G'day! Most modern Australian homes are built with timber or steel frames lined with plasterboard (Gyprock). While this provides a nice clean finish, it presents a major headache when you want to hang anything heavier than a picture frame. If you try to drive a standard screw or a plastic plug into a hollow wall, it will likely rip straight out, leaving you with a damaged wall and a broken valuable on the floor.

To securely mount heavy items like shelving, large mirrors, or TV brackets where there is no timber stud available, you need a specialist fastener. The hollow wall anchors are the gold standard for this task. These clever metal fixings are designed to expand behind the sheet, spreading the load and creating a vice-like grip that won't let go.

How They Work

Unlike a standard masonry plug that relies on friction inside a solid hole, hollow wall anchors rely on mechanical locking. They consist of a screw thread and a metal sleeve with collapsing arms.

1. Insertion: You drill a hole in the plasterboard and tap the anchor in until the teeth on the faceplate grip the surface.
2. Expansion: As you tighten the screw (or use a setting tool), the metal arms behind the wall collapse and flare out like an umbrella.
3. Locking: This clamps the plasterboard firmly between the faceplate on the front and the expanded arms on the back.

This clamping action is what gives them their strength, allowing a single point to hold significantly more weight than a standard screw-in nylon anchor.

Selecting the Right Anchor

Size matters. Hollow wall anchors come in different lengths to suit different wall thicknesses. In Australia, standard residential plasterboard is usually 10mm or 13mm thick. You must choose an anchor that matches this thickness.

If the anchor is too short, it won't expand fully. If it is too long, the screw might not tighten correctly. Most packaging will clearly state the "grip range" or wall thickness suitability. For extremely heavy loads, you might consider "toggle bolts," which use a spring-loaded bar to bridge across a larger area behind the wall.

Installation Tips for a Pro Finish

While you can tighten these anchors using a screwdriver, it can be tedious and sometimes results in the anchor spinning in the hole, damaging the plaster.

For a professional result, it is highly recommended to use a specific setting tool (often called a wall anchor gun). You simply hook the tool onto the screw head and squeeze the handle. It pulls the anchor tight instantly, ensuring a perfect expansion every time without damaging the wall surface.

Safety Behind the Wall

Before you start drilling holes all over the house, you need to consider what is hidden in the cavity. That hollow space is often shared by water pipes and electrical cabling.

Drilling into a live 240V cable is a serious safety hazard. If you are mounting items near light switches or power points, proceed with extreme caution. If you are installing electrical accessories like wall lights or heated towel rails, this is not a DIY job. In Australia, installing fixed electrical equipment must be done by a licensed professional. They have the expertise to locate cables and ensure the installation is safe.

Quality Fixings Matter

When you are hanging expensive items, you do not want to rely on cheap, brittle metal that might snap under load. Professional tradespeople know that sourcing quality consumables is key to a job that lasts.

When a contractor needs reliable fixings, they often head to a trusted electrical wholesaler to find trade-rated anchors that are tested for Australian conditions. Using high-quality anchors ensures that the thread doesn't strip and the metal arms don't collapse unevenly.

Get Your Hardware from Schnap Electric

Whether you are fitting out a home office or mounting display screens in a commercial building, you need fixings you can trust.

Schnap Electric Products is a leading supplier for the trade industry in Australia. They stock a comprehensive range of installation hardware, including heavy-duty hollow wall anchors designed to hold fast in Australian plasterboard. By providing the same professional-grade equipment you would expect to find at a major electrical wholesaler, Schnap Electric ensures your fixtures stay exactly where you put them. For a secure hold every time, trust the hardware range from Schnap Electric.