How to Use a Drill to Screw into the Wall | UK Guide | 2023

Although you might think drilling a screw into a wall is fairly straight forward, this is often not the case. Many people reach for a drill when needing to drive a screw into a wall, but often make the mistake of attempting to drive a screw directly into drywall. Although a screw may seem like it has been driven firmly in place, you will quickly start to notice the screw loosening. If you have used a screw to mount a picture or hanging something on the wall, a loose screw can cause costly damage.

Drilling Screws Directly into Walls

You can sometimes drill and drive a screw directly into a wall, however this will depend on the material your wall is made of. If the wall has a particularly thick layer of drywall over wooden joists beneath, you will not be able to drive a bare screw into place. The threads of the screw will quickly begin to wear at the drywall material around it, leading to it falling out of the surface of the wall. However, if there is wooden material behind the drywall, you may be able to drive a screw deeply enough that it holds firm.

Anchoring Screws in Drywall

The best approach for adding screws to walls is to use wall plugs. Firstly, you will need a compatible wall plug for the type you are using. Next, measure how long your wall plug is and use your power drill to drill to that depth into your wall. Once you have drilled a hole for your plug, you can install it.

You can insert wall plugs manually, pushing the sides of the plug inwards by hand. You will probably need to use a hammer to force the plug into the wall you have drilled, you need to be careful not to cause any damage to the surface of the wall. With the wall plug installed, you can now insert your screw of choice.