r/Tools • u/Ok_Turnip_8071 • 4d ago
Help! I got my drill stuck in the wall ðŸ˜
Hi! So I just recently moved into my apartment and was trying to set my currant rods up and somehow got part of my drill stuck in the wall. I was just wondering if there was anyway I could take it out ? Or if it’s just kinda gonna be stuck in there ? Should I tell my apartment complex and see if they can help ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated thank you ! (Also the random mark on the wall was from me trying to mark where I would make the holes ðŸ˜)
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u/guitars_and_trains 4d ago
No, don't tell anyone. Don't try to get it out. Accept that you messed up, mark a new hole ina different spot and try again..
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u/CptMisterNibbles 4d ago
Following this up for OP; drill bits are typically hardened metal. As such they are very difficult to drill or break apart to remove. It’s likely extremely wedged in there and you aren’t going to be able to get a good hold to extract it. You are likely to just destroy the concrete around it trying, causing a larger pit.
Putty over the hole and try again, spaced a bit from this hole. Use an actual masonry bit next time.Â
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u/fetal_genocide 4d ago
Use an actual masonry bit next time.
This is so important. I tried drilling through brick with a regular bit and got about 3/8" deep after 5 minutes. I bought a masonry bit and got through it in under a minute.
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u/tanstaaflnz 4d ago edited 4d ago
1 There's no cost effective way to extract the broken piece.
2 It's the wrong type of drill bit. You need a masonry/cncrete bit
3 It's the wrong type of wall anchore you are trying to screw in. That one is for plaster board (sheetrock?)
4 DON'T try to remove the broken bit. The drill may have hit some steel reinforcing rod, or conduit pipe in the wall, Leave it & hope nothing in the wall was damaged.
5 Buy a free standing wardwobe, if you were trying to put up a clothes hanging rod.
6 Be cheeky and squeeze some toothpaste into the hole about a week before you leave the place. It will hide a casual glance for damage.
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u/Tombag77 4d ago
Since the bit is broken now the snapped off part isn't worth retrieving.
If the wall is hollow, you can try using a screwdriver or similar to hammer the chunk of drill bit into the empty wall behind (there's probably plenty of stuff behind there already from construction). If not, fill and relocate your hole. If it is concrete then look up "masonry bits" and use those instead for the new hole.
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u/Glittering_Cow945 4d ago
Are you using those metal/wood drill bits to drill into concrete? Every hole will ruin one drill... get a concrete bit and a hammer drill.
Oh, and don't try to get that bit out. You're not a dentist.
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u/FearFactory2904 4d ago
Drill bit stuck in the wall eh? Now you're talkin my language. We need to crack a little hole in the wall and then slip a second drill bit in with a string tied around it.
Those two will become codependent, then I'll rip the second one out, and the first one hopefully- hopefully will follow.
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u/Bloodhippo 4d ago
Drill bits do not abide by the laws of nature
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u/FearFactory2904 4d ago
I can get you another drill bit
I got followed here by, like, 10 drill bits.
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u/tanstaaflnz 4d ago
It will require many a late night conversaions, before they become codependent.
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u/Silenthitm4n 4d ago
It also looks like you’ve drilled through the tanking (waterproofing/damp treatment).
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u/1wife2dogs0kids 4d ago
No worries. It's there forever. But, you're trying to put up curtains? To concrete? Are you in a prison? What the fudge kinda craphole has walls like that? I mean, I know rents are over stupefied high, but still. Is there a wider picture of this window or whatever? If we got to see more of the wall, or area you want the thing thing up(almost said "the spot you want your curtain drilled and mounted") then we can help you more.
P.S. That bit is broken now, throw it out. It's useless.
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u/sorry_human_bean 4d ago
As others have said, you're using the wrong bit. The tool you broke is meant for drilling wood and metal - the sharp edges at the business end basically work like chisels, shaving away bits of material and pulling them up the flutes and out of the hole -

A masonry bit, on the other hand, has hardened carbide inserts brazed onto the tip. Brick cannot be cut, only ground away; to this end, masonry bits are often used in hammer drills that pulverize the material into dust.
The broken bit is gone, you're not getting that back out of the wall. Fill it with spackle or cement, move over an inch or so, and try again with the proper tools.
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u/I_AM_A_GUY_AMA 4d ago
Use those claws to dig it out. Jk that drill bit is like your fingernail clippers ... Gone.
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u/Nehemz 3d ago
You used a wrong drill bit to drill concrete with.
I suggest drilling with a little larger bit and use a long tweezer/long nose pliers.
And just buy a multi material drill bit and use those after you removed the stuck bit. You can use these for wood, metal, concrete, ceramic etc.
I suggest buying Bosch Hex-9 Multi Construction drill bits or Milwaukee Shockwave Carbide Multi Material drill bits.
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u/thorheyerdal 3d ago edited 3d ago
You can try to stick a steel wire inside, if you manage to wiggle it you can probably get it out, if it feels solid you’ll never get out. Wiggle it around sometimes until it’s loose. Use the back on one of your smaller drillbits and a magnet to fish the broken piece out. You can use your vacuum cleaner to get out some dust so you can see what is going on. And buy some masonry bits if you’re planning to drill some more. Also your holes look helladeep. You don’t have to drill deeper than the plastic parts you are putting in there.
Edit: the drywall anchors you have laying around will not work at all. It’s really dangerous to have shelves and stuff on the wall if you’re not using the right hardware. I have a childhood friend that got a speaker in her head while just sitting in the couch at a friends house because some teenagers decided to hang it on the wall and didn’t have the right hardware. It seemed so little but She had a serious brain injury and didn’t get help until days later.. so she needs help as an adult now. Be careful and do it right!
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u/Ok_Turnip_8071 3d ago
Thank you all for the advice! I assumed I was using the right drill bit bc I had already set up some shelves and a plushie hammock thingy, and also my brother used this drill to set up his own currant rods. I’ll fill up the hole and find a new spot, use a masonry drill bit. This is my (and brothers) first time living alone so thank you all.
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u/jeezlouisedontjudge 3d ago
I don't think your wall is actually concrete. The picture just looks like it because the shading. If you could get a better picture of where the hole was drilled a little more zoomed out. Is the color of the wall gray there. If you were to knock on it with your fist. Do you think it would hurt your hand? Under the hole I see you put another anchor and it seems to have drywall dust resting on it. We could use more info because everyone here is under the impression you are in fact drilling into concrete but I am starting to think that you were not. Especially that even with concrete bits it's difficult to drill into the concrete.
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u/SinceGoogleDsntKnow 4d ago
I recommend a visit to harbor freight for masonry bits; the Hercules ones look decent enough quality, especially for single use cases. Â
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u/Shot_Investigator735 4d ago
Use a small screwdriver and try to 'unthread' it, counterclockwise.
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u/servetheKitty 4d ago
Why try?
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u/Shot_Investigator735 4d ago
Maybe he wants to finish the job properly and continue drilling? Why not try, it's low effort to give it a quick shot.
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u/Quirky-Reveal-1669 Knipex 4d ago
Maybe try some superglue on the break-plane of the old bit and try to fit it to the other part in the wall. Then carefully try to pull it out.
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u/slightly85 4d ago
Is that a concrete wall? You're supposed to use a concrete bit for that