Using Toggle Bolts – Tips for Hanging Heavy Objects

Hanging stuff on the walls of your home is essential if you really want to make a house your own. However, it isn’t always a breeze.

In fact, installing the right bolts and mechanisms in your walls to make sure your decorations are safe can be a huge headache. You have to be precise and if you’re not you can truly damage the things you want to show off. There is no faster way to make a huge mess in your home (and ruin your drywall!) than improperly installing nails, bolts, and the other items you need to hang things.

That’s why toggle bolts are so useful. Millions of homeowners use toggle bolts often when they are decorating their walls.

Toggle bolts are essentially heavy-duty anchors that may be used to put anything in the drywall that cannot be screwed into studs. They are divided into two sections. The bolt comes first. The strength of these bolts is determined by their length and diameter. The toggle, which is the butterfly-shaped nut whose size also influences the strength, is the second half of the toggle bolt.

The way a toggle bolt works is simple and straightforward. Pinched and placed into the hollow drywall, the butterfly toggle opens up. The bolt pushes on the drywall as it is adjusted. As a result, the bolt becomes anchored in the drywall. The stronger the anchor and the greater the weight rating, the larger the area of the butterfly toggle in contact with the drywall.

Because of their construction and structure, toggle bolts are the best choice when you are hanging heavier objects. The heavier the item is, the better a toggle bolt will work. If you are hanging heavy art or furniture, a toggle bolt is the way to go and the best route to take for your wall. It will keep your items safe and keep your walls free of holes and scrapes and damage.

Best Uses

Toggle bolts can be used almost anyplace a big object has to be attached to a hollow wall – think coat hooks, mounted TVs, bookcases, and paintings. They’re essentially the ideal anchor for usage and installation. They’re also a lot easier to put together than other plastic options like dry wall anchor screws.

They’re also very useful for hanging objects from the ceiling. Because of their secure strength, you don’t have to be afraid of things falling from the ceiling once you hang them with toggle bolts.

With varying sizes of toggle bolts available, the main question we have come across is, How much weight can toggle bolts hold?

The length and diameter of the toggle bolt’s screw body influence its strength. The diameters range in size and include ⅛”, 3/16”, ¼”, 5/16”, ⅜”, and ½”. The ⅛” toggle bolt can hold up to 200 pounds while the 1/2” bolt can support up to a whopping 435 pounds. Of course, the material you are drilling into will determine how accurate those estimates are. When purchasing toggle bolts, make sure to check the side of the packaging for information on weight capacity.

How to Install A Toggle Bolt

First things first, when determining the location of the object you want to hang, use a stud finder to determine where the studs are placed behind the drywall. This will help you determine if you even need to use a toggle bolt.

(If you are hanging a wider object (TV or Painting) and you do have one stud behind the object but not another one where you would place the second screw, it is possible to use one heavy duty screw and one toggle bolt. However, we would recommend using two of the same fasteners on whatever you are hanging i.e. two toggle bolts or two screws.)

Once you have decided where the toggle bolt is going, you need to make sure there is no electrical or plumbing running behind it. The worst thing you can do is install a toggle bolt in a place that’s shared with electrical cords or plumbing mechanics.

Next up, it’s time to make some holes. Using a ⅛” drill, make a starter hole at your chosen location. Then use the larger drill to make a hole in the wall expand. The hole should now be the size of the butterfly nut when folded, which is roughly about ½”.

Threading the toggle bolts comes next in the process. Simply inset the bolt into the item you want to attach. Then you screw in the butterfly toggles on the other side of the item.

Pinch the butterfly wings together and push the entire toggle nut into the large hole in the wall. Then release the butterfly wings and you should hear it open up. Using a screwdriver, tighten the bolt from the front.

When the process is complete, the butterfly toggle should be resting on the drywall on the inside for the bolt to tighten. Otherwise, the bolt will spin and spin and not tighten one bit.

How to Remove a Toggle Bolt

Toggle bolts are thankfully easier to remove than to install. With a screwdriver, you simply remove the bolt from the front. The only disadvantage is that the toggle or butterfly wing will come off inside behind the walls and will be lost. Keep in mind that if you wish to reuse the bolt, you’ll need to buy new toggle nuts.

Do I Need a Stud for a Toggle Bolt?

No. To utilize a toggle bolt, you don’t require a stud. Toggle bolts are designed particularly for situations when a stud is unavailable and a heavy-duty anchor is required. This is particularly helpful if you want to hang an object where studs are not evenly spaced.

If there is a stud behind the butterfly toggle, you won’t be able to install it. However, If you have a stud available, you may simply attach your object to the wall using a long, heavy-duty screw.

Which Toggle Bolt To Use?

To choose the toggle bolt size to use, there are several things to consider.

• The weight of the object you are hanging

• The width of the object you hanging (Wider objects like paintings and TV’s displace the weight differently than a more narrow object)

• The size of the bolt

• The thickness of the drywall

• Location of studs behind the drywall

As mentioned above, the toggle bolt set you find in a hardware store should come with information on the packaging about the weight capacity of that particular product. We have put a list together of the general sizing and weight limits below. This weight capacity information is assuming you are mounting on to standard drywall.

Always Stay Safe

Pay attention to the toggle bolts’ weight capacity. Keep in mind that the weight capacity relates to the fastener’s strength rather than the wall’s. Even a powerful toggle bolt can be ripped out of a weak wall. Any water damage to dry wall has a permanent effect and will never be as strong as a newer sheet.

Always cut off the electricity and shut off the water supply to the area where you’ll be drilling.

Final Thoughts

When you are looking to hang heavy materials, furniture, and art, you need to make sure you are doing it the right and safe way. A toggle bolt is perhaps the smartest, safest, and best way to hang any number of items. And thankfully installation is easy, even for people who have little experience with home furnishing.

We hope you found this information helpful and for a full list of other articles we have written, make sure to check out our homepage!