Reaffix curtain rail into think plasterboard

daymobrew

Recently my 4 year old pulled at a bedroom curtain in a tantrum. He pulled the wall plug most of the way out of the plasterboard. I am looking for help how to fix it.

In the first picture you will see a number of drill holes where I tried unsuccessfully to locate a stud.

I am using a Rawlplug Plasterboard fixing.

One idea I had was to cut out a square of plasterboard, put some wood behind the plasterboard and put the cutout back on (with some polyfilla for the edges). It's an intrusive option so I would like to avoid it.

Aside: I just read about Polycell Plug and Fix Polyfilla which sounds promising - it is for fixing and reusing a wall plug.

DublinDilbert

What's behind the plaster board? Block wall??
When you stick a screw driver in how far does it go in?

There should be wood in there, best to try find it. Will usually come up along the edge of the opening.

If you can't find wood, get a long 6mm masonry bit and frame fixings (long screws + Rawl plugs). Just drill it into the block.

There are other fixings for plaster board, but it's basically chalk and cardboard, so will not hold much...

If it was me i would drill it, Had to do the same recently. Also with kids and long curtains, it's going to be tested again ;-)

JMSE

Fixed the curtain pole the other day, ....kids....

Same problem. I got a piece of timber batten in thru the hole and glued it against the back of the plasterboard with and old tube of nomorenails. Drive a screw into the middle of the small timber piece before you put it into the hole so you can hold onto it and then pull it back twds you as you stick it in place. All very unscientific so far.
Next day we could have filled the front of the hole with just about anything from plaster to polyfilla to more nomorenails to caulk but it just so happened we had a stick of araldite stuff that you just rub into putty and it hardens into steel within an hour so that was used and within the hour we drilled through and into the timber and re hung the pole.
Any little but of finishing once the fitting is back in place could be done with caulk or polyfilla but we havent done that yet.

ronan45

ive used these for years and never had any problems. lightish curtains though. nothing to heavy

http://www.lenehans.ie/lenehans/Main/Product2.asp?ProdID=440


very heavy use this

http://www.lenehans.ie/lenehans/Main/Product2.asp?ProdID=444

daymobrew

DublinDilbert wrote: »

What's behind the plaster board? Block wall??
When you stick a screw driver in how far does it go in?

Nothing is immediately behind it. I put a screwdriver into one hole and it was 8cm in before it hit anything. I think that it is about 12mm of plasterboard and 68mm of empty space before it hits brick.

I like the look of the cavity fixings that DublinDilbert and ronan45 mention.

DublinDilbert

If the cavity is that large there must be wood holding the plaster board. I would try find it... You some times can see some of the plaster board screw/nail heads if you look carefully.

ronan45

DublinDilbert wrote: »

If the cavity is that large there must be wood holding the plaster board. I would try find it... You some times can see some of the plaster board screw/nail heads if you look carefully.

Yeha but usually i have found the wooden stud is never where i want it lol . Murphys Bloody law!

mick121

best option imo is to get a batten about 3x1 inch planed.draw a level line on wall for batten.you can now locate studs without worring about lots of holes being seen as when you screw batten to wall it will cover the holes.then fix curtin rail to timber.job done.remember use decent length screws to fpx timber to wall.timber 1 inch tick,plasterboard half inch thick=1.5 inches to stud.imo min screw would be 4x70 mil screw.put plenty in.

daymobrew

I bought some spring toggles. I only needed one. It works but it was tedious to install.

I had to drill an 11mm hole for the toggle. The long screw going into the toggle is 2 or 3mm wide so it wobbles while in the hole.

mick121 wrote: »

best option imo is to get a batten about 3x1 inch planed.

This would work but sounds ugly - I would never get away with that.

Sparkpea

the spring toogle you got was your best solution and should hold for you not problem, although the damaged plasterboard around it will weaken it slightly.

the only issue with the spring toogle is that once u screw the screw out, the back end drops away, so don't screw it out again

For future ref, I use this type and find them the best

when u insert it into the hole you tighten the screw up which collapses the toggle behind the plasterboard, similar to this



you then remove the screw and fix your bracket etc to the wall and the toggle is left jammed in the plasterboard.

dp639

For this type of job use a frame fixing and go through to the block. Something along the likes of http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=150982, depends on the depth to the block you have.

I was sick of constantly refixing curtain rails after using rawplugs and everything else etc, even into timbers. After lots of research and trial and errors for a permanent solution use a frame fixing. They are a bit expensive but worth it in the end, I bought a box of 25 and I am redoing all the curtain rails in the house as they are needed to be done.

You'll need a long drill bit too.

ronan45

Sparkpea wrote: »

the spring toogle you got was your best solution and should hold for you not problem, although the damaged plasterboard around it will weaken it slightly.

the only issue with the spring toogle is that once u screw the screw out, the back end drops away, so don't screw it out again

For future ref, I use this type and find them the best

when u insert it into the hole you tighten the screw up which collapses the toggle behind the plasterboard, similar to this



you then remove the screw and fix your bracket etc to the wall and the toggle is left jammed in the plasterboard.

Sparkpea i Had some of these but couldnt get them to work. The collar piece kept rotating at the wall so the internal screw wouldnt screw in to the outer casing peice. Tried to get the serated edges to stick to the plasterboard but no good. is there a trick to using these?

Alun

ronan45 wrote: »

Sparkpea i Had some of these but couldnt get them to work. The collar piece kept rotating at the wall so the internal screw wouldnt screw in to the outer casing peice. Tried to get the serated edges to stick to the plasterboard but no good. is there a trick to using these?

There are special 'setting tools' available to collapse the toggle behind the plasterboard and fix it in place.

http://www.hilti.ie/holie/page/module/product/prca_rangedetail.jsf?lang=en&nodeId=-87202

toshy321

dp639 wrote: »

For this type of job use a frame fixing and go through to the block. Something along the likes of http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=150982, depends on the depth to the block you have.

I was sick of constantly refixing curtain rails after using rawplugs and everything else etc, even into timbers. After lots of research and trial and errors for a permanent solution use a frame fixing. They are a bit expensive but worth it in the end, I bought a box of 25 and I am redoing all the curtain rails in the house as they are needed to be done.

You'll need a long drill bit too.

I second this. frame fixings are a great for this kind of a job and have never let me down anyway.

daymobrew

dp639 wrote: »

For this type of job use a frame fixing and go through to the block. Something along the likes of http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=150982, depends on the depth to the block you have.

Do these "bridge" the gap between the plasterboard and the blocks?
In my situation the studs take up about 70mm so if I don't initially hit one. I have 70mm of empty space that shorter rawl plugs are *not* gripping.