Project details
Skill
1 out of 5EasyJust requires a little practice and patience
Cost
$10 to $20, depending on extraction method and tool used
Estimated Time
2 to 5 minutes, on average
Tools & Materials
In this video, Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shares some tricks of the trade for backing out stripped screws.
Steps:
1. Try removing the stripped screw with the proper size manual screwdriver.
2. If the screw head is protruding from the surface, grip it with self-locking pliers and twist out the screw.
3. Use a cordless drill—set in reverse—and left-handed bit to drill a small hole into the head of the stripped screw.
4. With the drill still set in reverse, use a screw extractor to back out the screw.
5. If the screw head has snapped off, use a hollow-boring screw extractor to drill out the entire screw. Fill the resulting hole with a tapered wood plug.