The RIGHT Way to Hang Things on the Wall: Part II -Nails and Screws and Bolts -oh my!

By: Bill Harvey

STEP THREE: SELECT YOUR FASTENERS
The reason we spend so much time finding studs is simply because that studs are MUCH stronger then wall board. Easier to work with too. The single nail you bludgeoned in will hold up a lot -even if it hits only drywall- because it is stressed, (pulled on) in only one direction -down. Screws and nails are very strong in this direction -engineering types calls this shear. But a display case, having some depth, will also stress the fasteners in tension . This means to pull in the direction of the fastener. You probably could pull out our hypothetical little nail with your fingers -particularly after it's been up for a while. The vibrations from your footsteps travel up the wall and loosen the nail. And if you live in an earthquake neighborhood? Fur'get aboud-it. So we need something that is strong in both shear and tension. A nail into studs works, but a bear to get out again. Screws are strong in both ways, and can be removed easily. A little more effort, you say? Yep, but in the long run we are doing things the RIGHT way, right?

For those fasteners that go into studs, I feel the absolute best choice is a sheet-metal screw. This particular screw has threads up it's entire length and a big-old pan-shaped head. If you are making a trip to the hardware store, a #8 x 1 1/4" would be a good start for a small case. #10 x 1 1/2" would not be too big. If you are poking through a coffee-can from a dusty shelf in the garage that's full on odds and ends, you want something with course thread and a round head. If the head is too small, you also want to find a washer.

What about flat-head screws you ask? There are nice because they finish flush with the case-back. But in order to get them to finish flat -you need to countersink the hole. This makes the hole weaker and makes the whole she-bang weaker too. If you have a nice strong case back -plywood instead of hardboard- go ahead and use flatheads. If you don't feel like schlepping down to the garage for a smear of paint, use Liquid Paper to hide the screw head. Otherwise, use the pan head or round head and cover them up with something from your collection.

So much for the easy ones, the one with co-operative studs. What about the places with only dry-wall? For this you need hollow-wall anchors. Buy the ones that look like a little rocket-ship -about the diameter of a pencil and with a flange on one end. Some have a little (red) nose-cone that makes them easier to drive into the wall, but this is not essential. What is essential, however, is paying attention to the package label and what it has to say about grip length. You need something that will work for 1/2 inch material. There are all manner of new fan-dangled hollow wall hangers. Some of them undoubtedly work, but I am old and I like best what I know best.

Do NOT waste your time or money on the little plastic screw-sheaths that come with every Do-It-Yourself product that involves any sort of sticking it to the side of your house, but they are worthless for any thing but hanging things on brick walls, and even then..... I think they come in the box because they are cheap, pretty, and some lawyer said so.

In Part III, we actually put something on the wall!

For the full article, with pictures and all, have a look at The RIGHT way to Hang Things on the Wall, (http://www.home-museum.com/How-To-Arts/HangUp/hangups.htm).

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

Bill Harvey is an expert cabinet maker and the author of Collector's HOW-TO -a series of online articles for the collector or hobbyist to use to protect the valuable stuff. He also owns Home-Museum.com -a source for display and drawer cases just for collectors.

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