Moving along swimmingly. Until...
A corner shelf. A conundrum.
The going-oh-so-well painting job has abruptly halted. Actually, it was not sooo abrupt. I knew I was going to take down the shelf. One can procrastinate for only so long.
I painted as much as I could. I got out my ancient power drill and managed to unscrew some nail-screws. A few at a time, before I had to recharge the battery. And then a few more. I managed to get most of them out and loosen a few that would only turn around but NOT come out. And then, a few are stuck in there. I wasn't really sure I knew what I was going to do once I took it down. Sand the wall? Prep the wall? Wing it.
Now I am just waiting for the "winging it" to kick in. I hope my personally mixed, evening blue and chantilly lace paint doesn't dry out before I figure out plan b.
Suggestions: Remove all the screws you possibly can. The ones that are loose are basically just spinning in the empty (nothing solid behind the drywall). Once everything is out, use a crowbar (flat pry bar) carefully remove the shelf supports. If you're having problems with the bottom shelf, it looks like you might be able to knock-it downwards.
ReplyDeleteAnywhere where there's a loose screw stuck, you'll need to pull straight out away from the wall (so that you don't tear a chunk out.
More than likely, you'll end up with a bunch of unsightly screw holes in the drywall. These can be cut flat (sharp craft knife/Exacto) or sanded flat. Then you'll need to add drywall compound to smooth everything.
The only thing I'd stress is that if you need to force with the pry bar, use a wood shim against the drywall (to spread out the force), and only force near a stud.
Crow bar, eh... I have always wanted one, this seems to be the reason to get one.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your suggestion! The two screws that spin in place are in the frame of the wall I want to paint. The other screws - 7 - that don't budge at all, are in the frame that is on the other wall. I'll give the crow/pry bar a try so I can at least take the frame off the wall I need to paint.