Buy a center-finding stud finder with a live-wire warning, and a small pack of toggle anchors for the holes that miss the stud. Wait on bulk anchor assortments. Heavy items—TVs, upper cabinets, grab bars—still belong on framing.
The hole itself needs a drill and bits. Browse the rest of the home improvement guides.
Where the fastener should land
| Situation | Use | Skip | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV, cabinet, grab bar | Wood screw into a stud | A plastic plug as the only support | View TV, cabinet, grab bar (affiliate) |
| Shelf or mirror between studs | Toggle sized to the bolt and wall thickness | A 100-pack you will lose | View Shelf or mirror between studs (affiliate) |
| Unknown wall | Scan, mark edges, then a pilot hole | Drilling because the beep felt confident | — |
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Scan, then choose the fastener
A stud finder is a density guess with training wheels. Calibrate on the same wall, off the stud, and scan twice. Live-wire warning is the feature that keeps a casual hole from finding a cable. It is not a promise that the wall is empty.
If the stud is there, use a wood screw long enough to bite framing, not just drywall paper. If it is not, a toggle spreads the load behind the panel. Manufacturer pull-out figures are ultimate loads in a lab wall. A working load is a fraction of that number, and a television is still a stud problem.
The scanner and the anchor
After it is on the wall
Patch and paint are the other half of a hanging project. Tape, a roller, and a drop cloth are in the paint supplies guide.