0

I have a ceiling register that won't stay. The drywall is all broken up where the screws go in. I tried using plastic anchors but that didn't work. Then I tried using some spackle to "glue" it all together but that didn't work either.

Short of cutting the ceiling joist to joist, putting a new piece of drywall, the cutting out the opening for the vent, is there a way to fix that?

enter image description here

ventsyv
  • 259
  • 2
  • 5
  • 11

4 Answers4

1

It's hard to tell from the picture, but see if you can squeeze a couple pieces of wood, say 1x6 inside of the hole to act as backing. Then use 1-1/2" screws to fasten the register to the pieces of wood.

Alternatively, a piece of plywood with the center hole pre-cut, and the sides 2" larger than the hole in the drywall.

If this fails, then it's time to cut the drywall from one joist to the other and put a new piece.

Cheery
  • 5,226
  • 5
  • 19
  • Wouldn't a 1x6 go a long way toward reducing air flow through the vent? No, I'm not expecting it to be laid flat (with the 6" dimension blocking the vent), but still, that seems like a pretty big obstruction in a vent... – FreeMan Aug 22 '23 at 13:06
  • Placed OUTSIDE of the vent area, acting as backing for the screws! Although I prefer the idea of the plywood with the hole cut out. – Cheery Aug 22 '23 at 13:10
  • You say "1x6 inside of the hole" (emphasis added), so that may have been my confusion. Not sure how placing the wood outside the hole would fix the issue - care to whip up a high-tech MS Paint sketch of what you're suggesting? I'm a bit confused. – FreeMan Aug 22 '23 at 13:16
1

Another fix, if you can find two small strips of metal similar to the ducting material. Say about 4" x 1", Bend so it can take the register screw, punch a small hole for that, then screw the other end to the inside of the duct. Screw the register into this strip end.

DaveM
  • 2,715
  • 1
  • 11
  • 23
  • 1
    Yes, to elaborate (assuming I'm on the same wavelength), you should take a piece of sheet metal and bend it into a 90º angle. Then slip one arm of the angle between the duct and drywall in the ceiling and screw the other arm to the inside of the duct. Your choice whether to drill a pilot hole or use self-tapping screws, depending what kind of tool you can fit in there. This will create a metal tab behind the drywall to which you can screw your register. That tab you may want to drill a pilot hole for, because sometimes self-tapping screws need more force than a drill bit to make a hole. – Huesmann Aug 22 '23 at 12:25
0

If you rent, tell the landlord.

If you own, replace the drywall.

If you don't want to replace the drywall and you're just looking for a band-aid solution, use double sided tape to stick it up there, or some duct tape. These are no better or worse than the other suggestions (which aren't bad either, TBH). But they're all just band-aids until you decide to replace the crumbling drywall.

FreeMan
  • 47,262
  • 25
  • 88
  • 193
  • From the picture, I thought the OP wanted to replace a 2x6" piece of drywall, so I originally thought of an answer like yours. But upon looking further and reading the OP's description, I think their only issue is that the screws are not holding against the drywall. That's why a bit of backing is a better solution. – Cheery Aug 22 '23 at 13:13
0

You can buy "register spring clips" that attach to the sides of the register and use friction against the duct and/or behind the drywall to hold it. You can also find new covers that already have clips.

You can drill new holes in the cover where the drywall is not damaged, and carefully use appropriate anchors and screws there.

You can do both of the above!

jay613
  • 37,422
  • 2
  • 51
  • 148