Quick installation and nails are the simplest and most common fastener options for home handyman. But they need to be handled correctly. In the process of repair or execution construction work It often becomes necessary to hammer an ordinary nail into a concrete wall and pull it out of the board when the head is broken off.
In this article you will get answers to the following questions:
There are a lot of options, and they all seem mundane until it comes to the process itself. The same situation arises with dowel-nail fasteners. A seemingly simple action turns into a complex process, resulting in broken fingers, crumbling plaster, and even damage to materials. But there are proven ways to quickly solve a problematic problem.
Hammering a nail into a concrete wall
Before hammering a nail into a concrete wall, you need to make a hole in it with a hammer drill. Then an ordinary wooden rod, cut to size, is tightly hammered into it with a hammer. It should go into the hole all the way, and the protruding excess is cut off with an ordinary knife. Only after this is the nail inserted into the tree in the center for at least 2/3 of its length. The method is old, but proven.
Pulling a nail out of the wall
Packed tightly into brick wall It's not that easy to pull out a nail. But there is a method that will make the task much easier. It is safer to use a nail puller as a tool. Ticks are slightly less effective. In order not to damage the surface of the wall, place a thick, wide board under the place where the tool rests on it.
Due to this, the pressure on the wall will decrease, and the plaster, like the wallpaper, will remain intact. Before pulling a nail out of the wall, you need to hit it with a hammer in order to “rip” it out of place.
Pulling the nail out of the board
The sharp end of the nail of a board pierced through is leveled with pliers, and then knocked out as much as possible with a hammer in the opposite direction. All that remains to be done is to grab the cap with the tool. How to remove a nail from a board completely? A nail puller is best because it has a lot of leverage. But pliers will work too.
Pulling out a nail without a head
Often, when removing a nail from wood, its head breaks off. You can pull it out in several ways, depending on the specific situation:
1. The nail is not driven in completely. Everything is simple here - ordinary pliers, preferably sharper ones, and a steely grip on your hands, and the nail will work.
2. The nail is driven in completely. In this case, side cutters will help. Before pulling out a nail without a head, place a piece of tin under the tool (at the point of contact with the surface). The board is pressed with the noses of the side cutters until the nail is captured. Then, pressing the handles to the surface, slowly pull it out. Then follow the first point.
Hammering a dowel-nail
In the surface you need to drill a hole corresponding to the diameter of the dowel to a depth exceeding its length by 2 mm. To do this, use either a hammer drill or an ordinary drill (depending on the material). Before hammering in a dowel-nail, it is important to clear the hole of dust. The dowel is driven in with a hammer, after which the corresponding nail is screwed into it or forgotten.
The dowel-nail needs to be hammered or twisted?
Experts say there is absolutely no difference. And in practice, the fasteners will be reliable in both cases. It all depends on the available tool. For example, if you only have a screwdriver or a screwdriver, you can tighten a nail, and if you have nothing but a hammer, you can hammer it in. In addition, there are special mounting guns driving a dowel-nail at high speed.
We take out the dowel-nail
Before you pull a dowel-nail out of a wall or other surface, it is important to note that problems arise specifically with the dowel. The nail is unscrewed a little with a screwdriver, then loosened, and with a sharp movement it is pulled out along with the dowel. In the case when the nail is removed, but the plastic dowel remains in the hole, it is heated with soldering irons and picked out. By the way, you can use an ordinary corkscrew without preheating.
Before finishing the walls, the surface must be carefully leveled, all protruding elements, nails, screws and dowels must be removed. Getting the last element is very difficult, it is important to know the basic rules of how to do this. It will not be possible to pull out the dowel by hand; in any case, you will have to resort to using tools.
How to properly remove a dowel nail?
If the dowel protrudes above the surface with the nail, then it will not be difficult to pull it out; for this you need to use a hammer. Impacts are applied to both sides, top and bottom sides of the dowel to loosen the element in the hole. Then, holding it with pliers, they sharply pull it out of the wall.
Before pulling out, you need to make sure that this procedure will not damage the plaster or other surface. If it is not possible to remove the element without harm, then it must be driven in and covered with plaster on top.
How to remove a dowel from plastic?
In some cases, the nail is removed, and the plastic itself remains inside the wall, and several methods can be used to remove the element.
- The most suitable way to remove an object from the wall is to use a suitable self-tapping screw; it must match the size of the dowel. It is screwed 2/3 into the plastic element, and then pulled out with pliers or another suitable tool. If you don’t have a self-tapping screw, you can use a regular corkscrew, screw it into the wall, and pull out the dowel.
- If the previous method does not help to cope with the problem, then several holes are made around the object stuck in the wall, while the distance from it should be minimal. Then they try to pull out the element, but the hole increases significantly, this must be taken into account immediately.
- If you can't remove the plastic dowel. It can also be driven inside, but this will not be easy. The dowel head can be cut off with a knife, and then the element can be driven in as deeply as possible with a hammer, and the hole can be filled with putty.
- You can also try drilling out the dowel using a drill. The drill should be the same or slightly larger diameter than the dowel itself. After the procedure. The hole is covered with putty mixture.
How to remove an element with a broken nail?
Under the influence of great pressure, the nail can break, and part of it remains sticking out in the wall. It happens that it is not possible to remove the fragment with pliers, so you can use another method.
Heat the plastic element with a gas torch or soldering iron until it softens, then pull out the dowel along with the fragment; if this did not work the first time, you can repeat the procedure. The work is done quickly until the plastic hardens again.
How to remove a dowel from a wooden material?
On modern market They mainly use plastic dowels; they are reliable and durable, have a long service life, but they are sometimes used instead wooden elements, they are also called chopiks.
Retrieved wooden dowel almost the same method as plastic item. That is, a self-tapping screw is screwed into it, which is pulled out using a nail puller or pliers.
You can pick apart the walls inside wood material, which will fall apart and then be pulled out. Cleaving is performed with a hammer and chisel, and then fragments and large parts are removed with a screwdriver.
The chop can be removed using a drill or hammer drill by drilling. But the work must be done with special care so as not to greatly enlarge the holes in the wall. Usually wooden nails Dowels are used when installing wooden windows. To secure wooden window sill for concrete, you will need about four such elements. Dowels are removed when planning to replace them with plastic windows. In this case, dowels are made of plastic, as they are more reliable for this material.
Removing metal-type dowels
Elements metallic look They are used very rarely, since special equipment is required for fastening, so pulling out such dowels is also not easy. It cannot be broken by any tool or device; the element must be removed from the wall with special care.
If an object sticks out a little above the surface, it is loosened with a hammer; usually the dowel is fixed securely and firmly in the wall, so it will not be possible to simply remove it. For deeper immersion, several holes are made around the element, at a minimum distance from it, and removed using pliers or a nail puller.
These methods are the most suitable for extracting metal objects from the wall, after which all holes are filled with putty material flush with the surface.
Sequence of removing dowels, basic rules for each method
To remove the dowel from concrete wall, you need to follow a sequence of actions, if you follow all the rules, you can achieve perfect result, and the surface will remain unharmed.
- To remove the plastic base for the fastening element, select a self-tapping screw, which is screwed inward and pulled out with pliers. If you don’t have such a tool at hand, you can use a nail puller. When tearing out, it is necessary to take into account that some sections of the wall may be damaged, so the work is carried out carefully.
- A nail puller helps to remove even fasteners that are tightly held inside the concrete. Pressure is applied to the lever, due to which the fasteners are removed from the inside concrete surface. The head of the self-tapping screw must be securely fixed to the end of the tool, otherwise if it slips, you can damage the surface of the wall or harm yourself.
- Remove dowel wooden look You can use an awl or a knife, but you must first break it and then remove it in parts. When installing new plastic windows, such elements will not reliably serve as their fastening, so high-quality cleaning of the holes will be required.
- A fragment of a nail remaining inside a concrete wall is pulled out by heating blowtorch plastic element. In this case, the concrete wall is not damaged, but the work is carried out with particular speed, otherwise the plastic will harden and you will have to do everything again.
- Metal dowels are fixed to the wall with a special gun, so they are not easily removed. They need to be loosened for a long time, hitting with a hammer so as not to damage the surface of the wall, it should not break off. After this, you can also use a nail puller; pliers will not cope with this type of task. If this method turns out to be ineffective, then holes are drilled near the element and then removed. If pulling out is unsuccessful, the protruding part can be cut off with a grinder, and the hole can be filled with putty.
If pulling out the dowel takes a lot of time and effort, or all of the above methods are not effective, then you can leave the element inside and cut off its protruding part with a sharp object. Metal element cut off with a grinder, the rest of the dowel is driven as deep into the wall as possible. Then the surface is leveled using putty material.
Advantages of dowels
Dowels for concrete are different high strength and reliability, they can last a very long time. Due to wedging inside the wall, the fastening element is able to withstand significant loads and not succumb to deformation.
Dowels for concrete are not susceptible to changes in humidity or temperature, or exposure to aggressive environments. Plastic elements are used for fastening small objects, such as furniture. Large and heavy objects are secured with steel dowels; they can withstand heavy loads. It will not be easy to remove such fasteners from the walls; if possible, it is better to leave them inside.
If you follow all the rules and methods, you can choose suitable way removing dowels from a concrete wall without damaging its surface. You need to prepare everything in advance necessary tools so as not to be distracted by searching for them while working.
When driving nails, we very rarely think about the fact that for some reason we will have to pull them out. Meanwhile, such a need still arises periodically. Pulling out nails is a rather labor-intensive process in itself, and if the head of the nail falls off, the task becomes seriously more complicated.
If the nail protrudes slightly above the surface and the head is intact, there will be no particular problem; you only need a nail puller designed specifically for pulling out. However, if there is no cap, there is nothing for the nail puller to catch on, and it turns out to be useless.
The first, fairly simple way to pull out a nail without a head is to use side cutters. To avoid damaging the surface, you can place a piece of tin underneath. You can also place a wooden support between the pliers and the part. The main thing is to firmly grasp the nail, which is quite difficult to do without a head. Then, pressing the handles of the pliers and holding the nail tightly, we begin to swing it slowly, from side to side, to gradually pull it out.
Nippers may not be enough if the nail is too deep in the wood or other surface and there is simply nothing to grab onto. In this case, we offer the second option: you can go the opposite way and use a hammer, another nail, a bit, and try to pierce it right through, through the entire board. The main thing in this case is to clearly hit the center of the nail without a head. This method will not help if the nail sticks out in a too thick board or other surface that cannot be penetrated through.
The third way to remove a stuck nail without a head is by heating. Remember from physics course that when heated, bodies expand? And then, as they cool down, they shrink accordingly. You can heat the nail and the surface around it either with a gas burner or with some thin hot object by applying it. The metal will expand and contract, the adhesion to the surface will become less strong, and you can still pull out the stubborn nail with the same pliers.
Fourth option: take a piece of pipe whose diameter exceeds the diameter of the nail. One end will have to be jagged, the other will have to be inserted into a drill. Then we simply drill out the nail, installing the jagged tube so that it is in the middle. The nail is quickly removed, but there will be a hole that can be sealed with a plug or putty if necessary.
If you are not afraid of damaging the surface into which the nail is driven without a head, you can try to get to it with a chisel, breaking off pieces of wood around it; in addition, you can also drill a hole nearby with a drill using a regular drill bit.
You can also make grooves on the sides of the nail, form cuts below the broken top, and then pull it out with wire cutters. Minus - the board or other surface will be damaged, and a torn hole will remain in place of the pulled out nail.
As you can see, pulling out a nail is much more difficult than driving it in without a hammer. However, the ingenuity the right tools, and, to be honest, brute force will help you cope with this task.
Sooner or later in construction, the need arises to remove a nail from one or another object. There may be plenty of reasons for this; it’s worth knowing how to do it correctly. It’s exactly how to remove a nail that we’ll talk about today.
Nail extraction technology
To extract nails today you can use the most different instruments, For example:
nail puller,
ticks,
pliers,
hammer with a forked nose, etc.
But despite the fact that there is a large number of tools, in order to pull out a nail, you will need ingenuity and the ability to use one or another tool. For successful work you need to expose the nail head. In some cases, when the nail is exposed, it can be straightened and knocked out from the back. This can be done using a hammer and another nail.
Using a different nail
To make the nail easier to move, the protruding part can be lightly lubricated with water, soap or grease. This lubricant will allow you to quickly remove the nail. It will be especially effective when the nail is rusty. In some cases, when pulling out a nail, part of it may break. Then, using another nail, you need to hit its end, which is located in the material. This action will allow you to raise the cap. For this purpose, you can use a rod or chisel of suitable diameter.
It is not always possible to get close to the tip of the nail. In most cases, it is located in the thickness of the workpiece. For this reason, it is necessary to pull the nail only by the head. A chisel or a screwdriver that has a rod passing through the entire handle is suitable for this. Such a screwdriver will not break when hit with a hammer. As a result, a kind of mini-nail puller made from a screwdriver will help you remove the nail by the head. This screwdriver should have a forked blade, which, when bent in relation to the rod, will allow you to quickly get the job done.
Homemade nail puller from a screwdriver
But the head of the nail is not always accessible. In some cases it is recessed into the workpiece. In such cases, a different technique is used to pull out the nail. Make a small indentation around the head using a chisel. The recess should be sufficient to allow the nail to be caught with pliers. If you still fail to catch on to the cap, then it is best to cut it off and remove the old nail to the opposite side. To do this, you need to knock out a nail, as described above.
Pliers are a handy tool!
One of the most convenient tools for removing nails - pliers. It is best to have medium to small sized pliers. To reduce the effort needed to remove nails, it is recommended to purchase pliers with a long handle and wide jaws.
Note! If your pliers have small handles, it is not recommended to lengthen them using a tube. This may cause injury!
If you decide to pull out a long nail, then you cannot do without intercepting it. Intercepting with pliers will be required when the rod extends 1 centimeter. Use pliers to grab the nail at the base of the workpiece. In this case, effort will be required, since the rod is smooth. To simplify this process, place a board under the supporting surface of the pliers. This method will allow you to remove nails from boards.
The nail may bend
When using this method, be careful, especially when you plan to reuse the nail. If you pull out a nail with an overhang and pull it exclusively in one direction, you run the risk of pulling out a rainbow-shaped nail. To straighten it, you will need to straighten it; as a rule, this process is quite painstaking and time-consuming. Moreover, it will be extremely difficult to align perfectly. To prevent excessive bending, move the nail in different directions as you pull it out.
Extraction with pincers
Note! To avoid damaging the surface of the workpiece when removing the nail with pliers or other improvised tools, it is wise to use a special backing. If the surface is varnished, then you can put leather or other soft material under the board.
Carpenter's hammer and wire cutters as an alternative to a nail puller!
As for a carpenter's hammer, this item can serve as an excellent tool for removing nails. You just need a hammer that has a forked nose on the other side. When using it without backing, do not pull out a long nail. Therefore, extraction occurs according to the method described above.
Note! This method effective, however, carries dangers. If the hammer has a wooden handle, then using it repeatedly as a nail puller can break it. For this reason, it is best to have a hammer with a steel or polyurethane handle on the farm.
With a hammer
Using pliers to pull out nails is much easier than using a hammer. Moreover, if the nail does not have a head, then such a hammer will become completely useless, since it will simply slide along the rod.
As for wire cutters, they are best used when there is no other suitable tool. The fact is that they are used only for stripping wires of insulation, etc. If they are constantly used to remove nails, the cutting elements will very quickly become dull or chipped. It is also possible to bite through the nail, especially if it is made of mild steel.
How to properly remove a nail from a board?
In some situations, you will need to use several tools at once. If the nail is hammered all the way into the board and sticks out on the other side of the board for its entire length, you will need to first remove the nail using a hammer in the opposite direction. To begin with, it is best to coat the nail with oil or grease to make the process easier. To prevent the nail shaft from becoming dull, you can place an aluminum or brass plate. When the nail is completely knocked out, the remaining part must be removed with pliers.
Removing long nails
Although not in all cases you need to pull the nail out of the board. If it will no longer be used in any way, then the part with the protruding nail can simply be cut off with a hacksaw.
In another case, when the boards are already rotten and the nails are still in good condition, do not rush to throw them away. You can remove the nails using any of the above methods.
Convenient way to remove nails
If in front of you is a large wooden structure, which was shot down big amount nails, then you will have to apply force here. To begin, give this structure a few blows with a sledgehammer or hammer. This is necessary so that gaps form between the knocked down parts. Afterwards you can insert an ax or nail puller into them. With this barbaric method it is possible to restructure a large wooden blank and, accordingly, remove the nails.
)
Sometimes it becomes necessary to remove an old nail from a wall. This is not easy to do, but it is still possible. Check out the methods that have worked well in practice.
Method 1
Most easy option consists of removing the nail from under the painting. Its cap is most often not completely filled, since at one time it held the picture on the wall.
Try to pick up the cap with pliers and pull it towards you. If the nail does not give in immediately, swing it in different directions. In some cases, this helps to loosen the metal rod in the thickness of the septum.
Method 2
Another option is not to remove the nail, but to level it with the wall surface. Under certain circumstances, this solution will be optimal. Why pull out a nail if the fasteners can simply be sunk into the wall? All you need to do is hit it a few times with a hammer until it no longer stands out above the surface.
Method 3
If the nail still needs to be completely removed, proceed as follows. Using a chisel, carefully chip away at the base around the nail. This technique will partially release the cap and allow you to firmly grasp it with pliers. After this, the nail is pulled out as already described above.
Method 4
Sometimes the pliers don't do their job. This often happens if the nail is deeply recessed into the wall. IN this situation A small nail puller will help. They pinch the head of the metal rod, and then pull it out entirely using the tool support. A nail puller can easily remove nails of almost any length. The main thing is that they are equipped with a strong and wide cap.