How to Hang Pictures in Drywall

Wall anchors come in various styles to support various weights.

Wall anchors come in various styles to support various weights.

Drywall is a sturdy wall material but not sturdy enough to support heavy weights. Many pictures don't qualify as heavy weights, and you need little more than a nail to hang them. When their weight exceeds 5 to 10 pounds, however, you're safer using wall anchors -- unless there is a stud or rafter available -- and the type of anchor you need depends on where you're placing the picture and how heavy it is.

Conventional Picture Hangers

Resist the temptation to hang light pictures on nails, and use picture hangers instead. A hanger is designed so that the nail holding it sinks in at a steep angle, and the hanger itself prevents the nail from straightening out. Some hangers are attached to an adhesive pad, which gives them even more support. Hangers can hold a surprising amount of weight -- up to 50 pounds of downward force. One of their primary advantages is that they make a very small hole that you can easily fill when you move the picture.

Plastic Anchors

You have a choice of three different types of plastic anchors for hanging pictures, but only two give you an advantage over a plastic picture hanger, which is a relatively new addition to the home improvement market. Plastic hangers look like conventional metal ones, but have tow spikes that dig into the drywall, and can hold up to 100 pounds of downward force before failing. By contrast, the largest conical plastic anchors fail at 80 pounds. Plastic screw anchors and wing anchors can hold more weight, but you need to make a larger hole to install them, and you must also supply the screw.

Molly and Toggle Bolts

Two-part systems consisting of a metal sleeve that you fasten to the drywall and a bolt that you screw into it are at the top end of the strength scale for wall anchors. Molly bolts differ from toggle bolts in the manner in which they adhere, and both are permanent. If you ever want to "erase" them, you often have to cut them out. Toggle bolts are the stronger of the two and can support weights in excess of 300 pounds. The hole you need to predrill for one can be as large as 3/4 inches.


The maximum weight you can support from a wall anchor is limited by the strength of the drywall itself. If you put enough weight on a toggle bolt, it can tear through the wall, especially if the weight is directed outward as well as down. It would be unusual for a picture to produce enough force to do that, but if you aren't sure, it is safer to drive screws or nails into the wall studs. Similarly, using drywall anchors to hang heavy weights from the ceiling is never a good idea. It's safer to screw hooks into the rafters.

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