During repairs, the most important thing is the selection of the right attachments, suitable for a particular situation. Also, before starting work, you should familiarize yourself with the features and installation rules of the fasteners used, which ensure aesthetics, durability and reliability of the structures being formed. For example, when choosing anchors for drywall, you should be aware of their types and nuances of use.
Fasteners are divided into several distinct subgroups. The first subgroup - pass-through dowels, the second - expanding.
For example, a through dowel is used when fixing a structure to the ceiling itself. Also, this type of fastener is used when installing chandeliers or sports equipment. But spring fasteners are perfect for fixing any structures to a plasterboard wall or tile.
Dowels must necessarily meet certain requirements. First, such products must have a special coating that protects them from corrosion. Secondly, the dowels must be made of high quality materials, and on the main surface the spacer of the fastener itself must create a strong enough fixation to support heavy structures.
In order not to be mistaken when choosing the right dowels, you need to consider the features and benefits of using each individual type of fastener.
Dowel molly
This type of dowels used when installing gypsum boards can be distinguished by the type of manufacture. This type of fastener is produced according to the harpoon spacer principle in order to obtain a sufficiently strong fastening.
Molly dowel, cannot be attributed to cheap products. The prices for fasteners are very high, but this is due to the excellent quality of the products, their reliability and the ability to withstand a lot of weight.
Molly dowels work according to a special principle:
- An 8 mm hole is drilled under the dowel using a drill.
- The dowel must be inserted into this hole. Then the side of the fastener together with the teeth should be firmly pressed against the plasterboard. This is what avoids turning it.
- Then, using an ordinary screwdriver, a screw is screwed to the plasterboard sheet material. This is done on an internal thread. This screw is included with the dowel and is sold together with it in one set. Screws are usually also supplied with dowels.
The advantages of this type of fastener include its ability to cope with even the highest loads. In addition, if necessary, you can always dismantle it.
Dowel Drive
The Driva (DRV) product is one of the most popular fasteners. Driva is produced in only two versions. Such fasteners can be either plastic or made of metal.
The most relevant and affordable are plastic fasteners.
This fastening element is very easy to screw into building materials, securely fixed.
The work is performed in a specific sequence:
- A 6 mm hole is made in the gypsum board.
- Then a dowel is inserted into the prepared hole. It is necessary to embed the dowel into the plasterboard sheet material as a self-tapping screw. The best way to do this is to use a screwdriver.
- After that, screw a 3.5 mm or 4.5 mm self-tapping screw or screw into the cruciform slot that each Driva dowel has.
Such dowels look aesthetically pleasing with a variety of types of plasterboard material.
This fastener is distinguished by the fact that it does not require free space behind the drywall sheet material. However, when choosing a dowel, its length should be taken into account. For instance, for metal fasteners, it reaches 44 mm, and for plastic products - up to 23 mm.
Dowel Fischer
Another type of fastener is the Fisher PD model. The design of the Fisher PD itself is made of plastic (it refers to the base of the product, where the screw is subsequently screwed in).
During mounting, Fischer is pressed against the joint so that a strong adhesion occurs with the screwed in screw. This is what creates protection against possible loss. Fisher dowels are very popular, and the cost of the products is low.
Dowel nail
Modern models of dowel-nails for plasterboard material are a very common type of fastener. The expansion device is made of pure nylon. The product is structured in three separate sections. The through hole is located at the very “tail” of the fastener. This makes screwdriving easy, creating the desired axial travel for the screws.
The dowel-nails are fastened reliably enough, because the walls of this fastening element during installation begin to expand in three different directions at once.
With the help of this modern fastener, they fix:
- window frames;
- skirting boards;
- door frames;
- cornices;
- reiki.
There are also steel dowels. However, apply this type of product when installing plasterboard sheathing is quite rare … This dowel-nail can provide through-the-line installation. In this case, you can easily hammer the fastener with a hammer into the hole already prepared with a drill.
Self-tapping dowel
Self-tapping dowels are also used to mount drywall sheet material. This element can be made of metal or nylon. This type of fastener applicable when fixing the necessary items to single-layer or multi-layer drywall … In this case, the gypsum board can be with a decorative or insulated coating.
Such elements are distinguished by size. When choosing a product, you should pay attention to the length of the fasteners. This means that it should not "stick out" from the back of the plasterboard sheathing. Such fasteners are considered ideal for securing fairly heavy objects.… This fastener is very easy to screw in. In this case, it is not necessary to prepare the hole in advance (of course, if drywall is used with a thickness of no more than 15 mm).
Butterfly
Fasteners with an interesting name "butterfly" are referred to as universal elements. This dowel is used for surfaces with voids.located behind a wall of 5 mm drywall sheets. This fastener is similar in function to an ordinary umbrella. The structure expands directly behind the sheet in free space. This is exactly how a sufficiently reliable fastener stop is provided.
This type of fixing is suitable for ceilings sheathed with plasterboard material.
For example, when arranging heavy lamps, the stops that begin to open behind the plasterboard sheets are able to evenly distribute the load over the entire quadrature.
Fasteners with a drill
Another type of fastener is a dowel with a drill. Such a part can be fixed even on multilayer walls made of gypsum board … You need to screw the fasteners directly into the material itself.
During installation, it is also necessary to pay attention to the length of the product.
Dowel-umbrella
A hole must be drilled before installing the umbrella plug. It is a self-aligning element that can be opened behind the KGL sheet. This guarantees a secure hold on the surface. Usually this type of fastener is used for ceiling structures.
Screw varieties
Such products are a set consisting of a spacer dowel and a nail with a special screw thread. The main thing is to screw in the screw dowels with high quality. You cannot scroll through them, and for this it is necessary to compare the available dimensions and take into account the complexity of the installation.
Metal dowels are mainly made from zinc alloys. At cost, they are almost always more expensive than their plastic counterparts, but are considered more reliable.
Chemical anchors
Chemical anchors used for plasterboard material, in fact, are some kind of cartridges or capsules with a special adhesive mass. In addition to this anchor, mesh sleeves are sold, which create a very strong anchorage..
It is quite simple to screw the dowels into the plasterboard material, and a beginner can easily cope with such work.
During installation, the chemical anchors break and the capsule mix is mixed. Then a chemical reaction begins, which forms a reliable fixation.
Nuances of use
Before working with any fasteners, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with some rules:
- It is necessary to carefully drill a hole intended for mounting umbrella dowels or other types of fasteners in the GLK so that the sheet material is not damaged during fixing.
- The hole itself is best made slightly larger in diameter than the fastener. This will also help to avoid cracking of the gypsum board during installation.
- It is advisable to clean the holes from debris and dust generated during drilling. A regular vacuum cleaner can help you with this.
- When using an electric screwdriver, care should be taken to prevent the fastener from turning in place when it reaches its final point. Such improper mounting can adversely affect the density of the part. Accordingly, it is better to twist the part not to the stop.
- Upon completion of the installation of fasteners in the structure, the area around the hole is covered with putty or acrylic.
If you do not have any experience and knowledge in such work, it is better to consult a professional before installation. An experienced specialist will help you understand the intricacies of installing and fixing parts, will draw your attention to important nuances when working with dowels.
How to choose
There are many different fasteners on the modern market. In order not to be mistaken with the choice of fastening parts, several points must be taken into account. It is worth assessing the level of load on the fasteners, the need for subsequent dismantling and financial capabilities (since the cost of different types of parts may vary).
For the intricacies of choosing drywall fasteners, see below.