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I wanted to install a towel rack above the laundry sink. Being the genius that I am, I didn't worry about little things like wall studs, pipes, etc. Once I began drilling I only managed to penetrate a few mm before going into metal. Since I didn't have any experience (I know, the benefit of hindsight) I pushed too hard and began drilling into the metal. I've read that in some cases builders put metal plates behind parts of the wall to prevent idiots (me) from drilling holes in important areas. Is that what I've done or have I come close to busting a pipe?
Additionally, I thought the wall was just plasterboard however it is very thin. Does anyone have any insight into this?
Images attached.
A humble thank you.
edit: Could it be a metal stud behind Villaboard?
Closeup
Wall
Thanks for your response. I should have mentioned that I've given up on mounting screws and decided to use an adhesive hanger. I'll sand away a bit of the paint then clean the wall before applying it. Still leaves me perplexed about the metal though.
Hi @BadAnalysis
It's perfectly ok to use another method to mount it, using a good adhesive should hold your towel rack in place. As for the steel stud in your wall, you might have another chance to explore it when you need to drill into your wall again.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Well now this is just plain embarrassing. I took a good look at the hole in question under a different light and compared it to the two other holes I bored and noticed something odd. The 'metal' I hit seemed to begin within the villaboard itself. I dug at it with a screwdriver and voilà... it punched straight through. Turns out that the 'metal' was deposited by my drill bit because of the way I tried to drill the hole. So it turns out there was never any problem to begin with.
Thank you for your help. Now excuse me while I move to another country to hide in embarrassment.
Hi @BadAnalysis
That's totally understandable and it's part of the D.I.Y. journey. It could have happened to anyone, but what's important is that you've learned something new. You'll now be more confident and know what you're looking at when drilling into the wall. Don't let this small hiccup get in your way.
Eric
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