Wall anchor and screw falls out of wall

Question

I tried to put up hardware for curtain rods, the wall anchor and screws just fall out of drywall.  How can I secure the hardware for the curtain rod?

CKimball · Answer

You probably have a plaster wall. If that's the case, just screw a longer screw so it will reach the slats which hold the chicken wire which holds the plaster. No anchor needed.

ETA: you can't use a molly screw or anchor on an old plaster wall. It will make a huge crumbling hole and it will still fall out when you put your drapes up. Assuming you have plaster walls

Annette Kilwein · Answer

malley bolts ask at the hardware store they expand and hang onto the plasterwall board

Janet Pizaro · Answer

Use molly screws first and then use the regular screws.

Carole Bisby · Answer

Well I just had this happen to me. If the curtains are light you can try using a toothpick or two in along side of the anchor to fill in or if they are heavy curtains you might have to move the hole over a bit. Hope this helps!!!

Heather Miller · Answer

Plaster walls are held up by slats and chicken-wire stuff, usually. If your house is built 1950s or earlier, it's good bet you have this type of wall. So you'll have to drill deep enough to get past your plaster, which is usually 1/4 to 1/2 thick and then the slats, which are up to 1/2 thick. When drilling, you should feel almost no resistance, then some resistance, then none again. If you feel that, you've got plaster 'slat and lathe' walls where plaster is the actual wall you see. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lath_and_plaster Toggle bolts might work. I've used them before, but you have to get past the plaster, between the slats, and get the toggle to open up perpendicular to the slats. If you happen to get thru the center of the slat, then the toggle would have to open horizontal to the slat, because the toggle might catch on and pop out the plaster between the slats. Look at the wikipedia link and you'll see what the plaster looks like from the backside. When we had those types of walls, we'd use about 1 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch toggle bolts, and hand-tighten only. For anything heavier than about 30 lbs, we'd figure out a way to distribute the weight on the visible side and go thru 2-4 slats. The slats are like thin, like lattice, and can't hold much weight. Or, you can expand your curtain rods to a stud, and be good with a straight screw going into them. Problem in that type of wall is finding a stud. To repair your wall, should you need it, use some drywall mud and the plastic mesh netting stuff, and that alone might be strong enough to drill back into, depending on the weight of your curtains and rods. If they are particularly heavy, you might have to put up some small boards vertically where you want to mount the rod brackets, to spread the weight of the rod brackets over several slats which are behind your plaster.

Accentuations! · Answer

If you have not hit a stud or any frame work at all, I would seriously consider a small ledger board on either side of the window. Paint it to match the walls and once the drapes are u it shouldn't show at all.

Becca · Answer

Go directly above the window sill. There are framing boards all around the window, use little framing nails to find those boards first then you will have solid wood to attach your rods. You also can use toggle bolts if you don't find solid wood. Also, you need to use at least a 2 1/2 inch screw to go through the sheet rock and into the framing board.

Nickie · Answer

Had to resort to having the maintenance man fix the situation for me.  I am pretty sure he used the molly screws.

Tony Neville · Answer

In the past I have cut the wall open and put 1"x4" (3/4" x 3 1/2") behind drywall and securing wood to block wall with tap cons (concrete screws and the special bit that comes w the screws) securing wood and then securing drywall to the wood. Refinish drywall repair. Then mount vertical blind brackets to new areas w wood now behind the drywall, using 1 1/8" long screws making the repair last forever.

Tony's Pressure Washing & Handyman Service, LLC (#L19000226929)

Wall anchor and screw falls out of wall

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Wall anchor and screw falls out of wall

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