Can I reuse these wall plugs for curtain rods?

FreshlyCutFlowers

I realize this likely is a very basic question but I could do with some advice..!

I am quite nervous about drilling new holes in my walls so I want to reuse the wall plugs or at least the drilled holes from the previous owner of this home, but not sure if I can?

In picture 1: Over my first set of garden doors where I want a big curtain it looks like half the plug remains inside one of the holes.. I am not sure if I can use this one or if I need to pull it out? It's about a centimeter of 'air' I think and the screws are just ~3 cms. If I cant use it, what's the best way to get this out without damage to the wall?

In picture 2: These are the brackets and screws that came with my curtain rods. I suspect these 4-5 millimetre screws will do best in these red rawl plugs (solid wall plaster/concrete, not sure). Does that sounds okay for hanging up curtains? My roids are 180 cm and only supplied with 2 brackets, not a third middle bracket like it seems the previous owners had since they have 3 sets of holes for each set of windows / doors.

In picture 3: I pulled out a plug from a window set because the plug stood 1 cm out of the wall and looked warped and damaged. Two issues I found: It looks really small(see the bottom plug in picture 2) - but looking into the hole I don't think there's anything left in the wall.. However clearly my red plugs won't fit nor will any other plug I have. Additionally, the hole seems wider at the start and then rapidly gets narrow going in.. Is this normal? I tried putting my red plug in here but couldnt push it in with my finger, I assume because its too thick.

 


Thank you for all help.

fenwick458

It's hard to say from pictures, and infact I'd say it's impossible to say, only way is to try it. if it gets a solid fox then its yes, if it just spins and doesn't tighten or plug starts moving then no. are the existing holes deep enough?
If they don't tighten at first try hammering matchsticks in to the plugs, then snap them off flush with the wall and try again

Alanp

If you need to get them out you can…
screw a screw in about halfway, then pull them out using pliers , or,
screw in a screw about halfway and use a claw hammer to pull it out, use a piece of wood on the wall so as not to damage it..

nofoollikeold

1. If an entire plug is still in the wall, then you could safely re-use it, assuming screws of an appropriate diameter (see below).
2. If part of a plug is in the wall, then:
2a. If it is no more than 6 to 8mm below the finished face of the wall, and you can access the hole through the middle of it, re-use it.
2b. If there is a bigger gap, meaning that the part in the brick / block of the wall is more than 8 mm below the finished face, or you cannot access the hole in the middle, it will have to be removed.
3. Plugs can be removed from the wall as follows:
3a. Screw a screw in until 4 or 5 threads are gripping, then pull the screw out by the head.  There is a chance the plug will come with it.
3b. As above, but put a piece of thin wood (e.g. hardboard) under the screw, and use a claw hammer against the hardboard to pull the screw out.  A fair chance of damage to the wall, but not major and an easy repair (Polyfilla).
3d. Drill it out.  Generally quite difficult to do as the drill keeps skidding off the soft plastic of the plug and chewing up the wall (and the drill!)
4.  Most walls have a plaster layer over them, which will be anywhere from about 6 mm to 25 mm thick.  This has no holding power and anything screwed into it will pull out under finger pressure.
5. Behind the plaster layer may be:
5a. Solid brick or block work.  Drilled and plugged provides a good grip for screws.
5b. Thin air, in which case the wall, or at least the face you see, is made of plasterboard (plaster sandwiched between two layers of cardboard).  The other side of the air gap could be a plasterboard wall for another room (case A) or a brick / block wall (case
5c. For case A you need a specialist plasterboard fixing, and what you use depends on the weight of what you are fastening.  
5d. For case B you need to provide a "bridge" between the solid wall and the back of the face plasterboard.  There are various fastenings available to do this.  
6. Ordinary plastic (solid) wall plugs come in various sizes, and are colour codes.  The most usual ones are:
6a. Yellow plugs - for lightweight fixing with narrow screws.  Drill size for the plug 4.5 mm or 5 mm.  Screw diameters - No 6 screws - about 3.5 mm in diameter
6b. Red plugs - the most common for medium weight fixing with medium screws.  Drill size 5.5 mm or (normally) 6 mm.  Screw diameters - No 8 screws, about 4.2 mm diameter.
6c. Brown plugs - the second most common - for heavier fixing with stronger screws.  Drill size 7 or 8 mm.  Screw size No 10, about 5 to 5.5 mm.
7. Drilling holes in your (solid) walls:
7a. Generally not an issue provided you use an SDS drill (for solid walls) and masonry SDS drill bits.
7b. If drilling plasterboard, you can still use masonry bits, but don't use the drill's hammer function.  
7c. Always start by marking where you want the holes. Measure and mark with a pencil.  Measure again to confirm.  Use a centre punch to mark the plaster with a small dot indent as it makes the drill morel likely to start where you want it.  Measure twice, drill once.
7d. Start by making a pilot hole.  I find 4 mm about right.  Less likely to damage the wall, less effort to drill, and subsequent drills follow the starting hole.  
7e. Drill to the right depth with the correct sized drill.  The correct depth is the length of the screw, minus the thickness of whatever you are fastening to the wall, plus 5mm.  
7f. Insert the plug.  The closed end of the screw should be almost touching the bottom of the hole.
7g. Screw in the screw.  As it goes into the plug it expands the plug making it a tight fit in the wall.  

For your specific photographs:
A. Picture 1 - I'd suggest you need to remove the plug, or re-drill.
B. Picture 2 - I'd suggest brown plugs and No. 10 screws.  Curtains can be heavy, and there is the movement of opening and closing them.  You need to check whether the screws for you brackets are in the same place as the existing holes.  You'll be very lucky if they are!
C. Picture 3 - I can't tell from the picture what type of plug the brown looking one is.  It is too small for a normal brown plug which if both wider and longer than a red plug.  I'd suggest you need to re-drill the hole after drilling out any remnants of the plug.  

FreshlyCutFlowers

Thanks for such a comprehensive answer. It made it much more complicated than I hoped but I will it a go! 

greenface2

red rawlplugs 5.5mm brown plugs 7mm 

FreshlyCutFlowers

nofoollikeold said:

You need to check whether the screws for you brackets are in the same place as the existing holes.  You'll be very lucky if they are!

Do the screws have to rest in the top of the slider holes on the bracket? I see in most videos when they drill in they then make the screw sit in the top part but in this video from dunelm they dont seem to care- they screw it tight in the middle. https://youtu.be/25_28upoGuI?t=60

Does it matter? If I can use the entire area then I can use the existing holes but the top of each area does not fit in places with the existing holes.


My walls are solid so I will use brown plugs as youve suggested.
I've drilled with size 8 mm already but I think I got the screws wrong. The plug is in but the screw is 5mm, not 5.5mm. Will that still work?
Is it completely interchangeable so I can drill with size 7 and use screws 5.5 as well?