Steel studs are becoming more and more popular in newer-construction homes. If you’re house is new, and you’ve ruled out all the other other options, it’s likely you have steel studs.

I once was hoping to hang a few Ikea cabinets from a rail in my basement. However, I soon realized that cinderblocks were behind the drywall, and that I couldn’t attach the rail to studs because the studs didn’t exist!

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The furring strips are a good indicator that you’ve got a masonry construction. Depending on why you were drilling the holes, you may need to reconsider your plan.

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To confirm this, find the furring strips. A simple magnetic stud finder (I love this one) will find the nails attaching the drywall to the furring strips. Drill a hole a few inches to the left or right of the nail. If you hit wood again, then you’ve found the furring strips.

So, as you’re probably aware, your wall hides some useful things, like pipes, electrical wires, and ductwork. Hitting any of these things when you drill into a wall would be bad.

If you’re working on A) an exterior wall, or B) a chimney area, it’s likely you’re hitting masonry, whether that be brick, cement, or cinder blocks.

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If you use your drill bit frequently on wood, or have ever used it on masonry or metal, that might be causing the problem. Replacing the drill bit with a newer drill bit should solve the issue.

If your drill bit can drill through the drywall, but can’t penetrate the stud behind it, test another bit. Dull drill bits will probably still go through drywall, since it’s a soft material, but may struggle with wood.

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In order to prevent this from happening, metal plates typically cover up these things. That way, when you drill into the wall and hit the metal, you know to stop drilling or risk running into a pipe or wire.

Charge your battery. If the drill with a fully charged battery still won’t penetrate, grab a corded drill and see if you’re able to drill a small pilot hole.

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The most common reason a drill won’t penetrate a wall at all is because the drill is spinning in the wrong direction. If the drill bit enters the wall and then hits resistance, the typical cause is a metal plate or masonry obstruction.

If you find you do have steel studs, know that they are much more difficult to work with than wood studs, and you might find your original project needs to be altered significantly. If you choose to ultimately hang something from the studs, you’ll need drill bits rated for metal, and a few toggle bolts for hanging your item.

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The six situations listed above are the most likely reasons you’re not able to drill through your wall. However, there are a couple of possibilities that are rare, but exist!

In my old, 1910-era home, I had plaster walls. I soon found out that plaster dulled drill bits significantly, and the bits I used to drill through the plaster were worthless after a few holes.

Because the cost of accidently drilling into a pipe/electrical/ductwork is so high, I would recommend consulting a professional at this point. They’ll be able to determine if you’ve got steel studs, which is a much better option than assuming you do, and then accidently drilling into a water pipe.

If your drill is set to rotate the wrong direction, it will be difficult for it to make any progress into the drywall (or plaster.) For the forward direction, the drill should rotate clockwise. If it’s set to rotate counterclockwise, the drill will struggle to penetrate the wall.

To change your drill rotation direction, there is typically a button/rotation selector on the drill. Here’s where it’s located on my Ryobi drill:

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If you come across another situation I haven’t listed here, feel free to shoot me an email! I’d love to add it to the list!

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If you’ve drilled through the drywall and hit an obstruction, it is probably a metal plate. Move up or down about 5 inches and try again. Do you still get stuck?

Drywall is typically attached to masonry construction by attaching to horizontal furring strips. Because of this, you’ll probably drill through 5/8″ of drywall, a 3/4″ gap, and then hit the masonry.

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In the case of my old home, I would use a dull drill bit to go through the plaster, then replace it with a newer drill bit to penetrate the lath behind it.

Cheap drills typically come with cheap batteries, so if you’re using a budget-drill that you’ve had awhile, the battery could be the issue. This is especially true if you live in an older home, where the age of the wood can affect the density and make it more difficult to drill through.

I'm a math teacher when the sun's up, but once it sets, you'll find me knee-deep in DIY projects, turning my home into a dream space. Hop on board and let’s get our hands dirty as we learn to build, decorate, and yes, sometimes even take a sledgehammer to things. All in the spirit of making our homes look great. Join in—you might just catch the DIY bug too!

(At this point, it’s probably worth buying a new drill/driver. Keep the old one, because having two drill/drivers is super handy, but make the new drill/driver your primary tool.)

You’ve marked the spot on the wall, started the drill… and nothing happens. Or maybe you’ve drilled into the wall a little bit, but you’ve hit something hard and you’re not sure what. I’ve been there. In fact, I think anyone who’s ever drilled into a wall has been there.

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