Removing wall anchors the quick and easy way.
I understand the frustration you feel when you want remove something hanging on the wall (book shelf, picture, towel rack, etc.) only to find out that a wall anchor needs removed too.
And, as you probably know, trying to remove that little wall anchor by pulling it out usually leaves a really big hole!
Now your small do-it-yourself project has turned into a large hole patching project too.
You see, most wall anchors are plastic and have barbs that hold them in place. These work quite well but tend to leave big holes in the wall if you try to pull them out.
Well, I have a great little tip for you that will help you easily remove that wall anchor while minimizing the hole to patch.
So here we go.
How to Remove Wall Anchors
Our goal is to cut the face of the anchor off and then push the remaining part of the anchor through the wall.
- Take a new utility blade and place it flat against the wall just above the anchor face. * BE CAREFUL. Using a utility blade like this can lead to injury. I recommend wearing gloves.
- Next, slide the blade slowly and carefully behind the face of the anchor.
- Alternate downward pressure, left to right, on the blade, slowly cutting the anchor face off.
- Once the anchor face has been cut off, gently push the remaining part of the anchor (that is left inside the hole) into the wall. A small Phillips head screwdriver works well.
Now you have just have a small hole to patch.
Removable Wall Anchors
There is a newer type of wall anchor available to do-it-yourself’ers called EZ Anchor.
These wall anchors come in a variety of sizes and screw directly into the wall.
This is a time-saving benefit for both installing and removing because when you need to remove the anchor, you can simply un-screw it from the wall and patch. You can pick up EZ Anchors at your local home center.
It’s that easy.
If you have questions about your DIY projects, just ask your personal DIY consultant. I’m here to help you succeed with speed.
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Further Reading:
[..YouTube..] That’s exactly what I needed to know! Thanks for the tip!
August 15th, 2009[..YouTube..] Good tip, I was staring at 20 plugs and scratching my head but this worked excellent!Thanks eh!
November 4th, 2009[..YouTube..] Great!!!
November 27th, 2009[..YouTube..] thanks a lot, very helpful & informative.
January 17th, 2010[..YouTube..] You’re welcome. If you ever have questions about your DIY projects, let me know.Bye the way, nice pickin Michael.Take care and keep on playing.
January 17th, 2010[..YouTube..] Hi Todd,The best way to remove the anchor is to drive it through the wall. Get a phillips screwdriver that has a head/tip a bit larger than the whole in the anchor. Set the point of the screwdriver in the center of the hole of the anchor, then hit the end of the screwdriver with a hammer. This will drive the anchor through the wall, and leave the smallest hole to be patched.EZ-anchors are the way to go in the future.Thanks and I’ll check out the question formLarry Your DIY Answer Guy
January 18th, 2010[..YouTube..] Wow it’s that easy! Very nice
January 22nd, 2010[..YouTube..] Thanks! Glad I could help you out.
January 22nd, 2010[..YouTube..] thanks! just bought a house and these things are all over the place. Perfect tip will help make painting this place so much easier.
August 22nd, 2010[..YouTube..] awesome thanks!
October 14th, 2010[..YouTube..] Worked like a charm! Thanks!
January 28th, 2011[..YouTube..] How do you handle if the anchor is metal?
February 4th, 2011[..YouTube..] @burkekerri Just take a pair of needle nose pliers, and pinch the two metal tabs together. Patience when doing this as you’ll need to slightly pull out on the metal tabs as you squeeze them together. Then push the whole anchor through the wall. Best of luck. Larry– your DIY Answer Guy
February 5th, 2011Really, we feel frustration when we want remove something hanging on the wall. Here, you have given good suggestion to this problem. Let me try this. Thanks for the useful information.
April 12th, 2011[..YouTube..] @diyanswers Hello. I created an account on youtube, then navigated back to this video just to say thanks for this. It’s informative and to the point.
June 13th, 2011[..YouTube..] Thanks for the info. I have a ton of these little monsters in my wall and am getting ready to repaint. My husband will be so proud that I did this the right way!
August 2nd, 2011[..YouTube..] @kdallen74 Thanks for the thanks. If you need some help with any of your future DIY projects let me know.CheersLarryYour DIY Answer Guy
August 4th, 2011[..YouTube..] This was so helpful!! Thanks so much-now I don’t have to bug my husband to do this for me. He won’t believe I did it myself
September 17th, 2011[..YouTube..] @heatherquas Thanks Heather. Do be careful and let me know how your project turns out. CheersLarryYour DIY Answer Guy
September 17th, 2011[..YouTube..] I wasn’t looking for this particular video but found it useful. Neat trick brother man.
October 21st, 2011[..YouTube..] SO HELPFUL!! Thank you!!
November 16th, 2011[..YouTube..] @jnattam Glad to help. Cheers
November 16th, 2011Have a question about this or a related DIY project? Ask your question below.