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So recently the shelf in my closet randomly came down. All the nails in the wall got ripped out and I’ve been trying to figure out how to put them back but have had some questions.

  1. Can I simply put the nails back in the wall and hang the shelf? When the shelf came down I think it tore some wall out so the holes might be a little bigger than they should.

  2. If the answer to 1 is no, what can I fill the holes with so that there is enough material for the nails to expand into? I have caulk and was thinking of just using that but looked online that spackle can be used too. The issue is all the info online was for covering nail holes not really filling them.

  3. Looking at the parts, I was wondering if there may be a better way to reinstall the shelf. I was wondering if I should flip the bars that hold the shelf so that the hook carries the shelf. Here’s a picture of the situation. Hope this helps- https://imgur.com/a/E22wtvN

I would appreciate any assistance as I don’t wanna screw up the walls anymore than they are and I also don’t want the shelf to come down again because I did something wrong.

akhan332
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2 Answers2

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Your best plan of attack would be to patch all the holes with mud or spackle. Then drill new holes a few inches away from the old ones and use Molly bolts or drywall anchors similar to the ones shown below from Home Depot to install the shelves. If you can hit a few studs, better yet. Install the braces as they were before and feel free to buy a few extras and install them because you'll probably continue to overload the shelves.

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brhans
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JACK
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If the shelf "randomly came down" the nails were not sufficient to secure it to the wall. Ideally, you want larger nails, or (better) screws, driven into the studs rather than plaster; those will give you a stronger connection that can carry more weight. At the very least, if you must hang this on plaster rather than studs, you want serious wall anchors that spread the force over a larger surface and are less likely to tear out again.

Reusing the existing holes: Not unless they go into a stud and you use larger nails, or screws.

keshlam
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