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I have a house built in the 70s and, well, I've got a pole for curtains above a window that can't stay up.

The hooks that are drilled in the wall, i guess that because it was drilled, in the same spot, over and over again every time the curtains pole was changed, it has a hard time staying in. Probably the hole is too damaged to keep the hook in.

Thing is, because its a pole for curtains, I can't drill a little further to get my hole, or drill a little lower. I'm stuck putting it at the same place.

So is there a good way to reinforce and old hole to be able to drill back into it like its new?

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    Consider a wooden plate wide enough to cover the holes and more, rawlplug that using new holes away from the big one, and woodscrew the bracket into that. Doesn't answer the question, but gives a solution!
    – Tim
    Commented Jul 14, 2021 at 13:00
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    Is there wood behind the drywall? If so, Ed Beal has a good answer. If not and it's just drywall there's a number of different anchors that can be used. Commented Jul 14, 2021 at 13:43
  • @PlatinumGoose I'm pretty sure I'm in a beam since its around a window. But I think the hole is just screwed from being always at the same place.
    – Fredy31
    Commented Jul 14, 2021 at 14:19

2 Answers 2

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You can add some wood in the form of tooth picks or match sticks with the head broken off. Dip them in plain old white wood glue and stuff two or 3 in the hole.

Now when you install the screw you have fresh wood for the screws to bite into.

I usually use this trick on door hinges but have used it for curtain rods where the herder had been turned into Swiss cheese like yours.

Some folks like tooth picks better because they are hard wood and matches are soft wood. I use whatever is handy even splitting a sliver of wood and pushing it in the hole with glue works great.

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    Even works with door hinge screws! I like putting the screws back in while the glue is wet. The screw going into the hole forces the toothpicks out of the way and works as a very effective clamp to hold the toothpicks in place while the glue dries.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jul 15, 2021 at 17:31
  • @freeman screwing while glue is still wet is the best way it creates the same structure as a lvl beam in a way the layers of wood and glue pressed to the sides by the screw work great.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 15, 2021 at 19:35
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You could get those five-minute epoxy syringes, shoot the epoxy directly into the holes, churn the epoxy with the head-end of a machine screw or bolt, and then hold the exposed "stud" while the epoxy hardens.

You could create a fixture of sheet metal or cardboard, etc. mount the screws onto it with nuts, in the correct spacing, and then install the epoxy, then push in the fixture.

After hardening, unscrew the fixture.

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