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Whether it's a priceless work of art or a collection of family photographs, it's important that what you hang on your walls stays put. While attaching directly to studs provides the most security, they are often not located in the ideal spot, and screws and nails provide little support in drywall alone.

We put some of the more common fasteners to the test to see which ones held the most weight in drywall, caused the least damage, and are easiest to use. For shear holding power, anchors that spread out behind the wall did the best, but they also did the most damage to the wall. Since most pictures weigh less than ten pounds, the size of the hole and ease of installation may be more important than the actual holding ability of the fastener.

Tests were conducted using downward pressure on a hollow section of standard ½" drywall. While all of these fasteners can be used in plaster as well, the holding power may vary and precautions should be taken to keep the wall from cracking.