How do all you pros prefer to mount j-hooks flat to drywall? Drywall anchors? toggle bolts? 1 screw or 2? The situation is a long hallway, cables run along the wall above the drop ceiling.

Get a stud finder and hit a stud. I wouldn't mount anything of any weight direct to just drywall.

I agree 100% with find a stud and for areas where you can't hit a stud use a expandable anchor. Going on the studs is not only stronger but a time/$$ saver as well. Once you locate one stud then the rest should be 16" or 2' apart.

I agree with Bill & Merritt. If it's a wood stud construction, go for the stud. If it's aluminum & drywall I use mollies (what Merritt is showing) or toggle bolts..

Sam

.......or sheetrock augurs...just not in ceilings. :thumb:

I had a customer that had their 4' florescent lights hung to the ceiling with them. When spring came and things got damp the anchors wouldn't hold and the lights started dropping from the ceiling.

Mollys, toggle bolts and the augurs are fine for a few cables, guess I'd need to know how much weight you're talking about. I'd still try to find something solid for more than just a few cables.

If your building owner (and local code) allows, mount a 1" by 4" piece of lumber as a nailer along the route, fastening it securely to studs. Then you have a clean playing field to mount your hooks where you really want them, not just where the studs are. You can use pine or plywood ripped to the correct width. Paint it with fire-retardant paint.

The alternative is not to use hooks at all, but to mount a (metal) wire management tray along the route, and lay the cables in the tray.

Using the studs also helps proper support spacing.

My wall mounted book shelf "5 feet long by 14 inches tall" decided to pull the toggle bolts though the sheet rock with the small sheet rock it was clinging to. Does anyone know if there are sheet rock thickness load graphs online? Ie, how many bls of pull force per inch can be exerted on x thickness of sheet rock?

Yeah, I'm sure that won't dig into the profit. Find the studs and mount accordingly.