What metal did I drill through at the corner of my walls?

Question

I was installing some blink cameras with the pre packaged screws (they are an inch long). My son went through the drywall and the screw wanted to go about 3/4 of the way. Went an grabbed the drilled and slowly drilled and went through something metal. It took about 5-10 seconds and little pressure to get through whatever it is.

It crossed my mind that it could be a metal plate protecting wires, but there are no electrical boxes below or alongside the camera. The camera is mounted on exterior wall up by the ceiling. Any thoughts, just want to be safe.

Is it definitely drywall? Plastered walls often have steel strips in the corners, sometimes a steel mesh rather than solid, so a drill can go through it easily. — Chris H, Mar 25 '24 at 14:41
You hit metal... don't know what it was... and kept drilling. not the best decision. — Questor, Mar 25 '24 at 15:23
Relevant: https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/189102/any-possibility-that-i-may-have-damaged-a-wire-in-the-wall — End Anti-Semitic Hate, Mar 25 '24 at 22:42
Not likely to be a protection plate if the drill went through in 5-10 secs. More likely to be something like corner bead or similar for drywall. — kreemoweet, Mar 26 '24 at 01:55

score 9 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 25 '24 at 05:18

Metal cover plates over the framing are used to protect electrical wires that may be passing through the framing. Such wiring may route a long distance before it ever comes close to an electrical box, outlet, switch or fixture. It is not a good idea to assume that since one of those items is not nearby that it is OK to drill through what may be a protection plate.

There are other possibilities for metal under the drywall that is thin. One such is flat metal stapping that is placed diagonally from a top or bottom corner and then stretched at an angle a distance down the wall and attached at the opposite bottom or top plate. A pair of these are often to help a structure better survive in hurricane, tornado or earthquake conditions.

Should a structural strap take more than "5-10 seconds and little pressure" to get through? — aquaticapetheory, Mar 25 '24 at 14:04
@aquaticapetheory It could be that thin. Structural bracing straps do vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I looked online and found some that were 3/4" wide and 0.020" thick; another that is 1 3/8" wide and 0.047" thick. — Michael Karas, Mar 26 '24 at 02:54

What metal did I drill through at the corner of my walls?

1 Answers1