Footing, Foundation, and Mud Sill
The four layers between a house and the ground, and the load path that runs through them.
Anchor a Wood Screw in Concrete With Trimmer Line in the Hole
Drill the hole, stuff in a length of string-trimmer line, and drive an ordinary wood screw — the threads bite into the nylon, the nylon jams against the concrete, and the hold is plenty strong for everyday fastening.
screw into cement, out of wall plugs, hang things on a block wall, makeshift anchor, weed wacker line uses
The Problem
Fastening to concrete for light duty — a bracket, a cleat, a furring strip — means a trip for plastic anchors or masonry screws you don't have, in the size you don't have, while a box of wood screws sits right there and a spool of trimmer line hangs in the garage.
The Technique
- Drill a hole in the concrete, sized about like the anchor hole you'd normally make for the screw.
- Cut a piece of string-trimmer line, fold or bundle it, and stuff it into the hole so it fills the bore.
- Drive an ordinary wood screw into the nylon-packed hole. The threads cut into the trimmer line, the line expands against the concrete, and the screw pulls up tight.
The nylon works exactly like a plastic anchor — because that's chemically about what it is, in spaghetti form that fits any hole.
Pro tip: Feed in enough line that the screw meets resistance the whole way — a loosely packed hole gives a screw that spins. Trim the tails flush after driving.
Safety note: This is a light-duty fastening trick — shelves' cleats, strapping, brackets. Anything structural, overhead, or life-safety (railings, TV mounts, anything over a bed) gets rated concrete anchors, not improvised nylon.
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