I keep seeing guys use the wrong size drill bit for wall plates and it drives me nuts

3 comments

3 Comments

Remember my buddy's rental where the previous tenant did that? The oversized holes meant every single wall plate wobbled when you touched it, and two of them actually cracked from the screws being off-center and stressed. Landlord had to patch and re-drill every single one.

shane24415d ago

Yeah, that wobble drives me nuts. I had a switch plate like that, kept coming loose. I ended up taking it off, stuffing the hole with a bit of steel wool from the garage, and then putting the screw back in. The wool gives the threads something to bite into and it held tight for years. Cheap fix that beats patching.

wendy7301mo ago

Honestly... I've never understood the big deal. If the screw goes in and the plate sits flush, who cares? I've used a slightly bigger bit on drywall before when the anchor was being stubborn. It's not like the plate is holding up the house, it's just covering a hole. As long as it's secure, it's fine.