Screwdrivers: common mistakes and how to avoid them

Learn to pick the right screwdriver, hold it properly, and turn without stripping screws or hurting your hand.

SD-01Match the screwdriver to the screwScrews have different head shapes. A flathead (flat-blade) screw has a single slot. A Phillips screw has a cross-shaped slot, and a Pozidriv (very common in UK flat-pack furniture and fixings) looks similar but has extra small marks at 45 degrees between the cross arms. Using a Phillips driver on a Pozidriv screw, or the wrong size tip, is the number one cause of stripped (chewed-up) screw heads.

SD-02Hold it like a door handle, not a penGrip the handle in your palm with your fingers wrapped round it, like turning a door handle. Keep your wrist straight in line with the shaft (the metal rod). Beginners often hold it like a pen with just fingertips, which gives no power and makes the driver slip out of the screw head.

SD-03Push in while you turnPress the driver firmly into the screw head with one hand or your body weight, then turn with your wrist and arm at the same time. If you only turn without pushing, the tip jumps out of the slot. This jumping is called cam-out and it rounds off the screw head, especially on soft brass or chrome screws.

SD-04Remember the turning directionClockwise tightens a screw, anticlockwise loosens it. The easy way to remember: 'righty tighty, lefty loosey'. If a screw seems to be getting tighter but won't go in, check you're actually turning clockwise, not the other way.

SD-05Start the screw straightHold the screw upright with your free hand and get it seated in the slot before you apply any pressure. Turn slowly for the first two or three turns until the screw bites into the material by itself. Starting at an angle is the classic beginner mistake and it makes the screw go in crooked or split thin wood.

SD-06Free a stuck or stubborn screwIf a screw won't turn, don't force it and risk stripping the head. Give the driver handle a sharp tap with something heavy to break the paint or rust seal, then try again with firm inward pressure. On old painted screws, first score round the head with a knife to cut through paint sitting in the slot.

SD-07Check you've done it rightA correctly driven screw sits flush with the surface (or slightly below on countersunk screws), the head slot is undamaged, and it doesn't wobble or spin freely. If the head is rounded off, the material is cracked, or the screw spins without tightening, stop and reassess rather than carrying on.

Save this as a project

Back to all guides