Let’s Fix the Screws!

I don’t know about you, but drywall anchors are not my friends! Almost every time I need to secure something to the wall, it is in a spot with no stud. No worries, right? I grab some of those cute little plastic wall anchors that come with screws and then try to use them. I do suspect it is operator error but each time, I have difficulty making them work. I’ve tried drilling a pilot hole and when the drill bit is just a little too small, the anchor crushes as I am tapping it in with a hammer. So….I take it out, get a larger bit and then install the next anchor which tends to then fall INTO the wall! Ugh!

After that, I end up patching the drywall and starting over. I imagine using butterfly anchors would be more secure but I’ve always thought that they would be difficult to work with. These two projects are ones that I fixed recently. As you can see with the handrail in the stairwell, I really had no choice but to address it right away since it was a safety issue. The paper towel holder didn’t ‘have’ to be done just yet but I knew it would eventually loosen and since I had out all the tools, it was the perfect time to fix those wall anchors too.

Handrail fix

The first step in this fix-it project was to make sure I had the necessary tools and supplies on hand…drill with drill bits & screwdriver bits, hammer, needle-nosed pliers, small nail, new screws, stud finder, spackle, wall texture, sanding block, putty knife, paint, paint brush. With my tools gathered, I removed the screws. That was easy since they were already falling out of the wall. With the screws removed, I removed the bracket from the handrail as it would need to be moved to a new spot on the handrail to line up with a stud. The end of the handrail rested on the stairs out of the way while I continued the fixing.

My stud finder didn’t work, I think the batteries must need replaced but couldn’t figure out how to open it so I used the old school, manual method to locate the stud – a hammer and small nail. Took me a bit to find the stud so I had a few additional holes to spackle. Once I had the location of the stud, I held the handrail bracket in place and using the nail & hammer, marked the location of where I would need to drill for the screws.

Using needle-nosed pliers, I grabbed the lip of the wall anchors and gave them a tug, two came out quickly, the 3rd one took more muscle to get it out. Once all three were out, I saw how deep the holes were and didn’t think spackle would work well so I used joint compound and a putty knife to fill them in. When the joint compound was dry, it was obvious that I would need to apply another coat.

Once the holes were patched (yes, I could have done a better job but since it is behind the handrail, it isn’t noticeable to anyone but me so I left it like this) and the paint was dry, I used the drill to make the 3 pilot holes for where the screws would go. After that, I had to find the location on the handrail to place the bracket so that it would now line up with the holes in the wall where the stud was. This was a bit tricky since I was alone….holding the bracket and handrail together with one hand, I used a pen to mark the spot on the underside of the handrail where the new screw holes would be. I attached the bracket to the handrail with the original screws then the bracket to the wall with new, brass star headed screws. I have come to love these screws as they don’t strip like the phillips head ones do. The handrail is now nicely secured to the wall and is no longer a safety hazard!

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Paper towel holder fix

While the joint compound and paint were drying on the handrail fix, I began the paper towel holder fix. When I was originally installing the paper towel holder, I had the same issues with the drywall anchors! I think I ‘lost’ two of them behind the drywall, it might have been three! You can see by the pics, that it took me SEVERAL attempts to get 4 anchors to work. What a mess!

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The fix to this wall was the same as for the handrail….remove the wall anchors, patch the holes, lightly sand and paint. Since there are no studs in the area where the towel holder is, I decided to attach the bracket to a wooden plaque before attaching it to the wall. I bought it at Michael’s for around $4. I sanded the plaque with a sanding block to smooth it and then applied 2 coats of paint letting the first one dry about 30 minutes.

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Have any of you had your paint rim and lid rust?! I haven’t had a paint can do this before. I have continued using the paint but since the lid doesn’t fit well, the paint gets thick between uses so it needs to have water added before it is the right consistency. I used painters tape along the rim this time to prevent the rust from dropping into the paint. The can is almost empty so next time I need this color, I’ll buy a new can. Super frustrating!

While the paint on the plaque was drying, I patched the new holes where the paper towel holder had been secured. I also used joint compound for this job and applied two coats, knowing that a 3rd could have been done too. When both those coats were dry, I applied two coats of paint.

Before attaching the plaque to the wall, using the original screws, I attached the bracket to the center of the plaque. To prepare the plaque, I drilled a hole about an inch from the edge on either end then using 2 1/2″ brass star head screws, secured it to the wall. To give it even more strength, I added a 3rd screw an inch from the top of the plaque. To hide the screw heads a bit, I painted them with the same paint I had been using. The last step was to assemble the holder and set the paper towels back in place.

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Supplies Used

• Drill with drill bits & screwdriver bits
• Hammer
• Small nail
• Needle-nosed pliers
• New screws
• Stud finder
• Sanding block
• Putty knife
• Paint brush
• Spackle
• Wall texture/Joint Compound
• Paint
• Wooden plaque

Instructions

• Using screwdriver or drill with screwdriver bit, remove old screws from the wall
• Remove the handrail bracket from the handrail
• With a putty knife, patch small holes with spackle or larger holes with wall texture. Allow to dry
• Lightly sand using a sanding block or sandpaper
• Paint & allow to dry
• Locate studs with a stud finder. If you do not have a stud finder, use a small nail and hammer to locate one.
• Using your drill and a drill bit a little smaller than your screw, drill a pilot hole into the wall & stud
• Attach the handrail bracket to the handrail so it lines up with the stud
• Holding the handrail bracket in place, insert the screws with either screwdriver or drill with screwdriver bit

I’m excited to share more projects with you as well as tips/tricks/freebies! Just enter your email below to be one of my Blog Peeps!

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