Photo: Skylar Kang

How do you anchor furniture to the wall without studs?

If there's no stud, insert a heavy duty drywall anchor. Screw one end of the furniture hardware into those holes. Hold the second end of the bracket to a secure part of the underside of the piece of furniture. Use a pencil to mark the holes.

charlestoncrafted.com - How to anchor furniture to the wall - Charleston Crafted

How thick should OSB be for flooring?

23/32″- For decades, 23/32″-thick OSB has been the most commonly used thickness of OSB subflooring. But a simple switch to 7/8″ panels offers...

Last updated Dec 31, 2020

What is cheaper wood deck or concrete patio?

It's cheaper to build a concrete patio in terms of both the initial cost to lay a concrete patio, as well as its cost of maintenance over time. A...

Last updated Mar 14, 2022

Can I build my own shed?

Yes, with the right plans you can build your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we earn a small percentage of each sale. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Want to anchor furniture to your walls to make it safer for your kids? Here’s a complete guide on anti-tip anchoring hardware for furniture. Thank you to National Hardware for sponsoring this post. All opinions are true and our own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Charleston Crafted possible! If you have a child in your home, you are going to want to pay attention to this post. Kids are wild and many kids like to climb on anything they can get their hands on. However, many children have been killed by being squished by fallen furniture. This is an absolutely true story: not too long ago, Luke and Rory were playing in Rory’s room. We were both nearby but not in the room when we heard a wall-shaking CRASH. We both went sprinting and were horrified to find Rory’s dresser had fallen over to the floor.

It was one of the scariest possible things.

Luke’s legs were under a drawer but we didn’t see Rory at a first glance. It was panic-inducing. One second later, as we’re lifting this massive dresser up and thinking Rory is trapped underneath, Luke pointed out that Rory was actually on the other side of the room, behind the bedroom door.

They were both OK, but it could have been horrible.

After that, we have made it our mission to anchor as much furniture as possible to the wall. Thankfully, easy-to-install furniture anti-tip kits, like the one from National Hardware, are an inexpensive and accessible option for securing furniture to your wall and protecting your children. If you are concerned with child safety in your home, you need to secure your furniture to the wall as soon as possible.

How do you secure furniture to the wall?

You will want to secure your furniture to the wall using anti-tip anchoring hardware. There are a few different styles of furniture anti-tip hardware kits that are good depending on your situation. When we first did Luke’s jungle nursery in our old house, we installed two anti-tip straps, one that attached to the wall and the other to the furniture. However, it didn’t allow for a lot of adjustment and was tight to fit in the space. There are other kits, like the one from National Hardware, that is a wire that attaches to metal pegs anchored into the wall and into the furniture. We like these ones now because they can be installed onto your furniture a couple of different ways, depending on what it is.

Why is my garden shed roof wet inside?

It usually occurs when the roof material becomes colder than the air inside your shed. When the water vapour in the air meets the cold surface, it...

Last updated Aug 29, 2022

Should you put landscape fabric under a deck?

Keep Under Your Deck Weed-Free A ground covering of landscape fabric topped with 3–4 inches of gravel is the best way to keep weeds from growing...

Last updated May 6, 2018

Can I build my own shed?

Yes, with the right plans you can build your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

We’ll show you a couple of those examples in just a little bit.

Supplies needed to anchor furniture

Anti-tip anchoring hardware

Drill

Stud finder or drywall anchors

Pencil

Steps to anchor furniture to the wall

Use a stud finder to find a stud behind your piece of furniture. Pre-drill holes smaller than your screws into the stud. If there’s no stud, insert a heavy duty drywall anchor. Screw one end of the furniture hardware into those holes. Hold the second end of the bracket to a secure part of the underside of the piece of furniture. Use a pencil to mark the holes. Pre-drill holes where you marked them. Line the hardware up with those holes and screw into place. Slide the furniture back into place if needed.

How furniture anchors work

Furniture anchors work by having a very strong wire with a fastener on either end. One end of the furniture strap screws into the back of the piece of furniture.

The second end of the furniture strap screws into the wall.

By securing these together, the furniture can’t tip forward, even if a child opens all the dressers or climbs on the shelves.

Anchoring to a wall

When anchoring furniture to the wall, you need to drill your anchoring kit into either a wood stud in the wall or use a drywall anchor. You can use a stud finder to find the stud. Then, use longer screws to attach the wall-side of the anti-tip kit into the anchor. Securing into a stud will be by far the most secure and heavy duty. If there’s no stud where you need to install the anti tip kit, you will need to drill a small pilot hole and then install an anchor into that pilot hole, Then, screw the steel cable into that anchor. Make sure you’re using a heavy duty anchor that will withstand a lot of weight, otherwise, the anti-tip kit won’t help.

Attaching the brackets to furniture

The second end of the furniture tip kit screws into the furniture. Pick a spot thick enough to take the depth of the screw. For example, if it’s a bookshelf with a thin backer, don’t screw into the backer! The furniture anti-tip kit from National Hardware actually allows you to drill a small hole in the back of your furniture and thread the wire through, allowing you to attach the anchor on the furniture side to a thick part of the furniture. Depending on what you have, you could attach to the underside or the side of a furniture wall.

What does toxic mold look like?

Toxic mold can also have a grayish, soot-like texture, or a slimy, wet surface. In some cases, you may even notice furry orange or brown spots. If...

Last updated Jul 20, 2022

Are prefab garages cheaper?

Prefab garages are less expensive If you have a small budget for your garage project, a prefab garage might be your best bet. The main reason why a...

Last updated Jun 23, 2019

Are shed plans easy to follow?

These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

For anchoring the DIY dowel rod bookshelf we just built, we simply attached the anti-tip wire to the underside of the top shelf, where no one could see it. Because of the open back, there was no need to drill a hole in anything and it is very secure. When we installed the kit onto Rory’s DIY dollhouse bookshelf, we drilled through the thin plywood backer and attached the wire to one of the support shelves.

What furniture should you anchor to the wall?

If you have small children, it is much better to be safe than sorry when it comes to anchoring furniture to the wall. We suggest anchoring:

Bookshelves

Toy shelves

Dressers

Bedside tables

Armoires

Cabinets

Televisions

Any furniture in a child’s bedroom or playroom

Especially focus on (but don’t limit yourself to) furniture where kids are frequently accessing toys or clothing on their own, or anything in a room where children are frequently left alone.

How do you secure furniture without putting holes in the wall?

If you don’t want to put screws in the wall, there are a few options for anchoring furniture:

Zip ties

Velcro strips

However, these methods will never be as secure as using anti-tip anchored hardware screwed into the wall.

Any questions about using anti-tip anchoring hardware?

Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Subscribe We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Built with ConvertKit Looking for something? We’ve been doing this since 2012 so we have a LOT of blog posts! Use the search bar below to find what you are looking for! Search stuff like: Ceiling Projects | DIY Plant Stands | Thrift Flips Search Search Subscribe! Can we send you our newsletter? Another great way to keep up with out latest projects is by joining our weekly newsletter! Get alerts of our latest projects and special peeks behind the scenes!

charlestoncrafted.com - How to anchor furniture to the wall - Charleston Crafted

How do I get rid of an old wooden shed?

The main options for shed disposal are resale, donation, council collection, hiring a waste contractor, using your local HWRC or, if the wood...

Last updated Jul 24, 2020

How do you insulate a shed inside?

It's worth doing though as a lot of heat will escape through the floor, especially in the winter months. To insulate a shed floor you can lay a...

Last updated Jul 19, 2019

Can I build my own shed?

Yes, with the right plans you can build your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

What is the best storage shed to buy?

Here are the best outdoor sheds. Best Overall: Suncast Tremont Resin Storage Shed. Best Resin: Keter Manor Resin Outdoor Storage Shed. Best Wooden:...

Last updated Feb 13, 2020

Are shed plans easy to follow?

These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

What is the most energy-efficient insulator?

EPS foam panels: EPS insulation, such as InSoFast, has the highest average R-value per dollar of the rigid foam insulation materials (about R-4.45...

Last updated Aug 21, 2020