Drilled a hole I shouldn't have

[Dick Keats]

Situation is that SWMBO wanted me you put up curtain rods over two 8' high by 6' wide sliding doors. Packaged with the rods and #8 x 1-1/4 screws are some plastic anchors which resemble white tubes with a split on both sides and a couple wings. Instructions said to use a 3/16" bit. Thought I was just drilling through sheetrock but I was very quickly into wood. I tried to get the anchor in but it refused so I drilled the hole deeper. It still didn't want to go in without bending. So then I tried a 1-1/2" screw but I had drilled too deeply into the wood for the screw to hold. What to do now? Only idea I'm having is to cram some toothpicks into the hole and use a screw. Changing the location of the bracket is not an option. BTW, the bracket and screwheads will be visible. Any thoughts or ideas will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Dick in Ferris, TX

[Ed Pawlowski]

Drill a 3/8" hole about 1 1/2" deep. Cut a piece of 3/8 dowel 1 1/4" long. Put a dab of glue on it and put it into the hole. Now re-drill the pilot hole for the screw and all is well.

[RicodJour]

Nothing wrong with the toothpicks and glue route. I wouldn't eliminate the possibility of using a longer screw into the wood studs. Not sure about your curtain plans, but with 1/2" drywall you're only getting 1" of bite out of a 1.5" screw, and that's not a lot for heavy curtains over a bigger span.

R

[Vic Smith]

First try snipping the expansion plug to drywall thickness. Tap it in flush. If the screw expands it, and goes in tight, that should work. But toothpicks work fine for small holes. Used them many times. Or enlarge the bracket holes and go up in screw size.

--Vic

[Harry K]

Odd. I have used a lot of those over the years, never have had problem putting them in. they should just push in with fingers or at most a light tap with a hammer.

Harry K

[Vic Smith]

Yeah. I've run across some that go in pretty tight when using specified drill size. And still have some plugs that aren't tapered. Only thing I can figure is the end catching on hole in the stud somehow, or it's too big for the drill size. The drywall gives way but the wood doesn't. Finding wood there I'd toss the plug anyway

--Vic.

[ChairMan]

instead of toothpicks use a wooden skewer and some glue. much quicker than a bunch of toothpics

[RicodJour]

Well, if you're going to get nit picky about the tooth picky, a golf tee is about the best there is for that sort of thing.

I'm also not quite clear on how much time savings there'd be on filling a single hole with a skewer instead of toothpicks. Five seconds...?

R

[ChairMan]

not everyone's a duffer

one skewer vs 3-4 maybe 5 tps? I dunno about you, these days i can use every second I can get. days are like hours, weeks are like days, and months are like weeks. Your time may vary

[HeyBub]

Abandon the idea of the expanding tubes. Somebody in the dim past manufactured 100 million of the damn things and sold them to hardware manufacturers. These manufacturers, in turn, dispense them with every product they sell in an effort to diminish the pile sufficiently so the balance can be taken to the dump. These plastic screw holders don't hold worth squat and will die of shame in the middle of the night causing your dog to go nuts, your wife to scream, and you to have heart palpitations!

Go to the hardware store and buy some 2" screws of the appropriate diameter. Done.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Heybub and I are in agreement on something!

While you're at the hardware store get a box of these

Get the metal ones- 2" #8 screws. When you need to hang something, use the 2" screw. If it hits a stud, you're good. If it doesn't, then remove the screw and use the anchor. These puppies *hold*.

Jim

[Doug Miller]

That's a good thing, not a bad thing. It means your curtain rod will be anchored into the framing of the house, instead of just into the drywall.

That was a mistake -- but you know that know. For future reference, if that happens again, the moment you hit wood, Stop! Get a smaller drill bit (e.g.

1/8 or 7/32) and *then* drill deeper, and use a longer screw (at least 1/2" longer than the one you would have used with the drywall anchor).

Just get a longer screw. Try one 2-1/2" long instead.

[Dick Keats]

Thanks to all for your comments and ideas. Dick