How to hang heavy things on drywall with no studs
Standard wall anchors and screws fail under heavy loads without wood studs to bite into, leaving homeowners unable to mount items where they want them without risking a collapse. Using heavy-duty toggle bolts or specialized wall anchors distributes the weight behind the drywall to secure large objects safely off-stud.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Opening the wall to add blocking between studs
- 2Mounting a piece of plywood across multiple studs and screwing the item to the plywood
- 3Using heavy-duty wall anchors or toggle bolts
- 4using 3M command strips
- 5drilling specifically into the mortar joints instead of the bricks
- 6using alternative plastic anchors
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’ve never hung anything this large and heavy. It has to go in the spot it is and there is no stud that would keep it right in the exact spot that my wife wants it.”source ↗
“So what heavy anchors/toggles do you guys recommend since there is no stud I can hit.”source ↗
“I’m in a 1950’s brick with plaster. I’ve been pretty hesitant to permanently hang things unless I’m REALLY sure or it’s something REALLY valuable to us.”source ↗
“Unfortunately, the studs in the wall are not centered where the cabinet would be. Would 3 of these 75-pound anchors really be enough?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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