A Guide to Wall Types

Type 

Characteristics 

Common Hardware 

Installed Products 

Brick 

• Rough

• Uneven surface

• Mortar between bricks

• Small pockets of hollowness 

Tap cons, concrete anchors 

Brick is not a recommended material to install on

Sheetrock/Drywall 

• Smooth wall

• Painted or wall-papered

• Usually has wood or steel studs behind it

• Typically 5/8” thick 

Drywall screws, toggles, machine screws 

Rail, partitions, cleat boards, scribe 

Concrete 

• Smooth wall surface

• Can be painted

• Solid surface throughout  

Tap cons, concrete anchors 

Rail, partitions, cleat boards, scribe 

Cinder Block 

• Fairly smooth surface

• Can be painted

• Has mortar between blocks

• Blocks are hollow  

Tap cons, concrete anchors 

Rail, partitions, cleat boards, scribe  

Plaster 

• Looks similar to drywall but much tougher

• Stud finder will most likely show studs across the whole wall

• Has horizontal slats attached to studs with a few heavy layers of plaster on top

• Plaster is very brittle. 

Drywall screws and toggles 

Rail, partitions, cleat boards, scribe 

Metal Studs 

• Tougher than wood studs

• Can be drilled through

• Must use machine screw and not wood screws due to the coarseness of the screw

• Magnets will be able to find the studs through the drywall

Toggles and machine screws 

Rail, partitions, cleat boards, scribe 

Tile 

• Tiles on a wall, very fragile

• Hard to drill through

• Must use special tile bits to not crack the tiles 

Wood screws and toggles 

Brick is not a recommended material to install on

Wood studs 

• Standard building material commonly used in houses and town houses, and sometimes in multi level developments

• Easy to screw into and wood screws work best 

Wood screws and toggles 

Rail, partitions, cleat boards, scribe