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Plastic Wall Anchors

Azmin Taraporewala
We have a lot of things that need to be hanged on the walls of the house. Little bags, clothes hanger, a small portable mirror; well anything that possibly could be hung can be placed on to the wall with the help of plastic anchors.
Plastic wall anchors are a type of drywall anchors that aid the screw to stay in place without ripping off the space on the wall. They are available in many sizes and could be used on Sheetrock, drywall, plaster, fiber board. Plastic anchors have one of more "splits" in their design.
As the screw is tightened deeper into the anchor, the "splits" spread and grab the surface or drywall. These anchors are meant to be used for hanging things on not so strong surfaces like the ones mentioned above.
If you try and hang things that are heavy and consume the anchors capacity completely, the object may fall off the wall, thereby also damaging the wall space.

How to Install Plastic Wall Anchors

1. First things first, make sure that you are using the wall anchors over a drywall. They have to be used wisely as they are meant to hold items that are light and so do not exert pressure on the anchor. The result may be a damaged wall and damaged objects.

2. The next thing that you must do is to ensure the weight of the object. The weight should be no more than 30 lbs.
3. With a hand drill or an electrical drill, make a hole that is not of the same circumference as the anchor. Let the circumference be comparatively narrower than the hole drilled.

4. Push the wall anchor through the hole tightly, as though forcing the anchor to stay inside the hole.

5. Now with a hammer in your hand, exert pressure on the anchor further to slide into the hole.
6. Take an appropriate screw to insert into the plastic wall anchor.

7. With a screwdriver placed on the groove of the screw, twist the same into the anchor. Make sure that you have secured the screw well enough to prevent any mishaps from occurring.

8. It is now appropriate to place an object of your choice onto the drywall. You may rest assured that it would stay on place and no damage will occur.

How to Remove Plastic Wall Anchors

1. Remove the object from the anchor, cut off the section of the anchor that is exposed to towards the frame. With a pen knife slit off the front side of the anchor.

2. With a screwdriver, twist the rest of the plastic wall anchor, so that there is some movement. You have two choices, either press the anchor further into its hole on the wall or twist the anchor out through the hole.
3. Through both ways you have managed to succeed in removing the plastic wall anchor. There is thus no damage that has been countered on the wall. Fill the hole with a plaster with a putty knife to hide the hole. You may also use sealant to fill the gap.
4. Flatten the surface by scrapping the location where sealant has been applied. You may also like to paint that surface to match the rest of the wall. You may not find the same shade, however you may find a shade that matches closely to the one with which you have the rest of the wall painted.
Removing plastic wall anchors is not a very pleasant activity to indulge in; however, if one has to carry on with the proceedings, one needs to be very careful so as to not damage the wall.