Can You Drill & Anchor into Spackle? (Read This First!)

Spackle is used almost everywhere. It goes really well with drywall, especially to cover the holes in it. If you have holes in drywall filled with spackle, and now you are wondering if you can drill and anchor into the spackle or you can reuse the hole!

Let’s look into the matter closely and find out if we really can use drill and anchor into spackle.

Can you drill into spackle?

It is not advised to drill into spackle. Spackle is not a very strong surface where drilling can be conducted. Drilling also decreases the longevity of the spackle. Moreover, a drywall hole filled with a spackle will not support a screw. Particularly in drywalls, drilling is strongly prohibited.

Table of Contents

Walk through this section to learn if you can drill into the following spackle –

Drill hole into dries spackle:

Drywalls are drilled for many reasons. From hanging photos to installing different show pieces, these drills are important.

But it is also important to fill those holes when required. To fill those holes, people use some material close to the ingredients of drywall itself, known as drywall mud. Drywall mud is commercially labeled as spackle which is found almost everywhere.

Using spackle to fill holes is a convenient and easy way to renovate and bring back aesthetics to drywalls. However, these spackle-filled holes take a long time to dry. But you cannot drill a hole into a dried spackle.

Although both are made of the same ingredients, drywall and spackle have different durability. Spackle is weaker, brittle, and unlike drywall, you cannot drill into it.

Spackle is not strong enough to hold onto screws or take any load or weight of a hanging object. So you cannot drill or put screws into spackles. However, you can remove the spackles entirely to reuse a hole.

Can you anchor into spackle?

Spackle cannot provide the surface tension required for wall anchoring. Especially spackles made to fill drywall holes are not suitable for ideal anchoring. Regardless of the design and materials of the wall anchor, it would be best to avoid anchoring into spackles made to fill drywall holes.

Walk through this section to learn if you can anchor into the following spackle –

Drywall anchor in spackle:

Drywall spackles or drywall mud are commonly used to fix different holes made from drilling on the drywall surface.

Spackles come very useful when you want to fill some holes in drywall. Although they are not as strong as drywall, and you cannot hang something from a spackle, they are fairly good for hiding the drywall holes.

Using spackle to patch holes is a quick and easy solution to repair and recover the attractiveness of drywall. These spackle-filled holes, on the other hand, take a long time to dry. However, you cannot anchor it into a spackle.

Spackle is not strong enough to hold on wall anchors. If a drywall hole is filled up with spackle, it loses its capacity to keep it anchored. Any kind of wall anchor is unsuitable to be placed in a drywall hole that is filled with spackle.

But you can anchor it in a hole by reusing it. For this, you have to remove all the spackles from hole and put a new wall anchor.

Can you put a screw through drywall spackle?

Spackle is a good way to fill holes in drywall. They are easy to prepare and apply to walls and can have a long-lasting effect in terms of beautification. You can easily paint over spackles to hide the holes altogether.

Especially on the surface of the drywall where it had previous holes for different usages, spackles are commonly used to hide the spots. A drywall hole filled with spackle cannot be identified in disguise. It is hard to identify spackles from an outlook.

However, spackles are not as strong as drywalls. As a result, the hole of the drywall that is filled with spackles is not as strong as the other areas in the drywall. So, you cannot drill or anchor into the spackle.

Spackle is not strong enough to hold a screw or any load along with it. As a result, you cannot put a screw through the drywall spackle. Nevertheless, if you intend to reuse the screw hole, you may want to remove all spackles from the hole and use an anchor for screwing.

Is spackle stronger than drywall?

Drywall is mainly used for increasing aesthetics in a living space. The material is strong to uphold any heavy wall pieces and art. Many use drywall as durable and cost-efficient to other available alternatives.

Drywall spackle may have the same ingredient, and they are only a soluble form of the drywall itself; they cannot withstand the pressure and load like drywall. It is maybe because drywalls are prepared more carefully and with a more industrial setup.

Spackle is not as durable as drywall. If you want to put a screw into a spackle, you will simply put the spackle out of the hole, and the screw will also not fit there. So spackle is not stronger than drywall, not even as good as drywall, but can be used to hide the drill holes in drywall.

How can I fill a drywall hole with something and reuse the hole?

Drywall holes are very unpleasant and can cause the overall beauty of the space to be compromised. As a result, many find using spackle to fill up the holes and cover them.

Spackling compound is made of the same ingredients as drywall and is commonly referred to as Drywall mud.

However, drywall mud is not as strong as drywall. As a result, the hole of the drywall that is filled with spackles is not as strong as you can drill or anchor to reuse the hole. If you want to fill a drywall hole with something and reuse the hole, you can follow these tips –

Move the hole:

Many find it more convenient to make a new hole instead of reusing it. As it requires less inconvenience and also it gives more durability to the operation you are looking for.

Although, this will only be applicable if your wall has enough room and you can afford to shift the hole a few inches.

Fill the hole with a piece of wood:

A small piece of wood will easily fit in the hole. Where you can drill and insert a screw. This will be as good as a new hole, and it will not compromise the strength it requires to hang something.

Use a drywall patch:

For this, you have to cut a small area around the drywall; let it be a 4″ by 4″ squared shape area. Cut around the hole and replace it with the same sized patch. Gluing down and screwing it will give you the opportunity to make a new hole and use it.

How big of a gap can you fill with spackle?

Ideally, you can fill up holes in drywall that are not more than 4 inches in diameter. Smaller holes are easier to fill with spackle, and it is a little tricky for bigger holes.

However, using a steel mash on the hole to give the spackle a structure will increase its capacity, and you can fill bigger holes in this way.

Spackles are known as drywall mud, but they are not as durable as true drywall. As a result, the spackle may lose its shape and break into pieces if applied in bigger holes. Thus, spackles are not used for bigger than 4 inches holes.

How to spackle over wall anchors?

Spackles are very commonly used to fill up drywall holes. They are good to hide holes and bruises, particularly in drywalls. Having been made of similar ingredients or materials, they are also known as drywall mud.

You can spackle over wall anchors in the following manner –

Remove the anchor:

Removing the anchor is the first step of this process. You can use pliers to pull out anchors from the hole. If pliers don’t work, try to use something sharp to grab the head of that anchor and pull it out.

Clean the hole:

Other than the anchor, there might be many objects necessary to clear before applying the spackle. Use a screwdriver or blower to clean the dust. This step is very crucial because dust can make spackles loose and prohibit them from getting permanent.

Apply the spackle:

Now, you can use your cone to apply a spackling compound over the hole. However, you may want to apply more than only the hole, for example, any depressions left by the hammering. Smooth the spackling compound with a scraper until it is even with the drywall.

Let the spackle dry, and your wall is great looking again.

Final thoughts

Spackle is a common material to fill up holes in drywalls. One can neither drill nor anchor into spackle. As this material is very fragile, it does not have the capacity to provide enough support to hanging objects. However, using a spackle for hiding drywall holes will always be a good choice.