, or review or consumers send us and use them to move our business forward. One of the most asked questions that we get is: 

What anchors should I be using to hang my shelf?

We provide 4 top of line anchors with each of our shelves because we understand that the anchors are essential for a securely hung shelf. These anchors work in most homes, but depending on the material or health of your wall, you may need another type of anchor.

Leaning Shelves 

The most common issue with ALL floating shelves is they lean. This can be so frustrating!

The majority of the time, the reason they lean has nothing to do with the shelf and everything to do with the installation process and the material of your walls.

The Brackets: 

The bracket is an essential part of a successful floating shelf, and if it wiggles, it can't hold the shelf up since the bracket is not secure to the wall. You will want to make sure your bracket is tight to the wall and does not move. 

If your shelves are leaning, it can be several things causing this, but most commonly, we find:

1. If you are not installing your shelves into drywall and your wall is made of concrete or plaster, that can be an issue. 

1. There can also be an issue with your drywall, it can be either too dry or too damp, and the anchor won't bite. This will cause the bracket not to hold tight to the wall.

The solution is simple, visit your local hardware store and find the proper anchor based on the material your wall is made out of, i.e., plaster, concrete, drywall, etc.

• Drywall Anchor: Ideally, you want to hang heavy things from your walls using the studs as the anchor. A drywall anchor acts as a stud and goes between the screw and the drywall, biting into the drywall much more effectively than a screw would. Then, you screw in to the anchor, so everything stays in place.

• Self-drilling anchors: The anchor is threaded like a screw and has a sharp tip that drives into the drywall surface. The anchor holds in place as the screw is twisted into place. The self-drilling anchor threads grip the drywall for a secure fit for drywall anchor installation. Self-drilling anchors are made of plastic, nylon, or metal.

• Strap toggle anchors: These heavy-duty anchors are designed to hang heavy items like flat-screen TV sets securely. The anchor strap is a plastic or metal leg assembly attached to a steel wing. The anchor is inserted in the pilot hole and screwed into place.

• Steel hollow-wall anchor: These drywall anchors for heavy items are metal-cased anchors that expand behind the wall when the bolt is screwed.

• Molly wall anchors: This expansion wall anchor is a screw encased in a metal sleeve that expands. The underside of the molly wall anchor head has sharp tips that piece the drywall surface. The benefit of this wall anchor that can support up to 50 pounds is that the screw can be removed and reinserted for future use.

We truly hope you love and enjoy your shelves for many years to come, and with the proper anchors, these beautiful shelves can be up and ready for decorating in minutes.