Help hanging curtains, screw goes in about 1" and stops, aluminum studs/framing

Hey y'all, I posted about this about a month ago, and I know stuff like this gets posted fairly often so I apologize, but I’ve got some new information and I'm still very nervous about drilling into walls and hitting something I shouldn't. I also don’t love the idea of just drilling a bunch of holes to test where “works” but maybe I need to get over that. I'm hanging some curtains around windows in a new apartment, about 2" above and to the side of the window frame (first photo). My magnetic StudBuddy suggests there's a metal framing around the window, but I'm well clear of that (second photo). I hand screwed as I didn’t have a drill at the time, and the screws went in about an inch very easily (seems like plaster). I tried on both sides of the window frame and it stops when I make contact with something (third photo). I don’t see any brick/concrete residue when I pull the screw out. I tested the StudBuddy over both spots I had tried to screw and it doesn’t really react. I asked my super about it and he said “You can't use a regular screw. You have to use one to drill into aluminum.” I had researched a bit and read that it was possible to very slowly drill into aluminum with even a 3/8s drill, so I bought one (it was time to get a drill for basic house work anyway, can’t borrow one forever). So my questions are, how do I approach this? Do I need self drilling screws, or specific anchors? I have the anchors the curtains came with, do I drill (gently and slowly) a pilot hole for the anchors? Do I skip the anchors and drill a pilot hole for the screws? Or do I skip the anchors and the pilot hole and just try to drill the screws directly in? Thanks yall submitted by /u/throwmeaway493929287 [link] [comments]

May 26, 2025 - 21:44

Help hanging curtains, screw goes in about 1" and stops, aluminum studs/framing

Hey y'all,

I posted about this about a month ago, and I know stuff like this gets posted fairly often so I apologize, but I’ve got some new information and I'm still very nervous about drilling into walls and hitting something I shouldn't. I also don’t love the idea of just drilling a bunch of holes to test where “works” but maybe I need to get over that.

I'm hanging some curtains around windows in a new apartment, about 2" above and to the side of the window frame (first photo). My magnetic StudBuddy suggests there's a metal framing around the window, but I'm well clear of that (second photo). I hand screwed as I didn’t have a drill at the time, and the screws went in about an inch very easily (seems like plaster). I tried on both sides of the window frame and it stops when I make contact with something (third photo). I don’t see any brick/concrete residue when I pull the screw out. I tested the StudBuddy over both spots I had tried to screw and it doesn’t really react.

I asked my super about it and he said “You can't use a regular screw. You have to use one to drill into aluminum.” I had researched a bit and read that it was possible to very slowly drill into aluminum with even a 3/8s drill, so I bought one (it was time to get a drill for basic house work anyway, can’t borrow one forever).

So my questions are, how do I approach this? Do I need self drilling screws, or specific anchors? I have the anchors the curtains came with, do I drill (gently and slowly) a pilot hole for the anchors? Do I skip the anchors and drill a pilot hole for the screws? Or do I skip the anchors and the pilot hole and just try to drill the screws directly in?

Thanks yall

submitted by /u/throwmeaway493929287
[link] [comments]