Mini Anchor holds up to 40 lbs, leaves smaller footprint, good for applications where anchor needs to be hidden.Large Anchor holds up to 50 lbs, good for heavier applications such as big pictures, shelves, and artwork.Starts easier than other self-drilling drywall anchors.Deep thread design provides strong engagement, locks into many sizes of drywall (⅜”, ½”,⅝”) for maximum holding power.Constructed from durable zinc to last for years.They are perfect for an old plaster wall as you do not need to worry about the thickness of the wall like you do with a molly bolt. each, these little anchors and screws truly hold their own weight. Simple, sturdy, and able to hold up to 50 lbs. This is our top recommendation like we mentioned up top. After use, you can easily unscrew the screws and anchors for re-use later. You can then the screw can easily insert into the anchor.
Bob Gordon, Winthrop, Mass.With a simple #2 Phillips Head Screwdriver or electric screwdriver, you can drill precise holes in the wall with the anchor itself. What will hold it on? Someone mentioned plaster of Paris. I even protect it from water during showers. I tried Liquid Nails to glue it on, and it worked nicely for two days, then dropped off. The back is very smooth, and the tub surround is cement board. Well, finally it fell off, but did not break. Q: The big old porcelain soapdish on my tiled tub surround is 5 by 7 inches and weighs 2 pounds.
To handle the beetles in the house, sprinkle boric acid along the window sill and perhaps baseboard areas. It has been around at least that long and is still effective. One brand name I remember is Mortite, which my mother used back in Michigan in the 1940s. But if it is an ordinary beetle, seal the window with rope caulk, the kind you can take off and reuse when necessary. Pantry pest traps are sold in the Gardens Alive! catalog, among others. If you find any contamination, clean thoroughly and buy pantry pest traps, which have proven effective. Bea Lecole, BostonĪ: Google showed me that the cigarette beetle and the drugstore beetle are pantry pests, so if your bug is one of those, you will have to check your pantry food and other food storage areas for contamination of packaged food. Q: How can I get rid of cigarette beetles in a natural, safe way? I have many of them coming in through one window at the bottom, and no matter how I try to seal the window, they keep coming in. I mentioned two hangers because the art usually has a wire on the back that hangs most level on two hangers. For that useless hole, fill it with joint compound, smooth off, let dry and sand smooth. Then go left or right to locate another hanging spot. Incidentally, if you hit a vertical stud, you can nail on a picture hook. After you finish, and it succeeds, you can leave the tape in place because the picture will cover it. Here’s a trick to keep the plaster from disintegrating: Tape a piece of duct tape on the wall where you work. Drill a small hole through the wood lath and insert the anchor, or drive in a round-head screw.Įither will act as a hanger.
Try again up an inch or so, to see if you hit a bit of wood lath. Horsehair plaster is usually on wood lath, narrow strips of wood applied horizontally on the studs, and when you put in the anchor, you hit an area between the lath. How can I minimize damage to plaster walls? Any special materials? - Aaron Weineth, Wakefield, Mass.Ī: You simply ran into a bit of bad luck. I pre-drilled a hole and as I was tamping in the anchor, the plaster fell apart around the anchor and then “poof” - the anchor disappeared into the wall, leaving me with a useless hole in the wall. Case in point: I thought I was doing the right thing by inserting wall anchors for my first hanging. This is my first experience with plaster walls, and I’m afraid they are going to crumble when I hang artwork, etc. Q: We recently purchased a 1926 colonial house with mostly horsehair plaster walls. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu