Curtain pole bracket in plasterboard pulling away

JAllen_2

I notice one of my curtain pole brackets that is fixed into plasterboard is starting to pull away. Is there any way to fix this, or the only recourse to attach a baton and fix the brackets to that?

grumbler

What's behind the plasterboard?

greyteam1959

Fix a batten as you suggest.

MikeJXE

Yes depending on the damage to the plasterboard and heats behind.

Take the fixing out and repair the damage and use better fixings, one that expands the other side of the board and grips.

If the board is on a solid wall you need a longer fixing that grips into the wall not the board 

stuart45

Do you know the construction of the wall? eg masonry with dot and dab, or timber frame. 

subjecttocontract

I usually fit a timber batten to the wall with 'no nails'  first, paint it the same colour as the wall and when set/ dry screw the brackets onto the timber.

FreeBear

If the plasterboard is on a brick wall, one would normally tap the wall plug in ~12mm from the surface so that it doesn't put any loading on the plasterboard. However, this requires longer screws than what is normally supplied with the poles.

JAllen_2

It's dot and dab plasterboard with thermalite block inners walls. However, this is the centre bracket and so behind that is a small gap and then the window lintel, which I recall I couldn't drill into in order to be able to use longer plasterboard plugs. The curtain pole was fitted many years ago but now that we have heavier curtains, the brackets are struggling to take extra weight.

MikeJXE

JAllen_2 said:

It's dot and dab plasterboard with thermalite block inners walls. However, this is the centre bracket and so behind that is a small gap and then the window lintel, which I recall I couldn't drill into in order to be able to use longer plasterboard plugs. The curtain pole was fitted many years ago but now that we have heavier curtains, the brackets are struggling to take extra weight.

It sounds like a modern house so the lintel should be modern also which means it would be faced by the same type of block 

`Maybe it's been done with a concrete lintel which is much harder to drill but not impossible

You need a better drill and a better bit, plus more strength to push it in 

stuart45

It could also be one of the older catnic boot lintels, which would mean you were drilling into metal.

ThisIsWeird

JAllen_2 said:

It's dot and dab plasterboard with thermalite block inners walls. However, this is the centre bracket and so behind that is a small gap and then the window lintel, which I recall I couldn't drill into in order to be able to use longer plasterboard plugs. The curtain pole was fitted many years ago but now that we have heavier curtains, the brackets are struggling to take extra weight.

There's a lot of leverage on that bracket, as you've discovered. The plasterboard itself appears to have burst around the fixing, so has now been seriously weakened at that point - the 'board itself will provide little strength now, so you need to either go deeper or larger, ideally both.

You've done basic filling and sanding in your time, yes? It presents no fears?! Cool. I'd commit to cutting a small section out of that p'board, so you have proper access to carry out a proper fixing. You'll have the thickness of the p'board coupled with what's likely to be a 15-20mm void behind it before you hit the back wall material, so around 25 to 30mm total depth in which to fit a solid batten.

I would first obtain a suitable piece of timber, a good 200+mm length of, say, 2x1. Hold that vertically in place on top of the 'board so the hole will be sitting centrally in its width, but the timber positioned upwards as high as possible towards the ceiling. Draw around it.

Draw another line around 6mm outside the first, and start to cut into the p'board using a craft knife. Cut with a slight sloping bevel tapering inwards towards the inner lines - the idea being that you end up with a rectangular piece that pops out easily, and can be repositioned neatly too if needed - that make sense?

With a craft knife, press firmly but not too hard - LOTS of repeated cuts, going a mm or two deeper each time. Try not to burst through, but to cut the rear paper layer neatly. And don't cut your fingers. Hopefully the hole you end up with will neatly accept the batten - trim away the p'board edges if they interfere, but you ideally want it snug.

Once removed, you check what's behind the 'board, and decide on a suitable fixing(s) method. Hopefully it's a solid lintel - concrete or steel - in which case a strong adhesive should fix the batten in place very securely (Stixall, Sticks like S*, a polyurethane adhesive, whatevs. Make sure the surface is clean and dust free.). If some Thermalite block shows itself, then you could try adding a screw and plug in there as well - if so, make the drilled hole snug for the plug, a good 3" deep, vacuum out all dust, and squirt in some PVA or adhesive before inserting the plug right in. Bear in mind that a strong hard surface like a lintel - concrete or steel - will be far more secure than a screw in Therm, so take advantage of all fixing types - screw and adhesive, for example.

Check the remaining depth left once the batten is in place - the space you need to fill to get it level with the wall surface. If the batten comes up partly up through the p'board thickness, then brush the batten sides and exposed plaster edges with PVA, and fill any gaps with a bead of adhesive to make the batten and the surrounding p'board 'as one'.

Then, depending on remaining depth, either just fill with filler - in layers if needed - or you could even try reducing the depth of the removed p'board piece by cutting away from the back - mind your fingers - until you have a neat p'board panel to put in place. Fix this using more adhesive, press in firmly, and leave it slightly sunk below surface level - once set, a smear of filler to finish, and sand flat.