While bare walls are definitely a thing, most people bring their personality into a living room wall by hanging pictures or paintings. Here’s Basta sa Bahay’s go to solution for that: nail-in hooks.
THE PRODUCT
The main part is a hook that goes into what goes against the wall. It is made of very hard plastic. I have never seen these break before, unless in extreme cases.
Three of four small nails are secured into the hard plastic part that goes against wall. They are secured so while they move in and out because you need to be able to nail them through, they cannot be removed from the hook part easily. You have 3 or more nails to ensure that the hook does not move rotationally against the wall.
So basically you place against the wall and hammer the nails. The nails do not have heads, so for people like me who can’t get the perpendicular-to-the-wall motion correctly, there is some risk of bending the nails. Just be careful, but don’t sweat it too much since these hooks are really cheap. You can get 20 pieces for around ₱60.
BUYING GUIDE
Plastic Hooks with Adhesives (3M Type): Some products of this type claim no damage to walls since you can pull them down, but I have never had any luck with these as it gives way after a month or even a week.
Hooks with Nano Tape/ Magic Tape: Nano tape is that clear thick tape, and I can swear by how well it adheres to surfaces. The only issue is that it is still a surface adhesion, so I will often have the paint give way (as in: the paint detaches from the wall while the tape is still adhered to the paint, either way your frame has fallen). This however is good with walls/ surfaces without coatings, like tiles. You can buy Nano tape itself, but many wall hooks, wall brackets, etc. will have Nano tape as the adhesion material.
Nailing/Drilling: Of course these remain in the wall really well. Screws can go on perpendicular, and for nails always hammer them downward. The biggest disadvantage is the amount of damage you can do to the wall.
Metal Screws with Anchor Plugs: These are your go to when you are mounting heavy objects. But you have an unsightly after math.
Nail-in Hooks go somewhere in between the adhesives and nailing. The concept is you want to go into the wall vs. adhesion to the surface because paint coats can easily give way. But you have to balance not damaging your walls too much. Because Nail-in hooks use thin nails, if you are really careful you can get away with very minimal damage to your wall, while mounting an object really securely.
ANG OKAY
It’s very secure for hanging most items on the wall and is perfect for hanging items using a hole or string. You don’t have any problems because the adhesive or wall coating gives way because you nail into the wall. Because you nail in at least 3 points, that hook is going to stay in its position.
ANG HINDI OKAY
There is nailing involved, and though you can be careful, you will still end up with 3 small holes once you take it out. There’s also some learning curve so you don’t bend the nails.
Not really a negative, but do note that it’s a very specific mounting type (use of a hook), and there are other products for brackets or mounting rods. This is NOT the product for hanging shelves, you definitely need metal screws with anchor plugs for this.
VERDICT
■■■□ Pwede na
For the specific purpose that it solves, it’s really good except the minimal damage it will do to your wall. Again, note that you have to choose the correct way to mount, and this is only one of them. It’s perfect for hanging by either a hole or string.
Online shopping keywords: wall hook, nail-in hook