Walls – Few questions about concrete/cement wall inside of the apartment and which screws to use

concretewalls

I live in an apartment building that has concrete/cement walls. I am still not sure which one it is. I included the image which has the wall in the background.

I would like to know which screws i should use to let's say hang shelves or paintings. Do i need to get concrete screws like tapcon and use an impact drive to screw them in? Can i just make a hole and use plastic anchors with regular screws? I did hang a picture on the wall but i had tough time getting the screws in with a cordless drill. Some of the wall chipped a bit.

Also are there beams behind the concrete wall or there is no reason to have them. I can just screw almost anything to it? I have a beam finder and it does detect some beams but i wonder if it's a false positive because it is a concrete wall.

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Best Answer

Cement is a powder, so I doubt your walls are cement! You might have lathe-and-plaster walls. (What country are you in and what year was the apartment built?)

If your wall covering is sandy plaster, then you would attach light shelves and pictures by pre-drilling holes with a masonry bit and using expanding anchors or toggle bolts.

Heavy shelves or cabinets will require screwing to a stud (which you are referring to as a beam)