I am trying to put door rack shelving on a hollow door. The problem is that everytime I try to screw the screws into the anchors, the anchors just fall right through into the inside of the door. Help! What am I doing wrong?
Jen

 

Jeni38, Welcome to the DIY Forums.
It sounds like the holes are too big for the anchors. The collar (shoulder) on the anchors (plastic anchors?) are a slight bit bigger than the hole you need to slip the anchor into. What you might try is to find a small thin washer that slips over the back end of the anchor but does not slide over the shoulder of the anchor. Good luck.

 

"Anchor" is often misused by DIYers and has become a misnomer of sorts. In the true sense, an anchor is usually made of plastic, fiber, or metal and it expands in width when a screw is driven into it; but an anchor is intended for use in materials thicker than 1/4 inch such as sheet rock, plaster, concrete and so on - they're really not intended for use on hollow doors.

Not all anchors have a shoulder, and adding a washer will not usually help matters much. If an anchor slips into a hole, the diameter of that hole is simply much too big. The anchor needs to expand and engage the material, so if that hole is too big the anchor will not engage the material adequatley.


Hollow doors are best tackled with a true hollow wall fastener such as a toggle (which is good) or a molly (which is better).

Toggles have "butterfly" wings at the end of a machine thread bolt. The wings are spring loaded but fold and pass through a wide hole in the wall or door and then spring open.

Mollies have a sleeve that will, after insertion and tightening, contract against the inner side of the wall or door when the screw is tightened.

Toggles are okay, but they need a big hole to pass the wings through and the wings fall off when the screw is removed.

Mollies are better because they fit into smaller holes and will remain intact if the screw is removed.

Forget those anchors and get some mollies.

 

That's what I am wondering (props to ATS for the write-up)
What type of "anchor" are you using?

 

The anchors that came with the door rack are plastic. They are only threaded halfway up the anchor. They do not have a shoulder on them. They do have little plastic expanders on them halfway up. I just can't see how they could work. I appreciate everyone's help. It sound like I need to make a trip to the hardware store!

Jen