How to Fix Things to Walls A Guide to Every Common Wall Type in the UK

Putting up a shelf, mounting a TV, hanging a radiator wall fixings are one of the most common DIY tasks. They're also one of the most frequently done wrong. The screw goes in, seems solid, then pulls out under load a week later. Or you drill into something you shouldn't have.

The reason this goes wrong is almost always the same: using the wrong fixing for the wall type. This guide covers every common wall type you'll find in UK homes and buildings, and exactly what to use in each one.

Step One: Know What Your Wall Is Made Of

Before you drill anything, you need to know what you're drilling into. UK homes have a surprising variety of wall constructions, and what works in one will fail completely in another.

A simple test:

• Knock on the wall with your knuckles. A solid, dull thud suggests a masonry wall (brick, block, or concrete). A hollow knock suggests either a timber stud wall or a dot-and-dab plasterboard wall over masonry.

• Use a stud finder for timber-frame and dot-and-dab walls.

• Old UK homes are often solid brick throughout. Newer builds (post-1945 and especially post-1980) commonly use cavity brick or lightweight block construction. Many internal walls are stud partition walls.

Solid Brick and Masonry Walls

Solid brick is the most straightforward wall type to fix into. It holds fixings well and can take significant loads.

What to use:

• A standard plastic wall plug (sometimes called a Rawlplug) with a wood screw is the everyday fixing for most applications. Red plugs suit 5–6mm holes, brown plugs suit 7mm, yellow suit 3–4mm.

• For heavier loads  wall cabinets, radiators, large shelves  use frame fixings (long, hollow plugs that anchor into the full depth of the drill hole) or heavy-duty expanding plugs.

• For the heaviest applications, chemical anchors or through-bolts with wall anchors give the most reliable hold.

How to do it well:

• Use a hammer drill with a masonry bit. Drilling without hammer action in brick takes much longer and puts more stress on the bit.

• Match the drill bit diameter to the plug size exactly.

• Push the plug fully into the hole before inserting the screw  a partially inserted plug will pull out.

• In old soft brick (Victorian or Edwardian properties), plugs can pull out more easily. Use longer plugs, go deeper, or use chemical anchors for heavier loads.

Concrete Walls and Floors

Concrete is harder than brick and requires specific treatment.

What to use:

• For lighter loads: concrete screws (masonry screws) that tap directly into the drilled hole.

• For medium loads: sleeve anchors or frame anchors.

• For heavy or structural loads: wedge anchors or chemical resin anchors.

What to remember:

• You almost always need a hammer drill for concrete. A standard drill will barely make progress.

• Clean the hole after drilling  concrete dust reduces anchor grip significantly.

• Keep away from edges: drill at least 50–60mm from the edge of a concrete slab or step to avoid cracking.

Hollow Block (Lightweight Blockwork)

Many internal walls in UK properties  particularly in newer builds  use lightweight aerated concrete block (Thermalite or similar). This material is soft and crumbly, and standard plug-and-screw fixings don't hold well in it.

What to use:

• Frame fixings  the longer plug distributes load across more material.

• Hammer fixings designed for lightweight block.

• For heavier loads: chemical anchors  resin fills the void around the fixing and creates a much stronger bond than mechanical expansion in soft material.

• Avoid wedge anchors, which rely on outward expansion and can crack soft block.

Timber Stud Walls

Timber stud walls are frames of vertical timber studs (usually 75x50mm or 100x50mm) with plasterboard screwed to both faces. The gap in between may contain insulation, cables, and pipes.

The challenge is that you can only fix into the studs themselves, or use specialist hollow wall fixings in the plasterboard spans between studs.

Fixing into studs:

• Find the stud with a stud detector (or by tapping  a solid sound versus hollow tells you where the stud is). Standard studs are usually spaced at 400mm or 600mm centres.

• Once you've found the stud, a standard wood screw goes straight in. No plug needed.

• For anything heavy, use at least two studs.

Fixing between studs (into plasterboard only): This is fine for very light loads  picture hooks, cable clips, lightweight decorative items. It is not suitable for anything with real weight.

• Spring toggle fixings  insert through a hole, the wings spring open behind the board and distribute load across a wider area. Good for medium-light loads on plasterboard.

• Metal cavity anchors (Molly bolts)  insert through a small hole, then tighten to expand a collar behind the board. Stronger than toggles for plasterboard-only fixings.

• Plasterboard plugs (Grip-It type)  twist-in fixings that grip the back of the plasterboard. Popular because they're fast to install. Check the rated load carefully  they're not suitable for heavy items.

One important warning: always check for cables and pipes before drilling into stud walls. Use a cable and pipe detector. Stud walls contain services runs and drilling blind is a real risk.

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Dot-and-Dab Walls (Plasterboard on Masonry)

This is extremely common in UK homes: plasterboard stuck to a masonry wall behind it using blobs of adhesive (the dots and dabs). There's typically a 10–20mm air gap between the plasterboard and the masonry.

This wall type trips up a lot of people. The plasterboard face is thin (usually 12.5mm) and can't carry any real load on its own. The masonry behind it can, but you need to get through the gap to reach it.

What to use:

• Frame fixings  long plugs (typically 100–120mm) that go through the plasterboard, cross the air gap, and anchor into the masonry behind. These are the correct fixing for dot-and-dab walls.

• The fixing needs to be long enough to get at least 25–30mm of anchor depth into the masonry behind the plasterboard and gap.

• Short standard plugs will only grip the plasterboard  and they will pull out.

To tell if you're in a dot-and-dab wall: drill a small pilot hole first. If you hit air after going through the plasterboard, that's your air gap. Keep drilling  you'll hit the masonry.

Metal Stud Walls (Partitions)

Commercial buildings and modern offices often use steel stud partition systems rather than timber. The approach is similar to timber stud walls, with the same principle of fixing into the stud or using hollow wall fixings in between.

• For the studs: self-drilling metal screws (TEK screws) go directly into the steel.

• Between studs: use spring toggles or cavity fixings as with timber stud walls.

A Summary of Wall Types and Fixings

The Golden Rules

Always detect before drilling. Use a cable and pipe detector on every wall before you start. Hitting a cable or pipe is expensive, dangerous, or both.

Don't guess the wall type. Take two minutes to find out what you're actually fixing into. The wrong fixing in the wrong wall will fail.

Match the plug to the hole. Undersized plugs pull straight out. Oversized plugs rattle in the hole and don't grip. The plug should be a snug push-fit.

Don't overload plasterboard. Plasterboard is a facing material, not a structural one. Anything with real weight needs to go into a stud or the masonry behind.

Getting wall fixings right is mostly about preparation. Know the wall, use the right fixing, and take five minutes to do it properly. A fixing that holds properly the first time takes far less time than going back to fix a failure.