Hangin' Tough

Well, it's about that time again, Spring Cleaning time. This also happens to be a time when a lot of people are moving out and moving into new abodes, so we thought this would be a perfect time to do some posts on some easy Do It Yourself (DIY) projects to help you out.

The first on our list is hanging things on your walls. Now, I know this sounds easy enough and if it's a small 5x7 frame, that already has a hook on the back and all you need to do is stick a nail in the wall, then yes, this is pretty easy. However, if you're looking to hang something larger, say a big, heavy mirror in your bathroom, or a new shelf, or a huge, life size, naked portrait of yourself - oh wait, that's posh spice - then you've come to the right place.

In the following example we will be hanging a large, (23in x 36in) whiteboard.

Tools and materials needed for this project:
Hammer
Drill (don't be scared)
Phillips screwdriver (we'll go over which one that is)
Drywall anchors
Screws
Brackets
Level
Stud finder
Pencil
Tape Measurer
Newspaper (optional)

First we'll go over some basics, for example, what a Phillips head is. See picture below. It's not the flat one. I have screwdriver bits for my power drill and that's what you are looking at, however, you can use a normal screwdriver, it will just be a little more work.

Phillips head screwdriver

Also, a note on Drywall anchors. So, drywall is what your walls are made of and it's not, like, 10in thick otherwise you wouldn't be able to hear your neighbors when they're, you know, doing stuff, so the drywall itself can't support that much leverage if something's hanging from it. In addition, the material drywall is made out of does not offer regular screws very much traction to screw into. Basically, if you screw a normal screw into drywall and then try to hang something from it, that screw and whatever's hanging, will fall right off because the drywall will not hold the threads of the screw.

This is a drywall anchor

This is where our post title comes in. If you'd like whatever you're hanging to "hang tough", in the words of NKOTB, then you need drywall anchors. These go into the wall first, wherever your screw would go and then the screw goes into the anchors. This allows whatever you're hanging from the screw to stay up and not fall on you and if it's going above your bed, then, um, you don't really want anything falling on you, especially if you might, ah, be knocking the wall a little bit. Anyway, so that's the explanation about anchors.

I should also note that the anchors are only for drywall, if your hole is going into a stud (which is the wood or metal, but most likely wood, that your drywall is attached to and holding up your house, then you don't need anchors because the screw is going into wood and wood will support a screw because it's a denser material than drywall, so your screw won't fall out.

What exactly is a stud if it's not a hot guy from the 80's because, um, who actually uses that word to describe a cute guy anymore? Well, it's usually wood, a 2x4 and a series of these "studs" forms the skeleton of any building. It's basically what holds it up. See picture below.


They are usually evenly spaced and you need to know if you're drilling into one of those or into drywall which is why we need a Stud Finder, and no, it doesn't find available, handsome men, it only finds pieces of wood, which, for some of us, would be a vast improvement on our other studs :) See picture below.



Also, a note on brackets. In my case, I'm hanging a white board, this came with brackets, sometimes, whatever you're hanging will come with their own brackets, anchors and screws, if not, you'll need to pick up these things yourself. You can just go to a hardware store or Home Depot or Lowes, tell them what you're hanging, make sure you tell them approximate dimensions, etc. and that you need anchors, screws and brackets and they will be able to point you in the right direction. When you're hanging things your brackets, anchors and screws can look different, be different sizes, etc. than what I'm using here.



Ok, so, down to the nitty gritty.

Step 1.) Figure out approximately where you want whatever you're hanging to go. Think about how many holes you'll be drilling and how much space you need. In my case, I need 2 holes because my whiteboard will hang from the brackets. I'm hanging it horizontally, so the 36in side will be parallel with the floor which means I'll space my 2 holes 24inches apart.

Step 2.) Measure out where the holes will go. In order to do this, for me, since the board has an aluminum frame, I use a pencil and mark off 5.5inches from each end, this centers my 24inches between holes perfectly in the center. Then, I place the white board, with my marks against the wall where I want it to go.



Step 3.) At this point I need a pencil and my level in order to mark the wall where the holes will go. I place the board against the wall where I want it, place the level on top of the frame to make sure it's level, I don't want a leaning whiteboard, and then I use the pencil and mark off where I want my holes based on the lines I made on the frame.



Note: If you cannot mark up the frame, don't worry. You can also hold whatever you're hanging against the wall with the level and tape measurer and just do everything against the wall. It's more difficult, but it can be done.

Step 4.) After marking my holes I grab my stud finder to see if the holes will be made in drywall or a stud. In my case, both holes were in drywall so I need 2 anchors.

Step 5.) Check the directions with your anchors, it will tell you what size drillbit you need to make the holes. The drillbit will be smaller than the anchor at its very top. In my case I need a 1/4" drillbit. See below.

1/4" drill bit

Step 5a.) Optional - if you dont' want to have to vacuum afterward, I would suggest laying newspaper down below where you're drilling. This will catch the dust and make clean up easier.

Step 6.) Attach the drill bit to the drill and then, before doing any drilling, press the bit lightly into the wall where your pencil mark is for the hole. This little indentation gives you a nice guide. Also, when using a drill, or any power tools for that matter, I highly suggest tying your hair back because if it gets caught in the winding motion, well, let's just say the only solution is to get a hair cut.

Indentation will look something like this

Step 7.) Once your indentations are made, drill your holes. Make sure your arm is level and that you only aplly slight pressure. It shoudn't take much to go through drywall. Switch the direction of the drill in order to remove the drill from the hole.

Holes after you've drilled them

Step 8.) Grab your anchors and a hammer. The anchor should go into the hole up to a point and then require a few taps with the hammer to go the rest of the way in. The anchor should sit flush with the wall, you don't want to hammer it in too much and crack the drywall where the anchor is making an indentation into the wall. So you don't need to hammer too hard, just enough to get it in.

Anchors will go in about this far easily, then you need the hammer

After you hammer it in, it'll be flush to the wall like this

Step 9.) Grab your screws, brackets and screwdrivers. Insert screws into bracket and then insert into the anchor. Use your screw driver and turn it to your right to tighten the screw until it's as tight as it can go.

Bracket after it's on the wall

Should be flush like this and not warped or spaced away from the wall

Step 10.) Hang whatever you're hanging and clean up. You're done!


And look, I found my stud! Heehee.


Ok, so this is the basics of hanging things that are fairly heavy or will need to support some weight. The basics are the same for most things, no matter what you're hanging from your walls. Tomorrow, we're patching it up, how to patch holes and avoid losing some of your deposit!