Have you ever come to do your decorating prep and wondered how to easily remove a wall plug?
I call it a rawlplug but I was corrected by a lady on Instagram who thought I was mis-pronouncing it!
To be honest I think you can call it by either name.
And if you live in the USA, they’re known as anchors!
Anyway — potato, patato.
Is the rawl plug stuck half way? Are you looking for an easy way to remove wall plugs before filling?
I shared this tip over on the Listed Home account and was amazed by the response from everyone!
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Simple DIY Hacks For an Easy Life
I’ve been using this simple DIY hack for years. It has been especially useful since we’ve been doing our renovation.
It’s pretty much foolproof; and to remove a wall plug is a much better option than bashing it further into the wall.
Granted, if the wall is in horrendous condition and the plaster is blown, you can pull a great chunk of wall away when you remove a wall plug. That can be quite alarming, but just be calm and remember that if this happens, you can fill, sand and the wall will be sound and in much better condition than when you began.
I’ll apologise now for the grainy, ugly photos!
I demonstrated how to remove a wall plug over on my IG stories and these are the stills that I saved from the film.
The wall in question had a large panel radiator on it, which we removed when we did our extension.
How To Remove Rawl Plugs From a Wall
You will need:
A screw (that’s slightly larger than the hole)
Screwdriver
Clawhammer
Method:
- Just using your fingers, screw the screw into the wall plug hole.
2. Then take your screwdriver and screw it firmly into the hole, making sure that it’s not screwed all the way in.
3. Next, take your claw hammer, place the prongs over the head of the screw, and lever the screw out of the wall.
4. Voila! One rawl plug free hole; ready to fill!
This is the easiest method I’ve come across to remove a wall plug.
A lot of folk will tell you just to bash them into the wall and fill but I’d much rather get rid of them entirely and make good. You get a much better finish.
Again — apologies for the grainy, ugly images.
I hope this little tip helps you :)
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Thanks for a really quick and easy solution!! Why didn’t I think of this before!!
Aah I’m so glad it helped!! It’s something I’ve been doing for years — really glad that you found it useful :)
Thank you so much, I was wondering whether I should drill them out, but this saved me making more holes in my wall.
Thanks so much for your message! :) Sometimes – if the plaster is blown – you can take a chunk of wall out, but they’re easy enough to fill. And you get a much better finish than when they’re left in.
I knew this method, but I was looking for a “better” way ! But after much searching everyone says this is the way. Ho hum. Yours is the only one with a claw hammer tho, so that’s a plus !! And they ARE called Rawlplugs – they were invented by John Joseph Rawlings, and Rawlplug is his brand name.
Thanks so much for your message Terry!! This really put a smile on my face — great to know I was right about the name Rawlplug!!:)
Rawlplug is a brand name, yes. So other manufacturers call them wall plugs. But just as many people call a vacuum cleaner a “Hoover”, many people call wall plugs “Rawlplugs”.
Thank you for this! An actual hack that worked like a dream with various walls / plugs and states :)
Aaah thanks for your lovely message!! It’s fab isn’t it? Occasionally, if the plaster’s blown, you’ll remove a big chunk of wall (!) but that’s rare, and easy to rectify with some filler :) Glad it helped you Maeve!