Can You Hammer in A Screw Without Drilling | How to Do It?

Need to put a screw in the wall? But don’t have a drilling machine? No worries! You can hammer in a screw without drilling, even if you are not a mason. However, to get the job done, you have to know the proper way of doing it.

And to help you put screws in only using a hammer, we have compiled this article describing the method we successfully applied. Scroll down to get more details!

Can You Hammer in a Screw?

Yes, you can hammer in a screw. But it entirely depends on the surface. You can use only a hammer, screwdriver, or, in some cases, pliers to tighten the screw into the gypsum, drywall, or wood surface. Each surface requires a different approach. You should also know what will happen when you hammer a screw. We will explore everything in detail. So, let’s jump into the article.

Consequences of Hammering a Screw Without Drilling

You must remember that you are dealing with a hard enough surface to hammer the screw. So, when you try to drive your screw into a wall or other hard surface, the tip of the screw gets stuck here like a deep angle. 

If you apply the wrong process like if you hold the screw crooked instead of straight and hit it, all that’s going to happen is the paint and plaster are going to bulge. In addition, you will find a plaster chip falling out of the wall. 

Usually, it will not allow the hammer to thread into the wall material, so it loses its holding capacity. In comparison to nails, screws are unlikely to snap when hammered.

Methods to Hammer a Screw on Different Surfaces Without Drilling

Applying the proper technique can easily accomplish even the most difficult tasks. Almost all professionals use some process to hammer screws. We will guide you according to their working methods. Depending on the surface, this type of work can be challenging on some surfaces, while it is not that difficult on others.

Tools You’ll Need

For hammering in screws, you need a screw hammer set that includes 

• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Wrench
• Awl
• Pliers
• Nails
• All types of screws

How to Hammer a Screw into Drywall

Firstly, you will need some tools to hammer screws into drywall. For example, since you will be hammering screws, you will need a screwdriver. Some drywall anchors, screws, and a hammer as well. Now follow the steps.

Step 1: First, find your perfect place, and then start looking for a stud. You can knock on the wall to hear a solid sound and see where a stud is.

Step 2: Once you find them, you need to go between them and mark the place.

Step 3: You can now punch a hole through the wall with a screwdriver that is the same thickness as an anchor. You can go through the other side of the wall, so be careful to punch in the hole.

Step 4: When you are done punching a hole, put the anchor into it. Once your anchor is in, go ahead and drive your screw in and tighten it up. Keep tightening it to where it is a little over a quarter inch away from the wall so you can hang your stuff without worrying. That’s it, and you are done.

How to Hammer a Screw into a Brick Wall

It will now be considerably harder to drive a screw into a brick wall. If you unintentionally create a hole large enough that the screw pops out when you hammer a screw into a wall, it can be considered “bad”!

This can result in wall damage and time- and money-consuming repairs. Instead, use the appropriate-sized screwdriver for the task whenever it is possible. By following the steps of hammering a screw into a brick wall, you can do this without any damage.

Step 1: Position your nail with a sharp thread over your mark and begin hitting with a hammer until it reaches precisely ½ inch, the size of the hole that professionals drill.

Step 2: With the curve side of the hammer, back out your nail and remove any material that prevents the anchor head from sitting flat on the sheetrock.

Step 3: Take a plier and place it in the hole and keep hammering. Do it until a perfect spot is created. Pull a concrete anchor into the hole to check if it fits. 

Step 4: If it does not fit the hole, then do the same job again. Take two small and big nails, pull them again into the spot, and keep hammering. Pull them out and remove the dust from the hole. 

Step 5: Again, pull in the two small and big pliers and keep hammering as you did with nails.

Step 6: Finally, you will get the hole you wanted, but the plaster and paint have sadly fallen off by then. Put some lime to repair the damage, then draw the anchor back in and let it fully dry.

Step 7: Once the lime fully dries, go ahead and drive your screw in and tighten it up.

Warning: The process of driving screws into concrete walls is very laborious. Additionally, there is a chance that paint and plaster will chip off and harm the walls. Therefore, it is advisable to use a drill machine to do the task.

Can You Hammer Screws into Wood?

If you ever deal with wood and spend a lot of time with wood, you can imagine how frustrating it is to find out that the drill you’re using has run out of power while you’re doing something else.

To hammer the screws into the wood, you must first drill a pilot hole in the wood. To do this, you have two options.

1. With a Bow Drill: To make a bow drill set, first take a wedge and divot in the wood. Do it aggressively on this so that a tiny hole appears. Now take your bow drill to make a pilot hole. Yea, it is a laborious job.
2. With a Hammer and Nail: Take a nail and gently tap it with the hammer. It will make a hole as you want.

But if you have or manage a self-driven screw, you won’t need a pre-create pilot hole; you can drill the screw directly into the wood. Then, place the self-driven screw on the marked point and keep screwing it in with a handheld screwdriver.

OK, now it’s the ordinary screwdriver’s turn. Insert the screwdriver into the pilot hole you made a little earlier and kept turning clockwise into the wood surface. The easiest way to drill into wood is to use a screwdriver. But if you have no screwdriver, use an awl or plier and hammer it gradually to drive it into the wood.

You can successfully drive a screw into a piece of wood if you use a large enough hammer (and a lot of force). Just be careful not to damage your wall or hurt yourself while doing it!

How to Hammer in a Stripped Screw

You may be able to hammer a stripping screw in, depending on how brittle the material is. If the wood or metal was soft enough to snap it off in the first place, “tap” the screw into it with a hammer to get it going. 

To increase friction when screwing, place a rubber band over the top of the screw head. It is considered the best way of hammering in a stripped screw.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can drill many materials with a hammer, but by doing this, you may risk ripping a hole so big that the screw will pop back out again.

You also risk snapping the screw if you try hammering it in. If a screw has snapped off deep into a wall or a piece of wood, pulling it out of the wall can be challenging and time-consuming because there is no head to grab onto.

Hopefully, you have got your answer, and you know what to do now.