Remove wall plugs on a wall before wallpaper stripping

[davide2023]

Hi all, my first post.
I have recently bought a 1930 house and I have started looking at some small projects to revamp it.

My first attempt is to strip the wallpaper in the smallest of the bedrooms, but I already have doubts on what to do. I have removed a couple of shelves that had been installed in the past, but when I went to remove the wall plugs, I can see that a large amount of wall is coming out together with the plug.
So my questions are:
- is this normal?
- if not, what is the right way to remove the plugs with minimal damage
- if yes, how do I fill the holes afterwards?

Thanks!

 

[malcolm]

That's normal damage for removing rawl plugs. For a 1930s house chances are the plaster is lime with a gypsum skim and the gypsum is easy to pop off.

For little holes like that a modern repair filler is fine. It tends to shrink a bit so you would normally have to fill the hole, let it dry, then fill to level.

 

[Lacan07]

Try pulling off a skirting board and see what happens lol. It's normal, use Gyprock to fill holes, leave proud and sand when dry.

 

[Feltwell]

You can do less damage by punching the rawlplugs into the wall, rather than trying to remove them. Use a drift (round metal rod) roughly the same size or slightly larger than the rawlplug, hammer it into the wall slightly and it will collapse on itself, then fill with any modern powder filler, leave to dry and sand back smooth.

 

[paulc]

Try pulling off a skirting board and see what happens lol. It's normal, use Gyprock to fill holes, leave proud and sand when dry.

If it is anything like my skirting, try not to remove unless you plan on replastering. Whilst the ones fixed to stud walls may be held in place with a cut nail every 18" or so, on brick walls, a different matter. Here, holes were punched in to the brick (some being friable cinder blocks), and then three or more cut nails hammered in. In places where holes were not made, the nails just curl up and pull large lumps of plaster off the walls..

As for the plugs - The first image look like a pair of wall bolts. I'd suggest screwing a bolt back in and give the head a tap to drive the tapered plug in the end back. As long as a resin hasn't been injected in to the hole, it should be possible to pull the sleeve out by gripping it with a pair of mole grips. Don't try to pull it out by the bolt.

 

[Lacan07]

If it is anything like my skirting, try not to remove unless you plan on replastering. Whilst the ones fixed to stud walls may be held in place with a cut nail every 18" or so, on brick walls, a different matter. Here, holes were punched in to the brick (some being friable cinder blocks), and then three or more cut nails hammered in. In places where holes were not made, the nails just curl up and pull large lumps of plaster off the walls..

As for the plugs - The first image look like a pair of wall bolts. I'd suggest screwing a bolt back in and give the head a tap to drive the tapered plug in the end back. As long as a resin hasn't been injected in to the hole, it should be possible to pull the sleeve out by gripping it with a pair of mole grips. Don't try to pull it out by the bolt.

Yeah, my skirting pulled half the blooming plaster off with it too, nightmare.

 

[davide2023]

Try pulling off a skirting board and see what happens lol. It's normal, use Gyprock to fill holes, leave proud and sand when dry.

I was planning too. But to be honest, I kind of gave for granted that this room needs (re-)plastering anyway.
My idea was:
- strip the wallpaper
- get rid of the base boards
- have some better electrics being installed
- fix loose floorboard
- replaster
- install hard floor
- re-install base boards

However, this is all fairly new to me: does the order sound right to you?

You can do less damage by punching the rawlplugs into the wall, rather than trying to remove them. Use a drift (round metal rod) roughly the same size or slightly larger than the rawlplug, hammer it into the wall slightly and it will collapse on itself, then fill with any modern powder filler, leave to dry and sand back smooth.

I have seen this method before. What are the advantages instead then a full removal?

I'll never have shelves... ever!

 

[Feltwell]

I have seen this method before. What are the advantages instead then a full removal?

Pull them out and they can take a big chunk of plaster off the wall, as you've seen. Punch them in and you.re guaranteed to just get a wee hole the size of the drift to fill.

Only applies to plastic rawl plugs of course, metal fixings will need to be removed unless they've loose and the hole is deep enough to push them further in. I'd still be inclined to pull them out though, just in case they corrode and cause staining in the future.