What should I do if something is stopping my screw from going all the way into the wall?
Question:I am tying to hang a curain rod using anchor screws and when I drill into the wall the drill stops at about 3/4 of an inch. I have tried moving all around the area and it seems that there is metal or something behind the whole wall. Any ideas?
Answers:
What you are probably encountering is called a nail plate. It is put in place by electricians or plumbers to protect wiring or pipe. DO NOT drill into as previous responder suggested. You need to use a different anchor or move the curtain rod slightly so you don't hit this. If you drill into a wire or conduit you will be looking at a serious repair.
Most likely it is some sort of header support for your window, use a metal drill bid.
Predrill the hole with a drill-bit that has a smaller diameter than your screw. And pray you're not hitting a pipe or cluster of wires. :) (It's probably just some sort of flashing around the window, or perhaps a nail in which case you can drill a few millimeters either direction.)
Find out what the wall is made of by taking a switch plate off and looking at the exposed edges. look on the other side of the wall for any recessed equipment or a metal junction box in the same area.
Concrete block behind plaster would be hard to drill though.
In wood stud construction, plumbing pipes and electrical wires that are placed through holes in the studs are protected by metal plates if they are closer than 1 1/2" to the face of the stud. These plates are only about 2" long. If you drill farther down or up the stud and still hit metal, this could be a metal structural tie or strap.
Try shorter anchors and screws for one. But when you say the whole wall? Hmmmm.
Be careful if you are hitting metal in case it is electrical conduit.
You are probably hitting a steel "hanger", or "bracket" often used to join wood together when framing. If you can confirm that the metal is harmless to drill into, drill a small pilot hole with a drill bit into the metal and the use a self tapping sheet metal screw to mount the rods or other item. It will be stronger than plastic anchors w/screws.
Tell the guy in the hardware/fastener section of the hardware store the situation and he will direct you about the self tap screw size and appropriate pilot hole.
I had a similar issue and ended up what Jeff suggested. I pre-drilled a hole using a smaller diameter bit.
You never know what some home builders do nowadays...so it wouldn't be a bad idea to run a stud finder (the kind that can detect metal and electrical obstacles) over the area.
most of new construction now has metal plate. suggest drill a hole through the metal plate and tap the hole, use a mabine screw. a 3/4" anchor wood screw may not be strong enough to hold the curtain rod.
I find it hard to believe that there is a metal protection plate at the top of a window but it could be possible. There is usuall several studs that run beside windows and the metal plates are for protecting wire that runs through the stud. If you are using plastic anchors then you are hitting a stud and you can just use some wood screw. Is there any chance that your house was built with metal studs? If it is a metal protection plate, I wouldn't suggest drilling through. There is a good chance that it is electric wire unless you have a 2 story house.
More Related Questions & Answers...