Tornillo de anclaje: tipos, uso y selección correcta

Almost every repair requires attaching something to a ceiling or wall. If you want a mounting solution capable of supporting heavy loads, approach this matter seriously.

For those living in wooden homes, using only nails and a hammer will suffice to achieve a reliable fix.

Thanks to its natural structure, wood securely holds nails and easily allows them to be driven in under hammer strikes. For many years, builders have used this property of wood by inserting wooden plugs into brick or concrete walls, then screwing in screws into these plugs.

Today, these traditional methods are being replaced by modern dowels. A dowel is a factory-made component designed for permanent, non-through mounting.

Types of Dowels

There are many types of dowels available today. Here are some of the most common:

Expansion Polypropylene Dowel – Made from nylon or polypropylene. Designed for use in concrete, stone, and brick. Requires the use of screws.
Expansion Dowel – Made from polypropylene. Intended for mounting items into concrete surfaces and features built-in expansion ribs to enhance grip during installation.
Gypsum Board Dowel – Made from metal or plastic. Designed for securing structures and components into gypsum fiberboard or drywall sheets, or porous concrete. Requires universal screws or self-tapping screws. Metal versions can be installed without pre-drilling holes, thanks to their tip being shaped like a conical drill bit.
Nail Dowel – Made from polypropylene and nylon; the nail itself is steel. Designed for fast mounting of metal profiles, windows, guide rails, framing, baseboards, timber, cable channels, and plywood into brick, stone, or concrete surfaces. Ideal for large-scale and rapid installations. The dowel includes a nail with a knurled surface for enhanced retention. The knurling is formed as inverted cones.
Nylon Dowel – Made from polypropylene and nylon. Suitable for mounting into any wall surface. Requires screws with diameters of 2–16 mm. Requires a hole with a diameter equal to the dowel’s. The dowel is held in place by specially directed ribs.
Frame Dowel – Made from metal. Used for mounting door and window frames, as well as cladding elements through insulation and plaster layers. Comes in two variants: one for soft materials, and one for solid, rigid materials.
Adjustable Dowel – Made from metal. Used for mounting guide rails at a set distance from the wall, prior to cladding. Allows adjustment of the rail position relative to the wall by 0–30 mm via the separation between the dowel and screw.
Universal Nylon Dowel – Made from polypropylene and nylon. Designed for mounting door frames, metal rails, window frames, cladding support frames, suspended ceilings, and wooden battens to surfaces with hollow or empty interiors.
Butterfly Dowel – Made from metal. Designed for mounting into hollow structures that must support heavy loads.
Insulation Mounting Dowel – Made from plastic or plastic base with a metal nail. Used for fixing polystyrene or mineral wool insulation to concrete or brick walls. Requires pre-drilled holes in the wall.

How to Choose the Right Dowel

Choose a dowel based on its intended location and expected load:

For horizontal mounting into brick or concrete walls, select dowels with a depth of 30–50 mm and an outer diameter of 6–10 mm.
For mounting heavy items such as gym equipment, wall shelves, or outdoor fixtures, use dowels with a depth of at least 80 mm.
If the load will act downward (e.g., chandeliers, suspended ceilings), choose dowels with transverse grooves and expansion ribs.
When matching a dowel to an existing hole, ensure the dowel diameter matches or exceeds the hole diameter. The dowel must not be smaller than the hole.

Using dowels in repairs helps prevent wall damage at the mounting point. By their size and material, dowels act as cushioning washers, reducing stress on weak walls. In solid surfaces, the dowel fits tightly around the fastener, helping to distribute the load evenly.