Lookelo wall anchor question count Searched: November 2, 2026 Article: /blog/what-shoppers-ask-before-buying-wall-anchors Purpose Find what DIY shoppers asked most often in the past month about the hardware they needed for a project, and record what those questions had in common, to inform a guide for independent hardware, paint, lumber and building-supply store owners. This is original desk research: Lookelo selected, paraphrased and coded public questions. We did not contact posters, test any anchor, or check whether the advice they received was right. How the topic was chosen A first pass on November 2, 2026 ran 55 past-month Reddit searches across r/HomeImprovement, r/DIY, r/fixit, r/homeowners and r/woodworking with general buying phrases ("which should I buy", "what kind of", "what screws", "what size", "caulk which", "weatherstripping" and others). It returned 467 unique posts. A model-assisted screen flagged 136 as product-choice questions; the largest named groups were screws and fasteners (14) and drywall anchors (7), ahead of paint (12, already covered by the October 31 primer post) and insulation (8). Fasteners and anchors together formed the largest group, so the second pass focused on them. Sources and queries Reddit search through the Reddit API, restricted to posts from the past month, run November 2, 2026. 13 phrases in 12 communities (156 searches): phrases: what screws, which screws, screw size, what anchor, drywall anchor, wall anchor, toggle bolt, what bolts, lag screw, what nails, what fasteners, deck screws, hang heavy communities: HomeImprovement, DIY, fixit, homeowners, woodworking, Carpentry, Decks, HomeMaintenance, handyman, DIYUK, furniture, Tools They returned 1,332 results (911 unique posts). 134 posts dated October 3 to November 2 had a fastener word in the title (screw, anchor, bolt, nail, fastener, toggle, lag, wall plug, hardware). Reading those titles, 44 looked like a shopper choosing or using a fastener; each of the 44 was opened individually through the Reddit API on November 2, 2026 and read in full. The largest group among the 44 was hanging or mounting something on a wall: 25 posts. The rest were structural or deck fasteners, furniture assembly, removal of stuck screws and hole repair, which are excluded (reasons in observations.json). Eligibility Window: original posts dated October 3 through November 2, 2026 (UTC). Include: an original post that asks which anchor, plug, toggle or screw to use, whether one will hold, what size to buy, or why an anchor failed, for hanging or mounting something on a wall. Exclude: structural, framing and deck fasteners; furniture assembly; screw removal; hole repair with no fastener question; ceiling electrical boxes; posts with no text. Crossposts are counted once. After reading, 19 candidates were excluded (17 off-topic, 2 crossposts). 25 posts were included. Codebook (1 = the original post says it, 0 = it doesn't; a post can score on several) ask_which asks which anchor, plug, toggle or fixing to use ask_holds asks whether a specific anchor, screw or setup will hold ask_size asks about screw or plug size, length or diameter, or says a supplied size didn't fit failed_already an anchor or screw had already pulled out, stripped, crumpled, spun or wouldn't go in no_stud says there is no stud where the fixing is needed stated_weight gives the weight of the item kit_hardware mentions hardware that came with the item being hung outdoor the fixing is outdoors Wall type is coded as drywall (including plasterboard and hollow walls), masonry (brick, block, mortar), panel_or_tile (panelling, beadboard or tile over another wall), metal_stud, acrylic (shower enclosure) or not_stated. Results (25 posts) ask_which 10, ask_holds 9, ask_size 9, failed_already 12, no_stud 10, stated_weight 4, kit_hardware 4, outdoor 2 20 of 25 asked which anchor, whether it would hold, or what size; the other 5 asked why an anchor failed or how to go on after it did. Walls: drywall 12, masonry 3, panel_or_tile 3, metal_stud 1, acrylic 1, not_stated 5 Items: shelves 6, bath fixtures 5, curtains 4, mirrors 3, TV mounts 2, cabinet 1, other 4 Communities: DIYUK 6, HomeImprovement 6, DIY 4, handyman 3, homeowners 2, HomeMaintenance 2, Carpentry 1, woodworking 1 Limits Counts describe this sample of public Reddit posts only, not all shoppers or any store's customers. The searches used fastener words, so posts that described the problem without them were likely missed. The topic screen in the first pass was model-assisted; the final 25 were read and coded by hand. Six posts came from a UK community, and most posters are not in New England. Posters' descriptions of their walls weren't verified. Paraphrases replace post text; no usernames or comment threads are published. Files questions.csv one row per included post: date, community, URL, wall, item, paraphrased question, codes, evidence note summary.json every count above