Pro Handyman Blog

When it comes time to remove drywall anchors, it is a pain. Maybe you are moving and have to take down all of your pictures, shelving, or whatever led you to install the anchors, but now you have the chore of making them disappear.

Depending on the drywall anchor, there are several options of removing them. After you remove them, you are going to be left with a small hole to repair. Smaller anchors come out easier and leave a smaller hole to fill. The small plastic anchors can generally be pulled out of the wall without much fuss. Use needle nose pliers and grab one side of the anchor or grab the entire anchor and collapse it. You may need to use a slight rocking motion to get it out. After you remove it, you can use a utility knife and slice off any torn edges around the hole and fill it with spackle or joint compound, and then touch it up with paint, if necessary.

For screw-in anchors, like the EZ anchor, you can unscrew them and repair the wall as above.

For larger wall anchors, usually your best option is to push the anchor into the wall. You can get it loose and then use a screwdriver and tap it into the wall. Then repair the drywall as mentioned.