Whether you can drill holes in apartment walls or not totally depend on your landlord’s wish, if he allows you to drill in apartment walls, yes, you can drill holes in apartment walls, and if not, you can’t. If you don’t have permission to drill in apartment walls and still drill, you must pay repair costs to your landlord.
Scroll down to know the consequence of drilling without permission, how much you have to pay for that, and much more. I will also share some alternatives to drilling that can make things easier for you. So be with me till the end.
What Do You Need To Know Before Drilling Into The Apartment?
Before drilling into the apartment, you need to know whether you are allowed to do so or not. Because if your landlord doesn’t allow you to drill, and still you do that, he will cut the repair cost from your security check. In addition, if you damage the electric wire or pipe during drilling, it will be a disaster.
So what can you do?
- Read your lease
First and foremost, read your lease properly. Some landlords don’t write it directly; “you can’t drill into the apartment”, but add “if some damage happens to the apartment, you will pay for it.” And damage includes drilling holes as well.
So read your lease and check what your landlord mentions. If he allows you to drill, you can drill into the apartment.
2. Do you ever think of asking the permission?
And if no clause or something like this is added to the lease, you can directly ask your landlord’s permission. If he says yes, you can definitely drill holes, but don’t just fall for words, make him signature on a document and then drill.
And finally, if it seems hard to drill or the landlord says no, no problem. You don’t need to drill all the time to hang pictures, mount TV, etc. You can complete these tasks without drilling as well.
How?
You will get to know below.
Why should you look for studs while drilling into wall?
When drilling into a wall, it is important to look for studs. Studs are the structural members of a building that support the weight of the walls and ceilings above them. Walls alone are not strong enough to hold heavy-weight objects like large pictures, shelves, TV, mirrors, etc. So you need to look for studs and drill into them for better support.
Drilling in studs also ensures you don’t end up drilling into electrical wires or pipes; that could be dangerous. But how to find where is the stud to drill into? It’s very easy. You can find the stud manually or with an electrical stud finder.
Usually, the distance between the studs is 16 inches to 24 inches, so measure from the starting and locate where the stud could be. Then drill a little and check if there are sawduck stuck into the drill bit; if yes, then it’s a stud for sure. And if not, then stop drilling and measure again. Or use an electrical stud finder, it will give you an indication after finding a stud.
Do you need to fill holes when moving?
Yes, you need to fill holes when moving in most cases; only a few cases are there where the landlord didn’t ask for money to damage their property, I mean for drilling holes. Maybe it seems hard to you, but it’s not so. Drilling lots of holes in an apartment will decrease its value, and imagine if some more renters like you do the same?
How will the apartment look like with hundreds of holes? Won’t it decrease the apartment value? Obviously will. So to keep it in the right condition, you need to fill holes when moving; if not, the landlord may charge you for the damage from the security check.
Because usually it’s clearly written in the lease that if you made any damage to the property, especially drill holes, and leave them untreated before moving, you have to pay compensation.
There is no fixed amount the landlord can charge, but mostly he will keep the repair charge and a little compensation as you damaged his property, and the rest of the security deposit you will get in the cheque.
What is the best way to fill holes in apartment walls?
Holes in apartment walls can be a major inconvenience, but luckily, there are many ways to fill holes in an apartment wall without tearing down the entire wall or hiring a contractor. Let’s know the best way to fill holes in apartment walls and the tools you need to accomplish that task.
Tools you will need-
- 150 grit sandpaper,
- Spackle compound,
- Spackle knife,
- Paintbrush
- Paint
Simple Steps To Fill Holes In Apartment Walls
- Remove the nail from the hole; sometimes, the surrounding area chip off and create an uneven surface. So use 150 grit sandpaper, and make the surface clean and plain.
- Now, you have to fill the hole by applying a spackle or wall paste layer. Take some of the spackle compounds in the spackle knife and apply them into the hole at 45 degrees. Ensure the hole is filled with this spackle.
- Take the knife and scrape away some excess spackle compound outside of the hole. You must keep the surface clean, & even, so, it matches the surrounding surface.
- Next, leave this for a minimum of 1 hour or until it gets dries.
- Once the spackle compound is dried and the hole is filled, it’s time to paint the repairing area. Take the same color paint your wall has, use a paintbrush, and paint the hole surface. Wait until it dried, and you won’t even realize there was a hole.
- Some apartments are painted with several colors, in that case, you can take some of your eyeshadow and mix it with white paint color and apply that. It really works, one of my friends has done this and recommended me to do that.
You can also do a lot without drilling into walls
How can I mount my Dyson without drilling?
You don’t need to drill into walls to mount your Dyson. Simply use a Stable Metal Bracket Organizer Rack and easily mount your Dyson. You can move this rack anywhere you want and mount the Dyson along with its accessories. Usually, these racks come with several hooks to hang the Dyson accessories and hold the Dyson without any drilling hassle.
Can you install a tv mount without a drill?
Yes, you can install a tv mount without a drill. Nowadays everything is getting smarter so the tv mounting too. Just a day before, I found an incredible universal floor TV stand with a swivel mount.
This tv stand is space-saving; height can be adjusted as per your need, and it can hold upto 110 lbs. Plus, it has a cable clip behind it to hold up the cables and other accessories. And you can mount the tv in it without drilling. You just need to follow the manual instruction, and the tv is on the stand in less than 20 minutes.
Do you need a drill to install curtain rods
Not anymore! These days everything is getting updated and making things much easier. So now drilling is also an old chapter of a book; we don’t need to drill holes to install a tv, pictures, shelves, and curtains as well.
After shifting to my new home, I was worried as I couldn’t drill holes in this new house, but after finding the classic large metal wall hooks, all my worries gone. I just bought a few of them and installed them in several places in my house.
It can be used to hold upto 5 pounds And installing them is simple. I have just used the adhesive strips and attached the metal wall hooks to the wall. Then, I placed my curtain rods in them, and it’s all done without any drilling! You can also use them to hang bags, keys, clipboards, calendars, etc.
How to put up a shelf without drilling holes?
When you want to avoid drilling holes to put up a shelf, buying a smart Acrylic Hanging Shelves that is free of hanging troubles is better. These smart and space-saving shelves come with adhesive strips, making them simple to install in no time.
After cleaning the area where the shelf will go, remove one side of the adhesive and attach it to the wall. Then remove the outsider adhesive strips and mount the shelf firmly against the wall.
How to attach a window box without drilling?
Attaching a window box without drilling is very simple by using Window box cill sill fixings brackets. Buy the brackets and install them where you want to put them. Once you have installed the brackets, you simply slide the window box into position and tighten the screws that come with it. And that’s it; your window box is finely attached without the trouble of any drilling.
How to hang a hammock indoors without damaging walls?
What can be a better option than a steel stand to hang your hammock indoors?
It won’t damage the walls as it doesn’t need to be drilled. You just need to place it in the area you want the hammock to be, attach the nylon straps of your hammock to the hooks on the hammock stand, and it’s done. You can adjust the hammock height to low or high as your want. Or a simpler option, buy a space-saving hammock with a steel stand.
How to hang a picture on a wall without drilling?
A great alternative to drilling a picture on a wall is hanging it with strips. I was surprised too when I noticed my neighbor had hung their picture on their wall without drilling, just with the help of hanging strips. Because I didn’t know a simple strip could hold so much weight.
Then my neighbor introduced me to command large picture hanging strips. Those strips were specially designed to hang pictures on walls and can hold up to 16 lbs. And hanging a photo with a strip was simple than drilling.
He told me to clean the area with rubbing alcohol, remove one side of the adhesive strip, place it on the cleaned area, and press gently for 30 seconds. Then remove the outer liner to reveal adhesive and hang the picture where you want. Hold and press it for 30 seconds, and then leave it.
It’s done!
How to hang plants without drilling holes?
You can hang plants without drilling holes in a few different ways. One of the popular ways is using a yurt-style tree hanging garden. It has adjustable hanger hooks and rings; you just have to hang your plants on them. Attach your desired plant pot to the hanger hooks, or place them on top of the rings, and it’s done. The garden is all set, and there is some space in the center pole; you can hang wind chimes, bird feeders, or small bird houses here.
How to hang wind chimes without drilling?
There are lots of ways available to hang wind chimes without drilling. Recently I have used the command ceiling hook to hang my newly bought wind chimes. It was very simple to install.
First, I had to remove the adhesive strip covering one side of the metal part of the hook. Then, insert the metal part through the slit in the string and firmly press it against the Ceiling for 30 seconds. And it was ready to hang my wind chimes.
How to install a towel bar without a drill?
Installing a towel bar without a drill is simple when you use a non-mechanical towel bar like a vacuum suction cup. It won’t even take more than 2 minutes to install. I just applied a little moisture to the suction cups using my hand, leveled the bar, pressed the suction cups against my shower’s glass enclosure, and finally pushed the small levers, and it’s done!
How to install baby gate without drilling?
There are various ways to install a baby gate without drilling. One of the easiest is to use adjustable door latches. You can also use a safety gate adapter, use Y-spindles, wall protector cups, or simply buy a baby gate with a pressure mount design. A pressure mount design baby gate is quick to set up, no additional tools are required for installation, and no need to punch holes in the wall.
Plus, these types of gates fit narrow and wide doorways, making them perfect for almost any situation. And, if your little one does try to get past the gate, the safety latch system will keep them secure.