Screws for interior walls

Just tear out the lauan, Install a backer board. Reinstall the lauan and rewallpaper. You'll be good to go.

A #8 screw will be perfectly fine. Ordinary wood screws are what they use at the factory for shower curtain tracks, speakers and other heavier things on the ceiling. Not an issue for a little lightweight smoke detector.

If you want something really substantial to anchor a heavy item to a wall or ceiling, use a Dometic oscar rivet. Similar to a standard pop rivet but have a long shank with flutes that spread out and anchor solidly in thin luan plywood. Excellent for things like towel bars and robe hooks.

Oscar rivet

Double side sticky Velcro....it'll be your BFF. Plenty easy to remove and if any adhesive remains, Goo Gone fixes that in a second. In our HTT I used that for all our small pictures and personal touches...when time came to sell it, I spent less than an hour taking everything down and cleaning off the small amount of remaining residue...no holes, no damage. When putting up any hooks or towel rings, DH uses just the smaller size plastic anchors and the appropriate size flat-head screw. We never had a problem with anything coming loose. A smoke detector is insignificant weight, so the Velcro is good and when time comes to change the battery, just un-Velcro it and put it back up. Easy.

stationaryfulltimer wrote:
I've used a wall anchor in the past to fix a window valance in the camper and all I got was a big hole where the anchor was and then spun as soon as the screw bit into the anchor. The walls are definitely too thin for any sort of anchor. I'll probably go the #6-8 screw route.

Then you installed them improperly. In thin walls like in RVs you can't collapse the anchor relying on the tabs to keep the anchor from spinning. There are tools to do this like the following:



You can also make you own using a pop rivet tool with a threaded screw the same size as the moly threads with the other end ground down to fit in the pop rivet tool.

Larry

3M Command Strips

I have had no problems using the hollow wall anchors in my post. The trick is to drill the hole very slightly undersized, tap it into place with a hammer ensuring the little teeth bite into the wall, and then tighten the screw to collapse the housing. Worked fine on my Jayco's walls and now my Flagstaff.

Use whatever makes you comfortable, I guess.

My vote is for either 'industrial' hook n'loop or the Command hook n'loop strips. Just mounted a little bedside bin in our TT for the wife. No holes in the paneling and she won't snag a hand on a protruding fastener when she reaches in the shirt wardrobe. I mounted a clock in the dinette slide with hook n'loop material I purchased at HD. Clock is still on the wall, even after towing.

Regular hollow wall anchors do not work well in thin plywood as they are made to use in 1/2" drywall. Mollybolts will work if the wall is hollow and deep enough. Better, and easier in my opinion, are togglers, again if the wall is hollow and deep enough. I've got laminated walls, so it's screws for me.

I've used a wall anchor in the past to fix a window valance in the camper and all I got was a big hole where the anchor was and then spun as soon as the screw bit into the anchor. The walls are definitely too thin for any sort of anchor. I'll probably go the #6-8 screw route.

3M Command Strips

We have large heavy pictures (son's an artist) that have hung in the hallway and in slideouts for 7 yrs. of FT travel.

That stuff is amazing..holds tight, items can be removed and the strips will come off the walls if needed without and damage

Just have to clean contact area well with alcohol first.