Re-fixing a raw plug/curtain rail

[buckaroo]

Any tips on re-fixing an existing opening that has been pulled out over time?

We have a horizontal pole to hang our curtains going into the wall with a standard screw and raw plug, however over time the raw plug fixing has pulled out of the hole and its just hanging at the moment!

Whats the best way to re-fix this in the same hole so it grips and fixes again?

 

[Monkeh]

Fill the hole up with gripfill, push the plug in, wipe away any excess and leave it overnight to set.

 

[JohnD]

+1

this is a fantastic method

though I use a cheap own-brand no-more-nails sort of thing for this kind of job

make sure the hole is deep enough to penetrate brick (not just plaster) and big enough to accomodate the screw and plug with ease (the adhesive will make a close fit)

If the old screw was rather short, get one at least 30mm long. Screws supplied in the packet are often too small.

clean out any dust from the hole first, with a hoover snout or a water spray, and allow to dry

You might consider refixing the rest of the screws while you were at it, if they show signs of looseness

 

[ColJack]

put the next size plug in the hole, and use one with some meat on it, not tri-plugs, these are useless..

 

[foxhole]

Remove plug, drill 20mm deeper, hammer in a timber plug from a scrap of timber [hard wood is ideal from an old pallet]Re-fix with a 20mm longer screw.

 

[JohnD]

nah, leave the 1880s behind you and move into the 21st century.

Use the no-more-nails and plasplug.

 

[TicklyT]

If it is over a window (as curtain poles usually are), the problem is usually how to get a good fixing into the lintel.
Attempts to drill a hole into a concrete lintel often lead to frustration and a series of burnt out drill bits, so fittings get put up with short screws in plugs just the depth of the plaster, so there's hardly any stength in the fixing.

Plaster is relatively weak, so glueing a plug into a hole will just pull out a bigger lump of plaster next time it fails.

A decent impact drill and bit will drill a concrete lintle for a proper fixing.

I would aim to get at least an inch of the screw into something more substantial than plaster, so you may need a screw considerably longer than the ones supplied with the rail.

A steel lintle can be drilled with an appropriate size HSS drill bit for a self-tapping screw.