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Topic: Difficulty removing wall shelf (Read 191 times) previous topic - next topic
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Difficulty removing wall shelf
I would like to remove the shelf that is on the outside of the closet next to the heater thermostat in my mid-bath.

I removed the four screws - and was already then sufficiently impressed by the length of these screws; it appeared to me they where used to make sure that the shelf can be filled with gold bars without falling off.

However, someone at Lazy Daze at that time thought that these screws were not enough. The shelf is additionally fixed to the wall in two places - in the middle of the top cross-piece, and in the middle of the bottom shelf. I first thought the shelf is attached there with glue and tried to "saw" through it with a thin braided nylon line, then with an even thinner fishing line, then with different long knifes. Nothing helped.

In the end I twisted one of the knifes while behind the shelf - and the shelf came loose, leaving an ugly hole in the wall and clearly feeling like a screw. Apparently the shelf has been fixed from the inside of the (double-walled) closet with two screws! There is no way to get to these screws without cutting the closet wall open from the inside. I have to say that I find this not only infuriating but also seriously sick. Whoever came up with that idea for such a shelf needs therapy.

Now I have two questions: 1.) Is there a way to get the top part off the wall without ripping another hole into the wall? 2.) What is the best material and way to fix the hole? Helpful tips would be very much appreciated.

Klaus
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Difficulty removing wall shelf
Reply #1 –
I have had fair luck using DAP Plastic Wood. Its generally available at big box hardware stores and the internet. It has several different shades. Your color looks a little like walnut or somewhere in that color range. And the color can be adjusted with stains if needed. As far as removing the remainder of the shelf, i really don't know what's holding it together but if you are not planning on saving any of it, an oscillating tool or something of that nature can probably get to the source.

Randy
Randy

2019 MB
Re: Difficulty removing wall shelf
Reply #2 –
It certainly hurts, but if the shelf has to be destroyed - so be it. It's a good reason to finally order an accessories kit for the corded rotary tool that I recently got as a present. DAP Plastic Wood is another good idea.

Thanks for your tips, Randy!
2001 26.5 Mid-Bath
Re: Difficulty removing wall shelf
Reply #3 –
Most things LD  installs are not designed to be removed...ever. All the interior cabinetry is screwed the same way, from the outside
It's tough matching woodgrain. If, once patched, the holes are objectionable, cover the hole(s) with a painting or photo.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Difficulty removing wall shelf
Reply #4 –
Hi Klaus;  Your 2001 MB is just the color and age of one I was renovating for a friend. I patched bigger holes than that. Plastic wood is good. I used Elmers, water based putty. It shrinks, so will leave a shallow depression. I got four small tubes of acrylic paint.  Umber, a dark brown, yellow (kind of mustard yellow), white, and a medium light chocolate brown.  A fine brush. All water clean up until it dries.  Practice on something. I used a paper plate to mix, adjust the color, and paint from. The paint is thick enough to fill in the slight depression.  I think I used a clear shellac to provide some resistance to cleaning solution, but it does dry a bit water resistant.  I used the light brown as sort of a base to start the swirls matching.  You'll have plenty of paint left to patch other holes.  If you're good, you can help out other LD owners (and non LD with similar wood grain motifs).  If you are really good, you can take up painting as a hobby! Sell your paintings for thousands, and buy a new Lazy Daze!
    If that fails, well, pictures/paintings can cover the wall for you.    RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Difficulty removing wall shelf
Reply #5 –
Klaus, you might find this description from my "Improving Gertie" website section relevant:

------------------
The Lazy Daze-installed bookrack always bothered me. It was bulky but didn't hold very much (because the wood was so thick), and what it held you couldn't see very well. So I replaced it with two clear-plastic wall pockets (three for $14.98 at Staples), each of which holds twice as much as the old wooden rack—and in plain view.

Removing the old rack was trickier than I'd expected, though, because it turned out that it was screwed to the wall from the other side—the other side in this case being the inside of the refrigerator housing. In short, I could not get to those screw heads without pulling the entire fridge all the way out of the wall, and there was no way I was going to attempt that! I solved the problem in a simple but effective way: I hit the wooden rack with a hammer until it fell apart.

I didn't just randomly bash at it, mind you. I figured out where the nails were that held it together, and then I knocked off the sides, top, and bottom cleanly with a few well-placed taps. That left me with just two horizontal boards still screwed to the wall. Tapping them a few times tore them loose from their screws, leaving just the screw points protruding from the wall. Then I grasped each screw point with pliers and carefully twisted it clockwise until it was flush with the wall. A final, gentle push with a screwdriver tip, and the screw fell back inside the wall. (No, I wasn't worried about the screws getting into the refrigerator's works—all the goodies are in back; the sides are just insulation.)

That left the wall clear for the two plastic pockets, which mounted with four screws each. I mounted the third wall pocket up front, near the entrance, figuring that I could use it for maps or temporary campground documents.
------------------

Now, another way to deal with those protruding screw ends, as you surmised, would be to cut them off flush using a Dremel-type tool with a cutoff wheel. I love my Dremel, and the cutoff wheel  is by far my most-used tool, followed by the sanding drum. I keep plenty of spares of both on hand.

But because the center of the wheel's spindle protrudes a few millimeters beyond the plane of the disc, it's hard to make a truly flush cut on a flat surface. And it's hard to do that without accidentally scarring the surface. So I recommend two things. 1) Before you do anything, put masking tape all around the screw to help protect the surface. 2) Try turning the screw clockwise with pliers, as described in the passage above, to back it into the space behind the wall. That's the least risky way to get it out of the way. After that, Ron's techniques for making a cosmetic fix sound like the best way to go.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Difficulty removing wall shelf
Reply #6 –
Quote from: Andy Baird  - 
The Lazy Daze-installed bookrack always bothered me. It was bulky but didn't hold very much (because the wood was so thick), and what it held you couldn't see very well. So I replaced it with two clear-plastic wall pockets (three for $14.98 at Staples), each of which holds twice as much as the old wooden rack—and in plain view.

On the first day of ownership, we removed the original rack and replaced it with a three-tier magazine rack.
https://www.staples.com/Staples-Clear-3-Tier-Organizer/product_928061
This would cover any holes made by removing the Factory rack.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze