Walls – Why are some bricks crooked in the attic wall

Basically you need to look at two things:

1. What you are hanging (how heavy, will it sway, is it a vertical load or does it have a horizontal component)
2. What are you hanging it on (wallboard, plaster, old crappy plaster, stud wall, concrete wall, brick, stone, solid wood...)

Then you pick the right fastener at the intersection of these two.

Assuming you have a newer house, and are mostly hanging pictures, the old "nail into wallboard" will work okay. Just tilt it downward so the picture wire slides toward the wall, not toward the nailhead.

You can also use things like the 3M "command" strips, which work great if you follow the instructions and don't exceed the load. Don't be stingy with them.

Hanging heavier things like mirrors or glass picture frames, use the appropriate wall anchor for the wall, and/or nail or screw into the studs. With the right wall anchors, or rails or other structure attached to the studs, you can put an enormous load on the wall (tons) without problems.

If you have an old house like mine, don't even bother trying wall anchors into ancient crumbly plaster...find the studs. Hard-won lesson. ;)

Using a stud finder can be a bit of an art, so practice on a wall you don't care about. (Mark the edges of the stud, then drive a very fine nail into the wall board and see if you were right. Then, pull the nail and spackle the hole.) Also note that they read differently depending on what kind of wall it is.

Sometimes it's the simplest jobs that can be the most difficult. I'm willing to bet that its the summation of tiny errors leading to a visible flaw at the end. The question you want to ask is "How do I mark and drill a hole exactly where I want it to be?" (For a given value of exactly)

The answer to this question (and many others) is: Make a jig or paper template. Even if you're only doing it once, making a jig or a template is essential for precise work.

For this particular job, a paper template will probably do. Trace the outline of your hook (and holes) onto a sheet of paper. Now, at your leisure, using compass, straight-edge, GPS, and Lasers, find the center of the holes. Even if you just eyeball it, you're still more accurate than doing it on the wall, as you're working at a desk or table with good lighting and a comfortable working position.

Now, photocopy that sucker!

Cut it out, tape it to the wall, and start the drill hole with a small nail or even punch it with a nail set. You don't want the drill "walking" away from its start position. Go in with a small bit next. The idea is that the tool will do all the work so that you can concentrate on keeping that drill level, and on center. Go to your 1/4 inch bit for the plugs, and clean out the hole.

Remove paper, insert plugs, and you're golden.

It may seem like a lot of work, but the results are worth it.
1) Generally, you can't be accurate working vertically, so figure out a way to do the detail work on a flat surface. 2) Always start a drill hole with a nail or punch. It will always walk away when you power on the drill. (This is quadruply true on metal or hard plastics.)