Use a Wall Anchor If the screw hole you wish to reuse was originally just a screw driven into drywall, you might be able to make it strong enough for reuse by adding a drywall anchor. Use a hammer to tap a plastic drywall anchor into the hole gently. If it fits snugly, it’s the perfect solution.

Can you reuse drilled holes?

The best solution is to drill new holes a couple inches away from the existing holes. If space and positioning allows, you can even re-use one row of the existing holes and drill new holes for the other row of screws (most brackets have 2 rows of holes).

How do you fill and reuse a screw hole?





Place as many toothpicks in the hole as will fit. Gently tap in one more with a hammer. Break off any bits of toothpick that protrude from the hole. After the glue has dried, reinstall the screw.

How do you fill holes in drywall and redrill?

Tiny nail and screw holes are the easiest to fix. Use a putty knife to fill them with spackling or wall joint compound. Allow the area to dry, then sand lightly. Anything larger must be covered with a bridging material for strength before patching compound can be applied.

Can you screw into the same hole twice?

Assuming that the screws don’t feel loose when you remove them due to inadequate length or pilot holes that are too large, you can reuse the holes.

Can you reuse a wall mount?

It should be completely fine. If you lose them or want more peace of mind you can buy some new 5/16″ x 2 3/4″ lag bolts which is what most (store bought) mounts use.

How do you fix an over drilled hole?





Use Filler to Fill the Screw Hole

  1. Fill the hole with liquid glue — For this, you can use wood glue or Elmer’s glue (Amazon affiliate link). …
  2. Fill stripped out the hole with toothpicks — Yes, toothpicks! …
  3. Start anew with your screw — Now that the hole is filled, you can completely start fresh and redrill the hole.

Can I use caulk to fill screw holes?

Filling Nail Holes

Nail holes in exterior surfaces, just as with cracks or gaps, can be dealt with using a good caulking. Take the time before you apply any paint on your next project to fill all of the gaps, cracks, and nail holes.

Can you reuse holes in drywall?



Drywall anchors are hard to reuse since they require a hole to be drilled into the wall for the screw to enter. Once through the hole, a drywall anchor expands to prevent it from being pulled back through the wall.

Is it bad to reuse screws?

Typically you can if the screw has never exceeded its yield point. The yield point is the point where the screw will not return to its original length or shape when the load is removed from it. Instead the screw is permanently altered and should not be reused.

Can you remove a screw and put it back in?

As stated, depends on how you put them back in, if done correctly, with backturning, it should last forever. That said, if they’re already stripped, the toothpick method, or a small dowel works well to repair it.

How many times can you use a screw?



In critical applications, fasteners should never be re-used. The criticality of the application is up to the user, but if no one can be sure what forces were applied to the fastener, new fasteners should be used in re-assembly.

Can I re screw into wood?

Yes, Screwing into wood filler is possible. Wood fillers made from epoxy can hold a screw. But wood fillers cannot bear loads. Therefore, wood filler support only for small screws and large screws that carry heavy load and stress destroys the dimensional strength of wood filler.

Can you put a wood screw back in the same hole?

LPT: When screwing into wood, if you need to reuse the hole and same screw, break off toothpicks into the hole until they get snug. When you screw back in, they will help fill the void and allow the threads to bite back down.

What is the best wood filler for screw holes?

Here are a few highly recommended wood fillers that are best used for screw holes:

  • Abatron WoodEpox Replacement Compound.
  • Minwax 12-ounce High-Performance Wood Filler.
  • Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Filler Tube.
  • FamoWood Latex Wood Filler.
  • J-B Weld Wood Epoxy Adhesive.
  • 3M Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler.


What is the difference between wood putty and wood filler?

Wood filler is applied to repair the wood from the inside. Because it hardens, it helps the wood maintain its integrity. While wood putty is usually applied only after the finishings are done since it contains chemicals that may damage the wood.

Is Bondo better than wood filler?

The biggest advantage of using Bondo over a regular wood filler is the short dry time. Wood filler can take hours to dry and require more than one coat. Bondo dries in less than 30 minutes and only requires one coat! This means more projects in less time.