Installing a wall anchor made of plastic into a screw hole in drywall without a single anchor is the greatest option to reuse a hole. Use a toggle bolt instead of an anchor if the gap is big enough.
Alternately, you can cut a part of the drywall, use it with a 24-inch wood filler, and restore it with a new spot of drywall.
Alternatively, you can screw a 14 board and secure it over the drywall. The board you put will not be visible once painted, but it will provide a stable spot to drill screws.
How Do You Drill A Hole in a Spackle?
A screw will not fit through a drywall hole that has already filled up with spackle. Spackle or joint compound isn’t as long-lasting as genuine drywall. It quickly shrinks and pulverizes when a screw is drilled into the joint compound. A screw or anchor inserted into the joint compound will be withdrawn from the wall.
- Spackle isn’t long enough to be used to fill a screw hole.
- A screw inserted into the spackle will be withdrawn out of the wall.
- To make a long-lasting repair, replace the damaged drywall using a new one.
You’ll need to restore the only drywall with brand new drywall rather than repairing screw holes with spackle for reuse. Drywall is stuck between numbers of paper and is pressure treated. This allows it to hold toggle bolts, anchors, and fasteners in place without breaking. (Read Removing Stripped Hex Screws Guide)
Is Spackle Stronger than Drywall?
Binders and gypsum powder make up the self-adhesive drywall patch compound. It has a viscosity akin to toothpaste and is thicker than drywall. Spackle is packaged in a pre-mixed tub. It also comes in various grades, each designed for a particular application.
Spackle is utilized to repair dents in walls, dings, repairing nail holes, and other minor damage. It dries faster than drywall, usually in half an hour or less. There are numerous types of spackling available, and not all of them are explicitly designed for drywall.
Sodium silicate, fine aggregate, and an adhesive make up this drywall lightweight spackle compound. It’s made to fix holes, dings, and cracks in smaller areas. It does not take sand better and is only suitable for minor repairs.
- Standard compound is a gypsum-based drywall compound used to fill big holes and cracks.
- A vinyl compound can fill large holes and cracks up to 34 inches deep. It’s applied in many layers, with a coating drying before the next. This spackling will not dry because it contains vinyl, and it sands easily.
- The acrylic compound is very flexible, similar to vinyl, and can be used on stones, wood, drywall, brick, deeper holes, or plaster.
- The epoxy spackling compound is a pack filler that is oil-based use for repairing holes, gouges, and other flaws in the wood.
Cost and Benefits
Spackle is a drywall repair product designed for modest repairs. It’s thicker and more difficult to use than a joint compound. It is more flexible and has a lesser chance to crack when dry because it contains a binding agent mixed with a gypsum powder. Spackle costs slightly more than joint compound.
A joint compound is required in greater volumes to cover a bigger surface area, and your drywall project will cost more. Although spackle comes in a small container, you only need a few ounces and a tub that can last months if it will not last for years. (Read Standard Socket Sizes In Order)
How Can You Reuse a Screw Hole in Drywall?
Depending on the situation of the drywall hole, multiple procedures for reusing the screw hole may be required. We’ll go over the best solutions below, starting with the most basic for small holes. The techniques will become more complicated, including strategies for mending wall damage so your screws will stay in place while drilling.
1. Make use of a wall anchor
If the screw hole you want to reuse was initially only a screw pushed into the drywall, you can add a drywall anchor to make it sturdy enough to reuse. Gently put a plastic drywall anchor inside the hole with a hammer or putty knife. It’s the ideal solution if it fits easily.
- Examine the hole in your drywall to see for yourself if an old plastic wall anchors will fit.
- The drywall anchor is a big help to make it reusable if you can put an anchor inside it with a few knocks with a hammer.
- If the hole is tiny for the drywall anchor, use a drill and a larger drill bit to widen it.
- Use a faster that is, or you can cover h the drywall if the opening is big for a drywall anchor.
If the hole is too tiny to take the drywall anchor, expand it using an electric drill and a thinner drill bit. If the hole is big for a drywall anchor to easily fit, move on to the next technique on the list.
2. Toggle Bolts should be used instead of anchors
It’s time to update to a stronger fastener if your wall anchors have loosened, failed, or pulled out of the drywall. Toggle bolts are a great choice. They can support 50 pounds without damaging drywall, double as a wall anchor.
Because of their bigger size, toggle bolts fit perfectly in holes of wall anchors that have fallen loose.
- When wall anchors fail, use toggle bolts.
- Wall anchors only hold 25 pounds, whereas toggle bolts can carry 50 pounds.
- Toggle the bolt inside the hole until it extends its wings and pushes against the drywall’s backside.
- The drywall must be patched if the hole is big enough for the bolt to stay securely in place.
- Drag the spring-loaded together with the body of the toggle bolt to install it. Then, until the wings are unfolded and pushed opposing the rear of the drywall, put it inside the hole in the drywall. Tighten the bolt after that. If required, widen the gap with a drill to insert the toggle bolt.
3. Molly Bolts should be used.
Toggle bolts and molly bolts are similar solutions. They can hold 50 pounds per bolt, just like toggle bolts. As a result, they’re ideal for holding bookshelves and cabinets. To utilize molly bolts, follow these steps:
- For all your fastener needs, choose this set, including toggle bolts, wall anchors, and molly bolts.
- Partially drill a hole wider enough for molly bolts to be placed into the wall with a drill and drill bit.
- Turn the molly bolt head clockwise to tighten it.
- When you tighten the molly bolt, the casing around it folds into a tripod form, bracing the molly bolt against the drywall’s back.
- Patch the drywall first before installing one fastener if the stripped screw hole is bigger in size than the molly bolt itself.
Toggle and molly bolts are greater than anchors and screws; therefore, they often fit well in stripped fill screw holes. A complete drywall repair is required if the damage is severe and the bolt cannot easily fit and hold the drywall. For major repairs, use the following two steps.
4. Drywall Repair and Cutting
It’s time to fix your drywall if it’s ruined and causing problems for the bolts to fit tightly. To do so, follow these steps:
- Cut a 4–8 inches tall drywall section that extends over a couple of wall studs.
- Remove 3/4 inches of drywall from each side of the hole to disclose half of the stud.
- To bridge the space between the studs, cut a length of 2×4.
- Attach the 2×4 part to the screws on both sides using screws. Attach the 2×4 such that it is level with the front.
- Cut a drywall piece to suit the opening, supported by a 2×4.
- Install the new part of drywall to the old studs and the latest piece of 2×4 with drywall screws.
- The drywall should be patched and painted.
- Drill screws straight into the brand new 2×4 at the back of the wall studs for future purposes.
You may ensure a long-lasting repair by taking off the damaged portion and reinstalling it with a fresh piece of drywall. In addition, the repaired area will be supported by a wooden 2×4. This makes it simple to hang goods on this section of your wall. (Learn What’s The Difference Between Impact Sockets And Regular Sockets)
5. Over Drywall, Add a Board
There is an easier option than cutting out a complete area of drywall, adding a 24, and then patching the wall. This entails covering the damaged drywall with a 14-inch board. This strategy is helpful for little-seen locations like pantries and closets, although it can be less appealing once painted. Here’s how you do it:
- Put the wall studs to the right and left part of the stripped bolt hole using this stud finder.
- Depending on your place, wall studs are mostly 16 to 24 inches apart.
- To conceal the screw hole, cut a piece of 1×4 board. Make sure it’s long enough to reach the studs on the left and right sides of the room.
- Attach the 1×4 piece to your wall studs with screws. Cover the region with the screw hole with the 1×4.
- Seal the holes and the 1×4 board’s edges.
- The board should be painted with the same paint as the wall.
- For a sturdy way to hang goods, drill screws into the 14 board.
Unobtrusive is a thin board fastened and painted to the wall to match. Then you may use wood screws to put whatever you want on the board. Because wood is significantly more robust than plasterboard, the screws will not simply come out. (Read Can You Run Ethernet Cable Through Air Duct)
You cannot drilled hole directly into a spackle because it will break. What you should do first is to examine the place and cut boards for it to be sturdy before drilling. When drilling, you have to be very careful because some pieces might harm your eyes.
