Please help! I am in the process of re-caulking my shower (which has sliding doors) and I loosened the screws on the side panels to better remove the old caulk, but now the screws on one side won't tighten. What happened and what do I do?
Most likely those screws are going into wall anchors. Sometimes wall anchors will pull partway out and loose their grip. This will cause them to spin as you try to drive the screw back in. Try this: While slowly driving the screw, put as much pressure on to push the screw in as you turn it. This may put enough pressure on the anchor so that it will grip and not spin.
If that doesn't work, then you'll have to remove the side pieces to the door unit and get new plastic anchors.
OK, a little guesswork here: If the towel bar bolts are just turning, then you probably have butterfly bolts holding it in place. The trick here is to gently pull outwards on the bar mount or the bolt head as you unscrew it. This will hold the butterfly nut tight against the interior of the drywall, keeping it from spinning.
However, if your problem is not even being able to find the bolts or screws, then look for a very small Allen head bolt - usually on the very underside of each mount close to the wall. Loosen the Allen bolt and pull off the decorative cover, then unscrew the mount underneath.
It the problem is something else, post it so we can troubleshoot.
I keep a jewelers screw driver set for that reason. Even my smaller screwdrivers I normally carry are too big. But I have seen others that use the allen wrench, so it depends on the brand. And if you don't see either of those, it's possible the little finish plate against the wall requires a gentle pry to pop it loose, and then you'll see the fasteners -- all depends on the brand.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Re-mdlr,
Posts: 691 | Location: No. California | Registered: Mar 24, 2004
