ANCHORS AWAY!!!!!

I woke up this morning at 6am with a text message from my girl Meaghan Montagano. In the middle of the night her wall shelf collapsed taking some nice chunks of the wall with it and leaving gaping holes in the lathe and plaster. She didn't want any visitors coming in thru the holes so I ran over and gave her a hand. It wasn't what was on the shelf.. it was how they were installed. Every hardware store in New York tries to sell you these self driving anchors cause they think you cant handle a drill. These anchors just DONT WORK in lath and plaster walls. They don't grab and pull out when bearing the slightest bit of weight. They are made for new construction drywall and even then they leave gaping holes when removed. I have banned them from my tool kit. When you are hanging something there is an array of anchors that are appropriate for each type of wall. Check out this article on fasteners from "This Old House" for the full breakdown. And when in doubt ask a handy friend for help!