I'm trying to hang a curtain rod over a sliding glass door, but keep hitting something that I can't drill through.

Christine T
by Christine T
The house is built of cement blocks, but there is drywall on the walls. I had another house that was the same type, but never had a problem with hanging curtain rods. The anchors can't get in far enough to hold the rod in with whatever is stopping it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
  5 answers
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jan 24, 2013
    I'd pick up some tapcons http://www.concretescrews.com/ and drill pilots...these screws come in a two sizes and different lengths.
  • Christine T Christine T on Jan 24, 2013
    Thank you so much, I'll give them a try.
  • Tapcons will work. But using a hammer drill is going to be important. You are hitting the block wall behind the drywall. Sometimes over the door they use a precast cement header and in some other cases they use a steel angle iron. If your hitting the steel then tapcons will not work. You will need a metal drill bit that is sized properly for plastic anchors drill out, put anchor in and then screw to fasten rod bracket.
  • Christine T Christine T on Jan 29, 2013
    Thank you, I really appreciate your help!
  • Janice Janice on Sep 07, 2023

    You're likely drilling through the sheetrock and hitting the concrete blocks for which you'll need a different type of bit....perhaps a diamond bit. Check at your local hardware or big box home improvement store for the appropriate bit.