Take down shelves and repair the wall

Remove old shelf brackets safely, work out your wall type, then fill and smooth the holes for a clean finish.

TS-01Clear the area and get your tools readyMove furniture away from the wall and lay a dust sheet on the floor. Take everything off the shelves first. Get a screwdriver, pliers, a filler knife, a torch, and a bag for old screws and rubble.

1 each · Dust sheet

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1 each · Screwdriver set

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1 each · Pliers

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TS-02Work out what's behind the wallSolid brick or block feels hard all over when you tap it, with no give. Plasterboard sounds hollow between studs and solid where a stud sits behind it — run a stud detector or a magnet along the wall to follow the line of screw heads. Push a fine pilot bit in gently at a fixing point: timber dust means a timber stud, fine grey swarf means a metal stud, and a soft crumbly give with an older house often means lath and plaster behind a skim of plaster. Dot-and-dab plasterboard sounds hollow almost everywhere, with hard patches every 300-450mm where the adhesive dabs are.

1 each · Stud detector

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TS-03Check for cables and pipes before you touch a drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just in the usual safe zones. Use a detector, but still treat every hole as if something could be there — detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind metal-backed board, or outside the normal zones, and a metal stud frame confuses cheap detectors even more. Find your stopcock now, usually under the kitchen sink, and check it turns freely so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and turn off the water at the stopcock before cutting into anything that could carry water.

TS-04Unscrew the bracketsSupport the shelf with one hand and undo the visible screws first. On solid brick or block, screws sit in wall plugs and come out normally. On plasterboard over timber studs, the screw sits in the centre of the stud and unscrews cleanly. On plasterboard over metal studs, the fixing may be a self-drilling screw or a toggle anchor — turn slowly, as a stripped self-drilling screw can spin without loosening. On dot-and-dab, the fixing may be long enough to reach the masonry behind, so back it out slowly rather than yanking the bracket off. On lath and plaster, keep firm support on the bracket as you unscrew, since old plaster is brittle and cracks easily if the bracket drops.

TS-05Remove the old wall plugs and fixingsIn solid brick or block, pick the plastic plug out with a bradawl, or drill it out with a bit 1-2mm larger and pull the loosened plug free — don't hammer it. In plasterboard on timber or metal studs, squeeze a toggle fixing's wings shut with pliers and pull it out, or simply push it through into the cavity if it won't come free — that's fine to leave inside a stud wall. On dot-and-dab, push gently rather than punching a hole through to the void behind; if the hole is wider than about 15mm, stuff it loosely with scrunched newspaper as a backing before filling. On lath and plaster, work slowly — if a lath cracks or crumbles behind the hole, note it so you can back the hole with newspaper in the next step.

1 each · Bradawl

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TS-06Fill the holesUse your usual filler, applied in thin layers if the hole is deeper than about 10mm, letting each layer firm up before the next. On solid masonry, the hole usually has enough undercut to grip filler on its own. On plasterboard, holes wider than about 10mm hold filler better with a small offcut of plasterboard or a self-adhesive mesh patch pressed over the gap first. On dot-and-dab, fill in two thin coats rather than one thick one, since a single thick fill over the void behind tends to sink as it dries. On lath and plaster, pack any newspaper backing from the last step before filling over the top.

1 tub (600g) · Multi-purpose filler

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1 each · Plasterboard repair patch mesh

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TS-07Sand and seal the patchOnce the filler is fully dry — check the drying time on the tub, as thicker fills take longer — sand it flush with fine sandpaper wrapped round a small block. Wipe away the dust with a damp cloth. Apply a coat of primer or sealer over the patch before painting, so it doesn't flash through the paint later.

1 sheet · Fine sandpaper, 180 grit

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1 250ml tin · All-purpose primer/sealer

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TS-08Tidy upVacuum dust from the floor and skirting, and fold up the dust sheet outside to keep dust out of the room. Bag up old screws, plugs, and brackets — recycle metal brackets and screws with household metal recycling where your council allows it. Put your tools away once everything is dry.

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