patching small drywall hole so it will hold a screw or anchor bolt
Lyptus
| Posted in General Discussion on
I am hanging a towel rack with anchor bolts that have a built in toggle. One pair mounted fine and the others both stripped through the drywall creating a 3/8″ hole. Rather than move the towel rack, I would like to fill the 3/8″ holes with something that will either hold a screw or a new anchor/toggle bolt. I’m think drwall compound will be too weak. What about Epoxy? Bondo? Other suggestions?
– Lyptus
Replies
Better to find a better toggle, if you can substitute a different screw. A traditional metal toggle, nylon toggle, or a larger Molly would generally be happy with a 3/8" hole.
http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/drywallfasteners.htm
There is one I use from one of the Big Boxes, it goes in like a 3/8" spike. When you insert ans screw in the included screw, it flips a toggle to the side, then pulls it flat onto the back of drywall.
Works great and very strong.
That's exactly what I used which didn't work because I think the toggle was flipped the wrong way. Now my hole is 1/2" in diameter. I would like to fill it and install an alternative molly or toggle bolt in the filled hole.
- Lyptus
Use a standard metal toggle.
Flipped the wrong way... Huh?
The things I'm talking about look like a little rocket ship. The outside is gold zinc, the inside is silver zinc. Each one has a 2" washer head screw with a combo phillips/square drive head.
You can just pound it into an existing hole, then push the screw in and start turning. If your hole is too big and you just spin that gold part while turning the screw, pull it proud of the hole and hold it with pliers.
I don't see how you flipped it the wrong way, unless you were close to a stud and it wasn't allowed to flip open all the way.
In my experience, towel holders end up being "structural". It is not the weight of the towel, itself, rather it is the weight of the person leaning on the holder to balance themselves, perhaps while lifting a foot. Also, a wet towel whipped off to rem,ove it from the rack tends to wrap itself around the bar and when pulled to remove impacts considerable force to the rack. I hope I have explained this well enough - it isn't the towel.
I would say a good sized toggle bolt is the bare minimum you'd want to carry these loads. Even so, expect the drywall to be damaged. It is just a matter of time.
Better would be to mount the towel rack to a decorative wooden board (slightly wider than the rack). The board will easily be longer than the 16" center-to-center distance between the studs. Screw the board into the studs. Cover the screw heads with wooden plugs.
If he's already got a 3/8" to
If he's already got a 3/8" to 1/2" hole those won't work (though the hole is ideal for a toggle bolt).
Butterfly toggle
As others have commented, since you already have a big hole, you want an expanding metal toggle, folds in the center to fit in the hole, then the spring loaded arms expand to grab the mounting surface. Highly reccommended and holds a lot of weight.
Forget about any kind of thread holding in drywall and bearing any weight at all, it just won't happen. Plaster lathe yes, DW fuhgeddaboutit.
If you didn't already have a big hole, I would consider a metal molly. Fits a 1/4" hole and expands as a center machine screw is tightened. Grabs against the back of the surface, not the center.
Good luck.
If you use a metal molly, make sure you know the thickness of your drywall first. You don't want a molly that would fit great on 5/8" drywall... when you only have 1/2"!
Well, the hole's too big for a Molly anyway. The metal toggle bolt is probably the only option at this point.
(And though the OP wondered about "patching" the hole to install something smaller, you'll note that no one here has suggested that. We all know -- from experience in many cases -- that such a patch siimply won't hold in drywall.)