Current Events > Why won't this drywall anchor go in?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I feel like a dumbass. This anchor refuses to go in.



looks like the wall around it is swelling up, I feel like it's going to break.anchor. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

For the record, I used a automatic screwdriver to start off the hole, then I put the drywall anchor in there. Right now I'm using a normal screwdriver to manually screw the anchor in, but it's extremely difficult to get it in there. With an automatic screwdriver, the anchor just shakes everywhere

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it means you didnt fucking check if there was a wooden beam behind that spot.

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ModLogic posted...

it means you didnt fucking check if there was a wooden beam behind that spot.

I did, there's no stud there.according to my online research, you can put a screw in if you use an anchor, if there's no stud there. If there does happen to be a stud, you can just use a screw in youre fine.

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Update, The anchor fell out of the wall. Here's a picture of two anchors, the top one being the one that fell out. Notice that part of the anchor broke off.



correct me if I'm wrong, but I should be able to just put the anchor in that spot. There's no stud there. If there was a stud, I just would have used a screw without an anchor. All in men my hardware understanding is horrible, so maybe I'm making a mistake here.

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Are you just assuming the studs are where they should be? Cause that's always a mistake.

Also could be a cross piece for bracing.

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Maybe there's a briefcase with money hidden in the wall. Better get a sledge hammer out.

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CanuckCowboy posted...

Are you just assuming the studs are where they should be? Cause that's always a mistake.

Also could be a cross piece for bracing.

no, like i said i used a stud finder and theres no stud in the spot i tried to screw that in. maybe the stud finder isnt very good and there is a stud there? if it were a stud, i would assume i'd have a much easier time getting that anchor in

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Tbh I'm not sure what I'm looking at in the first pic. Is that actually the anchor?

Cause all the drywall anchors I've used you drill the hole, push em in, then insert the screw into the anchor.

I've worked a lot of years in construction and I'm genuinely unfamiliar with an anchor/ screw combo

Anchors are typically plastic so they definitely won't go into wood well.

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What the hell kind of anchor is that? Like CanuckCowboy said, you traditionally use something with a larger diameter than the screw and maybe some jagged edges, drill a hole just a bit smaller in diameter than the anchor, pound the anchor in (gently), then screw into the anchor hole and it balloons out to hold the load

That's... just a plastic screw

Here's the anchor. Did I buy the wrong one? I don't see why these wouldn't work. It says on the package "for drywall"




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99% chance there's an obstruction behind the drywall. Stud or whatever. 1% chance you're fundamentally messing it up, like running the drill in reverse or something.

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lol yea thats a plastic screw. and the end broke off cos you tried to force it into something solid behind the wall.

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those look similar to the ones i've used, but mine had little plastic wings that flare out.

should work fine though.

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The plastic screw is an anchor guise. A metal screw will be screwed into it. This is useful if the drywall isn't too solid or you need extra weight capacity.

I would suggest to remove the anchor and using a small Phillips (or probing tool) punch a hole. Be careful though because could be anything .. electrical cabling, plumbing.. who knows!!

That should help you to determine if this is a good place to be putting an anchor. If it isn't then sand it down, mud and paint it back to normal.

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wbloechel posted...

Also stud finders aren't always 100% accurate. Plus there could be some piping or electrical around there, is there an outlet below?

true, the one i bought seemed like a good one, but seems to fuck up a lot

Naysaspace posted...

99% chance there's an obstruction behind the drywall. Stud or whatever. 1% chance you're fundamentally messing it up, like running the drill in reverse or something.

weird, stud finder didnt pick it up. not saying youre wrong. so if theres an obstruction like a stud, i could just put a regular screw in right?

ModLogic posted...

lol yea thats a plastic screw. and the end broke off cos you tried to force it into something solid behind the wall.

yeah i tried to force it in, cuz it would no go in.

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Just a bunch of guys on CE looking for a stud.



Nothing to see here move along...

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If there is something behind that wall I would HIGHLY suggest you don't go screwing things into it until you know what it is.

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Could be a pipe or some kind of obstruction

I've used those exact ones many times and never had a problem

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__aCEr__ posted...

If there is something behind that wall I would HIGHLY suggest you don't go screwing things into it until you know what it is.

i have a stud finder

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pojr posted...

i could just put a regular screw in right?

you better make sure exactly what is behind that spot before you go doing that

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i feel like this is such an impossible task. this is the 2nd time this has happened, where shit refuses to go into the wall and then i leave a dumb hole. i take every precaution possible, i use a stud finder and it says im in the clear. no electrical shit or anything like that. and boom, fail. seems like my apartment has some metal ass walls or something. cant catch a break.

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Depending on the stud finder, you might have to adjust it's scanning according to the thickness of your drywall. This could cause it not picking up a stud.

I prefer using toggle bolt anchors though.

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pojr posted...

i have a stud finder

Our experience shows that most battery-operated types work fairly well to some extent. Some of this is a function of you get what you pay for since many low-cost stud finders do not have the penetrating power to accurately get though the wall materials to find the studs. Theres also the issue of not having the sensors needed to find things that are important to youlike electrical wires or metal studs or metal conduit.

https://www.protoolreviews.com/do-stud-finders-work/

you still need to be careful

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pojr posted...

i feel like this is such an impossible task. this is the 2nd time this has happened, where shit refuses to go into the wall and then i leave a dumb hole. i take every precaution possible, i use a stud finder and it says im in the clear. no electrical shit or anything like that. and boom, fail. seems like my apartment has some metal ass walls or something. cant catch a break.

Lots of condos / apartments DO have metal studs in the walls ackshully.

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Picture of the wall you are trying to put the anchor in. My man eyes will tell you if there is a stud there or not

Okay here are some more pictures to showcase what we're looking at



It looks like it's either on a stud, or near a stud. The second picture where it says "center" is right near the spot that I tried to drill in

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Here's the second picture, it wouldn't go in the first post because the space was too much



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"They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goshdang walls." - Pvt Hudson

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did you use both stud finders?

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KaZooo posted...

did you use both stud finders?

i have two stud finders. i used one originally, but when i had issues i used both to troubleshoot

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ModLogic posted...

you better make sure exactly what is behind that spot before you go doing that

This is a good point.

Assuming you know there's not gonna be any pvc pipe or anything behind their you can tap a nail in gently and see if it has resistance after it clears the drywall.


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shironinja posted...

The plastic screw is an anchor guise. A metal screw will be screwed into it. This is useful if the drywall isn't too solid or you need extra weight capacity.

I would suggest to remove the anchor and using a small Phillips (or probing tool) punch a hole. Be careful though because could be anything .. electrical cabling, plumbing.. who knows!!

That should help you to determine if this is a good place to be putting an anchor. If it isn't then sand it down, mud and paint it back to normal.

I've literally never seen a drywall anchor that had a screw head. Apparently they exist but after like 20 years in construction I feel confident in saying they have to be a wildly inferior option to a typical hollow drywall anchor.

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CanuckCowboy posted...

This is a good point.

Assuming you know there's not gonna be any pvc pipe or anything behind their you can tap a nail in gently and see if it has resistance after it clears the drywall.

not a bad option, but with the pics i showed above the stud finder didnt find anything metal. there must have been some kind of resistance. i cant tell if there was a stud or not, as the stud finder shown in my pics shows lines going horizontally, but not "center" (i assume no center means no stud? or there is a stud but its not in the center)

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Returning_CEmen posted...

Picture of the wall you are trying to put the anchor in. My man eyes will tell you if there is a stud there or not

Here you go. Sorry about the mess, trying to find places to put shit



It's the screw on the bottom right hand side that is giving me trouble.

Screw on top left - it's a stud. Was able to put a screw in with no anchor, didn't have a problem

Screw on bottom left - had a lot of resistance, but was able to get the screw in. I don't know why it was much more difficult than the top one. It's a stud, doesn't it go up and down?

Screw on top right - was not able to get this one in successfully. Not sure if you can tell in the picture, but the screw is in diagonally. Unfortunately that is what happened. Tried to get it in straight, and that's the best I could do

Screw on bottom right - that is the one I've shown pictures of. That is the one I'm having the biggest problem with. I'm thinking that there is some resistance on the right side. Maybe it's a stud? My stud finder did not detect any kind of metal or electric

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Wait...so you had a stud there, why did you use a plastic anchor?

CommonStar posted...

Wait...so you had a stud there, why did you use a plastic anchor?

error on my part. when i went through it i did not find a stud. also when i look through the hole i do not see any wood. i dont know, i have a weird feeling there's no stud, but maybe im an idiot.

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gamefaqs resizes the pic so the resolution is horrible. if you use your hand and knock on all 4 points, does it all sound and feel the same?

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CanuckCowboy posted...

I've literally never seen a drywall anchor that had a screw head. Apparently they exist but after like 20 years in construction I feel confident in saying they have to be a wildly inferior option to a typical hollow drywall anchor.

Oh totally. Agree! These things are after-market construction hacks that the normies use. Getting them out is hilarious too. As far as I know you either:

A) tap them in a bit further and mud over 'em
-or-
B) bash a nice hole with your hammer so it goes all the way in and drops to the interior wall floor and THEN mud over it.

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ModLogic posted...

gamefaqs resizes the pic so the resolution is horrible. if you use your hand and knock on all 4 points, does it all sound and feel the same?

it feels the same to me. but im the absolute worst at finding studs using my hands. i dont feel anything too weak or hollow

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pojr posted...

error on my part. when i went through it i did not find a stud. also when i look through the hole i do not see any wood. i dont know, i have a weird feeling there's no stud, but maybe im an idiot.

Metal studs have these neato holes in 'em depending on which way they are facing. Good for running cables before the drywall is placed. They are also quite bendy or be punched thru by a drill bit therby an errant screw or anchor can make it seem like you are clear.



Never trust a wall.


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All right here's another update for you guys.

since I believe it's a stud, I decided to try putting a straight screw right in it.

I get a shot ton of resistance when I try to do it. The screw just won't go in. And the screw easily comes out. Just as simple as pulling it out. When I look at the contents of the screw, you will notice it is completely white. If there is a stud there, wouldn't there be a little bit of brown? I don't build houses for a living, so I don't know how any of this works. But to me It doesn't seem like there's a stud in that spot. Otherwise I would have just been able to screw it in with minimal resistance, right?

Here's a picture of the screw if it helps



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How many CEmen does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

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shironinja posted...

Metal studs have these neato holes in 'em depending on which way they are facing. Good for running cables before the drywall is placed. They are also quite bendy or be punched thru by a drill bit therby an errant screw or anchor can make it seem like you are clear.



Never trust a wall.

I didn't think of that. Didn't even think for a second that that's how homes are built. But that makes sense, why would they make a home completely out of wood lol. With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if I were hitting something metal. but I did just use a stud finder, and it didn't find any metal. I understand stud finders might be inaccurate, but here's a big question

Why would anyone risk putting anything in a wall without knowing what's there? If stud finders are not 100% accurate, why would anyone take that chance? Unless you built the house from the ground up

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Real talk: I have found pop toggle anchors a lot better to use, and would highly recommend trying them instead of those screw ones. The few times I have used those screw ones, they fuck up the wall too much and werent super secure. You just drill a hole in the wall for the pop toggles, hammer them in, and then the flaps open up when you put the screw in, creating a super secure grip.

I used dozens of them in my last house and the new house we just moved in. Pics:


Im not real handy at all, but have always found these quite easy and quick to install.

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CE_gonna_CE posted...

Real talk: I have found pop toggle anchors a lot better to use, and would highly recommend trying them instead of those screw ones. The few times I have used those screw ones, they fuck up the wall too much and werent super secure. You just drill a hole in the wall for the pop toggles, hammer them in, and then the flaps open up when you put the screw in, creating a super secure grip.

I used dozens of them in my last house and the new house we just moved in. Pics:


Im not real handy at all, but have always found these quite easy and quick to install.

that seems nice. question though. do you use a stud finder? what kind do you use?

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pojr posted...

i have two stud finders. i used one originally, but when i had issues i used both to troubleshoot

In proximity? Both had the same results in like a 10" radius?

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KaZooo posted...

In proximity? Both had the same results in like a 10" radius?

tbh i have no idea.

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pojr posted...

Here's the second picture, it wouldn't go in the first post because the space was too much

Bro, you've already put a hole in the wall. Stick a screwdriver in it. Do you feel a stud or other obstruction? My guess is you hit a stud and those plastic screws will never go in. Just use normal screws if that's the case

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