How to Screw Mollies Into Drywall
One way to hang shelves and other items on the walls of your home is to use molly bolts. Molly bolts come in two separate parts: The sleeve is the portion that expands behind the wall to provide a secure hold, and the bolt is a long full-thread bolt. Attaching mollies to drywall requires installing the sleeve in a pre-drilled hole and tightening the bolt. It is important to use the proper size mollies when hanging objects. Larger and heavy objects require larger diameter mollies than light objects. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Brad nail
- Hammer
- Drill with bits
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- Molly bolt
Instructions
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1
Measure and mark the location on the wall where you want to mount the molly. Lightly hammer a small brad nail on the center of the mark to check for a stud. If the brad sticks there is a stud, and a molly is unnecessary. The brad pulls out with ease if there is no stud.
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2
Insert a drill bit that is slightly smaller in diameter than the molly sleeve into your drill. Drill a hole in the wall where you made your mounting mark.
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3
Push the pointed end of the molly sleeve into the hole until the bottom of the sleeve head is against the wall. The sleeve head looks like a washer with two small triangular hooks on the bottom.
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4
Tap the molly sleeve into the wall lightly with a hammer until the head of the sleeve is flush against the wall. The hooks on the bottom of the sleeve head bite into the drywall.
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5
Screw the molly bolt into the molly sleeve. As you thread the bolt, the sleeve expands inside the other side of the wall, creating a secure hold. Continue screwing the molly bolt with a Phillips-head screwdriver until the molly sleeve feels tight. Stop turning if the sleeve head begins to turn.
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6
Unscrew the molly bolt from the molly sleeve. Insert the bolt through the item you are hanging and screw it into the molly sleeve until secure using the Phillips-head screwdriver.
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