Wall Plugs

Wall plugs, particularly plasterboard fixings, are a fantastic choice when adding a variety of decorations to your wall, including certain shelves, portraits, canvases, clocks, and much more. Allowing you to insert a screw into the wall whilst retaining its reliability, strength, and longevity wall plugs are suitable for use in just about any corner of your home and are a small but essential piece when it comes to sprucing up a room's decor.

Wall plugs are versatile and affordable solutions, and are ideal for both renovations and new builds, but it is important to know which wall plugs are best for any given job to get the most out of them. As you’ll likely discover browsing our ranges, wall plugs are a surprisingly diverse group of hardware, so allow us to break down some of the different types and situations they’re best suited to so that you can buy with confidence.

A wall plug is a specialised piece of hardware designed to accompany a screw or nail. The fixing is placed inside the wall plug, which will then allow it to attach to a wall more effectively. Plasterboard and masonry a particularly good examples of a wall that rarely hold nails or screws very securely for a prolonged period. This can in turn make it risky or even dangerous to use them alone to hang your shelves or decorations.

Wall plugs are highly effective at eliminating this problem, creating a more resilient fix to the wall. This makes them ideal for use on just about any surface made from masonry or plasterboard. There are different wall plugs, each one designed for a specific purpose, and to meet the demands of different applications.

Universal Wall Plug Types

These wall plugs are considered the traditional design. They function by tightening the screw into the plug. This then causes the plug to expand considerably, which allows it to anchor itself into the wall. Being simple and easy to use they are the go-to when working with plasterboard to hang shelves or frames.

Hammer Fixings

Hammer fixings are usually supplied with a steel nail or specialised screw in each fixing. They are then driven into place with a hammer, which allows the nail or screw to activate the plug in a similar process to the universal wall plug. They are strong and resilient – ideal for use when fitting plinths, wooden beams, window frames, and other applications that may require a sturdy, more reliable wall plug.

Butterfly Wall Plugs

These wall plugs are designed for hollow walls, and are surprisingly versatile, fitting into several different surfaces, so long as there is a space behind them for the wall plug to emerge from. They consist of 2 different sections – a front part and a back part. The screw is inserted and tightened within the plug, which causes the back section to fold towards the front. They are ideal for hanging plenty of decorative items on hollow walls, including paintings, light mirrors, and other low-weight objects.

Anchor Bolts

Designed to handle heavier items such as loaded shelves or racks, anchor bolts are some of the sturdiest wall plugs money can buy. Their types vary, however – some can handle up to 200kg in weight while other, more inexpensive options, are capable of far less. They function by tightening the built-in nut, which pulls the anchor component inwards. The resulting pressure causes metal segments to grow in size and press up strongly against the interior of the wall.

Plasterboard Plugs

This plug type forms a thicker section within a hollow wall and is particularly effective – as the name would suggest – when used alongside plasterboard. A screw is inserted into the plug and tightened so that the different segments expand and fold out. They are mountable on different kinds of panels, while also suitable for applying lighter items to ceilings.

Toggle Plug

Toggle plugs are mainly used in ceilings and hollow walls. They have specialised wings that utilise a spring-loaded function that then mounts onto a screw thread. The plug itself is pushed through the hole with the wings closed. When they spring open on the other side, the screw is tightened. The result is a secure, reliable fix.

When it comes to the best wall plug for your needs, you need to ask yourself a few questions first. Are you trying to carry out a project that will require heavy weights being held? An anchor bolt is probably the best solution for you. On the other hand, if you’re focusing on lighter weights and want a wall plug that can be installed more quickly and easily, then a butterfly wall plug is the ideal choice.

The material you are fitting your wall plug into will also matter. Hammer fixings probably won’t work too well with plasterboard on account of the relative fragility of a plasterboard's surface. Similarly, a specialised plasterboard plug won’t fit well into mortar, and neither will a butterfly plug. You’ll need a more heavy-duty wall plug like an anchor bolt or a hammer fixing for such a task.

As for their appearance, this isn’t too important with wall plugs, as more often than not you won’t see them. However, this may not always be the case, with some models of wall plug designed with intention of not necessarily being covered up – an example of this is the hammer fixing, which has been produced to be fitted into beams, hold up shelving, and other situations where it may well end up remaining visible.