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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 16:18:52 GMT -5
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Post by gailkate on Jul 17, 2008 18:08:01 GMT -5
Now you get to play with spackle!  It sounds to me as if you used too big a drill bit or too big anchors or too small screws. When you pound the anchor in, it should be tight. Who sold you this stuff? Probably you could go back and beg for advice, which might get you free spackle and more screws/anchors. Poor Bookie. |
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Post by joew on Jul 17, 2008 18:13:10 GMT -5
Wouldn't that be too small anchors or too big screws that would lead to the screw turning the anchor rather than going in?
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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 18:20:14 GMT -5
I had to buy a new toilet paper roll holder. Well, I didn't have to, the landlord should have, but I got tired of waiting. The screws and anchors came with the holder. I followed all the directions, pounded the anchors in and they were nice and tight, until I started drilling in the screws. But the sheet rock doesn't really give the anchor any "grip," so it just turns with the turning of the screw, which makes the whole thing even looser. I pulled everything out and started over, even more carefully, and the same thing happened. So now I have eight holes in the wall -- which is covered by wallpaper; holey wallpaper now  -- and still no toilet paper holder. What should I do? Is there some other kind of anchor I can use? |
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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 18:21:04 GMT -5
P.S. I don't have an electric drill; just screwdrivers.
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Post by joew on Jul 17, 2008 18:27:31 GMT -5
Would it work if you put the screws into the holder, screwed them into the anchors, and then pounded the whole assembly into place?
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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 18:47:36 GMT -5
I don't think my fingers will be any more "grippy" of wall anchors than the sheet rock chalk. The screws are pretty tight.
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Post by joew on Jul 17, 2008 19:06:15 GMT -5
Do you have a set of pliers to grip the anchors?
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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 19:46:05 GMT -5
Oh. I never thought of that. Hmmm.
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Post by joew on Jul 17, 2008 19:54:41 GMT -5
I only thought of it when you mentioned the problem with fingers.
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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 20:04:38 GMT -5
Of course I could just try calling the landlord and make him do it.  |
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Post by Jane on Jul 17, 2008 20:19:36 GMT -5
You need to drill the hole a little smaller than the screw anchor so that you have to pound the screw anchor in with a small hammer before you put the screw in it. The box with the screw anchors usually says how big a drill bit to use. If not, just use a drill bit smaller than the diameter of the screw anchor.
The above is from my husband who is very handy. I could say it was from me, but I don't even know what a screw anchor is. Or a drill bit.
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Post by booklady on Jul 17, 2008 20:28:01 GMT -5
Jane, tell your husband that's exactly what I did, right down to the last detail, except I don't have an electric drill so I have to use a screwdriver -- maybe that's the problem. Maybe the screwdriver puts too much pressure on the anchor via the screw, so it won't just sit there and accept the screwing.  This is getting weird. |
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Post by Luke Warmwater on Jul 17, 2008 21:45:46 GMT -5
sounds like you might need spring wing toggles bookster
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Post by gailkate on Jul 17, 2008 23:15:24 GMT -5
sounds like you might need spring wing toggles bookster Like the kind you use for hanging a planter from the ceiling? I didn't know that could work on a wall. But it's a great idea, Luke, and I would karmalyze you if you were to register.  Yes, Joe, I got a bit mixed up on what was too big for what. Holding the anchor with pliers seems like a good possibility. But making the landlord do it sounds much better. Just put the paper on the tank-top until the person whose job it is sees fit to install the holder properly. But, Bl? Honey, I've been a woman living alone and I even bought 2 houses on my own. I didn't do anything really well, but I did all right. So take a deep breath and buy yourself an electric drill and any other basic tools you need. Maybe we should make her a list! Ok, I'll start: 1. one electric drill, not a puny girlie size but a real grown-up size |
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Post by Thomas Scheuzger on Jul 17, 2008 23:41:05 GMT -5
Toggle bolts are what you want. Probably 1/8" or 3/16" will suffice (there are different sizes).  Plastic anchors aren't really designed to hold things that will be under stress (like a toilet paper holder, where there will be force applied opposing the anchor (eventually you'd have the whole roll and and holder in your lap). They're more for picture frame hooks, etc., where the stress is perpendicular to the anchor. They're also meant for solid walls, not drywall. You could also try a screw-in anchor in two of the holes you've already made, without having to enlarge them (since you don't yet have a drill). You just need a hole big enough for the very tip. They're a lot stronger than a simple plastic anchor and work a LOT better in drywall. They look like this:  Also look here www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/inffastener/infanchor/infanchor.html for more info. |
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Post by slb2 on Jul 18, 2008 1:41:36 GMT -5
so it won't just sit there and accept the screwing. You have now written the [shadow=red,left,300]Quote of the Month[/shadow] Stop in at your nearest Starbucks and order a Café au Lait as your reward. Send the bill to me. |
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Post by brutus on Jul 18, 2008 6:33:58 GMT -5
sounds like you might need spring wing toggles bookster Like the kind you use for hanging a planter from the ceiling? I didn't know that could work on a wall. But it's a great idea, Luke, and I would karmalyze you if you were to register. Yes, Joe, I got a bit mixed up on what was too big for what. Holding the anchor with pliers seems like a good possibility. But making the landlord do it sounds much better. Just put the paper on the tank-top until the person whose job it is sees fit to install the holder properly. But, Bl? Honey, I've been a woman living alone and I even bought 2 houses on my own. I didn't do anything really well, but I did all right. So take a deep breath and buy yourself an electric drill and any other basic tools you need. Maybe we should make her a list! Ok, I'll start: 1. one electric drill, not a puny girlie size but a real grown-up size Don't buy a cordless drill either. The average homeowner doesn't use a drill daily, so the batteries lose life just because they sit around too much. After a couple of years, you'll find that they won't hold a charge for very long. Replacement batteries would cost darn near as much as a whole new drill. 3/8 Variable speed, reversible drills are most common, and are very handy for many things. You can even buy attachments to "chuck" into your drill for stripping paint, mixing paint....oh! The possibilities are endless. Just like a bidet! ~B~ |
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Post by booklady on Jul 18, 2008 8:24:09 GMT -5
First of all, thank you Luke Warmwater (nice, evocative name, considering the topic ), Thomas, gk, Jane, Jane's husband, and Brutus for taking the time to write advice. And to slb for my award. (Also see my housewarming thread for other advice.) OK, so I need to buy an electric drill with a cord. (I'm not exactly sure what to do with a drill -- should I expect to have to drill holes often? But anyway...) The instructions for the toilet paper holder did say to drill a 3/16" hole. I'll have to go look at drills today. Can you get them with variable size drill bits? gk, I have a nice little starter collection of tools and even a bunch of screws, nails, picture hangers and stuff (there might even be some toggle bolts in there). But no power tools yet, except my sewing machine. I need to buy an iron, too. I left mine back at the old house for my sons, who used it more than I did. Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering what keeps the toggle bolts from simply turning around just like the wall anchor did. I'm also wondering about the whole difference between using a hammer and nail or screwdriver and screw to make a hole vs. using a drill. Besides the obvious "elbowgrease"/manual effort involved, is there some torque or mechanical difference? |
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Post by Thomas Scheuzger on Jul 18, 2008 8:46:10 GMT -5
Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering what keeps the toggle bolts from simply turning around just like the wall anchor did. I'm also wondering about the whole difference between using a hammer and nail or screwdriver and screw to make a hole vs. using a drill. Besides the obvious "elbowgrease"/manual effort involved, is there some torque or mechanical difference? The toggles come with long screws to which you attach the wing (just a couple turns, at the very end). You insert the folded toggle through the hole and allow the wings to spread, then pull it back so it contacts the inside of the wall. For you toilet paper holder, you'd want to insert both bolts at the same time (through the holder), then pull back on the holder to put tension on the screws. While keeping the pressure on, you'd inch each of the screws in, one after the other a bit at a time, until the holder itself came into contact with the wall. For drywall, any of your methods for making holes are fine. When it comes to wood or metal, and especially with larger holes, you'll have no choice other than a drill. However, I'm betting that the screwdriver you used to make the original holes was just a bit too big, big enough so that the plastic anchors didn't have anything to grip as you turned the screw. The benefit to a drill is the vast array of drill bits, so you can make the right sized hole. A lot of plastic anchor packages (in quantity) come with a drill bit of the right size, but the couple anchors you get in a product package do not. |
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Post by booklady on Jul 18, 2008 8:59:25 GMT -5
Thank you, Thomas.  It's neat to be learning about this stuff. |
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Post by gailkate on Jul 18, 2008 9:11:43 GMT -5
Isn't it great how advice just comes out of the Chatter ether? There is no better library. I'm going to be so busy karmalyzing all these helpful people that I may be stuck in the house all day. |
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Post by booklady on Jul 18, 2008 9:35:49 GMT -5
One of the reasons I could move so far away from "home" was knowing how many friends I would still have, just as close as my computer.  |
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Post by booklady on Jul 18, 2008 16:34:48 GMT -5
I went to True Value and the guy helped me find ones like these, that Thomas suggested. I didn't buy a drill yet. Going off now to see if these work. |
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Post by booklady on Jul 18, 2008 16:54:29 GMT -5
It worked! |
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Post by Thomas Scheuzger on Jul 18, 2008 21:52:45 GMT -5
It worked! Congratulations! Feels pretty good, doesn't it? ;D I'm up to my ears in boxes. We had the mover come out for an estimate yesterday. Looks like two 28' trucks and five men. Ooooof. Glad I'm not doing it this time around! And yes, I have a metric ton of "debris" going out with the trash on Tuesday. |
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Post by booklady on Jul 18, 2008 22:22:22 GMT -5
I moved a month ago today. I don't want to remember that day. (But I'm glad I did it! ) |
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Post by doctork on Jul 18, 2008 23:36:55 GMT -5
I strolled around Home Depot yesterday thinking about replacing the countertops in the kitchen. Only thinking, not actually doing, as I am not at all sure that is a job for an amateur.
But I couldn't help noticing all these books and DVD's they had there, all on how to do-it-yourself. Between our Chatter friends, the nice hardware store man (at the local True Value more likely than Home Depot), and instruction books, there is much we can accomplish!
So did the plastic anchors work, booky?
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Post by booklady on Jul 19, 2008 6:41:49 GMT -5
Yes, doc, the larger screw-in type wall anchors like Thomas suggested did the trick. |
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Dopey Member
It's neat to be learning about this stuff. 
