Ask the Builder: Keeping Heavy Things on Walls

When hanging a large flat screen TV on the wall, we should never hope that it doesn’t fall. It needs to be guaranteed.

Hidden behind this expensive 50-pound wall heater are flat 2x4s nailed between the vertical wall studs. These critical framing members are called blocking, and they ensure the heater never falls to the floor. Tim Carter/Tribune Content Agency/TNS

Have you ever struggled attaching some heavy object to a wall or a ceiling? You may use a stud finder, hunting and hoping wall studs are exactly where you need them to be. Some just throw in the towel and count on hollow wall anchors to do the job. You don’t ever have to use those when building a new home or doing remodeling.

The most recent trend over the past decade would be a flat-screen TV. These electronic marvels, along with the wall-mounting brackets, keep getting larger and heavier. You don’t want to hope they never fall to the ground. Kitchen wall cabinets, heavy mirrors, and paintings are just a few other things that must stay put.