Read how to use wall plugs when you’re performing DIY tasks

1. Using wall plugs for DIY
Wall plugs were invented in
1911 by John Joseph Rawl-
ings. His wall plugs were mar-
keted under the brand name
Rawlplugs, and this name, as a
generic term for wall plugs, is
still widely used today.
Wall plugs are best suited for
use on masonry walls. That is
walls of brick or stone. They
are not the best choice for
plasterboard walls. Wall plugs
come in various colours. This
isn’t simply random, each col-
our is a different size and these
are standard. For each colour
there is the correct drill bit to
use for a certain size of screw.
The smallest is the yellow wall
plug to be used with 6-8mm
screws. The correct drill bit
to use for these plugs is a
5mm masonry drill bit. The
next size up is the red plug,
which should be used with
a 6mm drill bit for screws of
80-10mm. For screws of 10-
14mm use a 7mm drill bit and
brown wall plugs. Finally the
largest sized wall plugs are blue
in colour, for 14-18mm screws
and should be used with a
10mm masonry drill bit.
There are plenty of tips for us-
ing wall plugs that you’ll pick
up along the way. One useful
tip, when you’re drilling a hole
for your wall plug, is to put
your wall plug alongside your
drill bit, and mark on the drill
bit the length of the wall plug
with a piece of tape.
You will then know how far
into the wall to drill for your
wall plug. Another handy tip,
if you’re fitting something to a
tiled wall, perhaps a towel rail
or toilet roll holder in a bath-
room; put a piece of masking
tape on top of your bathroom
wall tiles at the points where
you will be drilling. This will
give a rougher surface to drill
into and should help to stop
your drill bit slipping and
causing tile breakages or an in-
jury. Take it slow. Any drilling
task can be dangerous and it’s
easy to make a mistake.
Debris can easily fly off into
your eyes, so do make sure you
are wearing goggles or safety
glasses while you are drilling,
especially if you are drilling
through bathroom wall tiles as
shards or tile can be particu-
larly hazardous.
When you’re drilling through
plaster into a brick or stone
wall, don’t use the hammer ac-
tion on your power drill until
your drill bit hits the masonry
itself as this can cause damage
to the plaster. When you have
drilled your hole, insert your
wall plug and gently tap it into
the hole with a hammer.
It is best to hammer it until it
is just below the surface of the
wall. If it is flush with the wall,
when the plug expands when
you screw in your screw, the
plaster could crack and crum-
ble. This is less likely to occur
if the plug is slightly below the
surface.
Read how to use wall plugs when you’re performing DIY tasks
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