Ok, I'm desperate...

[Maggie]

Need help ASAP please....

For any handyman out there, I have some holes drilled into a wall, now I'm trying to hammer anchors into them, they keep breaking, is that cuz the hole is too small or what? Thanx

I only have 4 left, and I need 3.


I'll wait at least an hour for any kind of response before I knock a hole the size of a crater in my wall.

 

[LT]

We have all been there, done that and had that happen to us Maggie.

Yes it is because the hole is a little too small. Did a drill bit come with the plastic anchors? Sometimes the package comes with the correct size to avoid this common problem. If not go up a size from the drill bit that you a now using. The anchor should be able to be pressed by hand into the wall hole about 90% of the way and then GENTELY ( I know the gentle part is hard after the frustration of the intial bent/broke plastic that used to called anchors) tapped in the rest of the way. The best hammer to use is a small "soft" hammer ie rubber or vinyl.
Remember that the screw is going to expand the anchor after it is put in.
If you run out of anchors go to a Dollar Store not Can Tire. You can usually pick up a big bag of assorted sizes for a buck.
One more tip - drill a tiny pilot hole first in the wall before the larger final anchor hole. This lets you know if you are drilling into drywall with an empty or insulated fill background or if you are over a wooden beam.
Trying to smash an anchor into wood is even harder than drywall even if the hole is the right size.

Good Luck

 

[Maggie]

Thanks LT, that's what I thought was wrong. I bought myself an electric drill and some bits and didn't know what bit to use. I'm putting up (or attempting to) those metal curtain tie backs, and found out quick enough I needed to use the anchors except I broke all the ones that came with them and had to run out and buy others and broke a few of those. I'll go to the next size and hopefully, that'll do the trick. Thanks, again.