Hollow wall anchor gripe

Those metal umbrella ones. I am new to them becaues now one of my kids have brought a house with all hollow plasterboard walls
My gripe with them is because they sit proud of the plasterboard and if you are fixing something with a flat surface it is only resting on a small penny size spot is not as secure as when the whole surface of what you are fixing is in flat contact with the plasterboard also they leave a gap all around its edge.
I suppose I could recess them in the skim coat - would this be successful. Or cut out the back of the thing I am fixing but that is not always possible like my current job is a towel rad with the round tube brackets so I am thinking of using a washer the same thickness of the bit showing proud of the plasterboard but not so big as to be seen. Maybe a fibre washer looks about right.
Any thoughts

aveatry said:

My gripe with them is because they sit proud of the plasterboard

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If your plaster is flat and they are fully set they should sit no more than about a millimetre or so proud. Which brand are you using? I learned long ago to buy Rawl, Fischer or Spit ones rather than than own brand types which seem universally weak and misshapen

aveatry said:

you are fixing something with a flat surface it is only resting on a small penny size spot is not as secure as when the whole surface of what you are fixing is in flat contact with the plasterboard also they leave a gap all around its edge.

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It's the screw which takes the weight. Small gaps can always be filled with caulk or silicone. Trying to cut into the skim coat is just making far too much work for far too little return IMHO

I am using these ones - perhaps I will give rawl plug a try
They are from Toolstation

You are dealing with about .5mm here....I use my metal countersunk bit which allows the end of the fixing to sit into the CSK.
The top ones you show are my preference.
John

Yeh sorry the picture also has on it some butterfly fixings on the bottom. Its the ones at the top. Yes slightly drilling out the back of the thing you are fixing to the wall is the way but its not always possible. Just wondered if someone else had a little trick they use.
For example if you were to use them to fix a surface mounted double socket to the wall, you can not cut the back of that and it would look wrong with a slight gap all the way around it when on the wall.

I sometimes replace the supplied screws with other fasteners, e.g. for Spur uprights I'd use CSK H]=head machine screws