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My curtain rod got ripped off the wall.

I'm not a diy person so not sure what is behind the plaster but I guess thats what needs to be sorted.

enter image description here

It's not a drywall as there is no cavity behind it. The material is very easy to drill through. Would it be mortar?

How can I fix it?

2 Answers 2

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It looks like brick, but you need to be sure, at least that it is solid & of sufficient depth/thickness to be drilled double-depth.

Cosmetically, most of that damage will be hidden when you put the rail back up, so you can fill it with anything - Polyfilla is a common brand name in the UK - but 'general purpose indoor filler' will get you something similar. Paint afterwards if you can still see any of the repaired area, with the rail up.

The bottom two holes are probably re-usable as they are, but the top needs attention. The top gets all the leverage force of the curtain itself, plus any pulling as you open/close them.
I'd have mounted the brackets the other way up to spread the force over two screws rather than one, but if you don't want to re-do the entire structure you need to strengthen the top fixing.

On the fixture that came off, you have three screws & one of the rawlplugs. It's hard to tell scale from the photo, but brown plugs are usually the largest commonly-available.
Your approach has to be two-fold. Repair the existing hole but make it tougher in future. Ideally, you want the hole drilled to twice the depth & insert two plugs one behind the other. You then need a screw the same gauge [or the largest that will fit the existing hole through the fixture] but twice the length, so it goes right to the back of the farthest plug.

Once you re-drill, inject the hole with some strong, hard-drying DIY/builder's adhesive - they go by brand names such as 'no more nails'. Insert both plugs & leave overnight to cure.

As you're going to all that effort for one hole, you really should apply the same procedure to the other two - & the other end of the rail too.
If you want 'double-protection' re-drill all the holes & set the fixtures the other way up, so you're not re-using holes & also getting the double screw to the top where the whole thing will be stronger.

To size everything up, take one of the screws, plugs & the fixture if it's portable. You could also take a bit of the 'brick' that's chipped off to get a second opinion on what it's made of. Tell the retailer this plan [print it or save it on your phone, along with your picture] & let them select appropriate components.

BTW, none of this is 'how a builder would do it'. This is Victorian house repair DIY 101 - where things need to be put back in places where the substrate is of uncertain quality & you don't want to have to take half the wall down to fix it 'good as new'.

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  • Brick with some kind of plaster skim?
    – Huesmann
    Commented Aug 13, 2023 at 12:21
  • Looks like it to me. I'd guess it'e really just the skim coat that's mainly been pulled away, with the odd small flake of brick surface maybe attached to it. Seen it happen plenty of times. tbh, you could probably just glue the whole lot back on with the no more nails & no-one would ever get close enough to spot it. All it really needs is the hole shoring up properly & bigger screws/plugs.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Aug 13, 2023 at 13:58
  • Kinda looks like the upper fastener pulled out entirely, but the lowers didn't. I wonder if the upper pulled out and the OP just removed the lower ones because the mount was just hanging. If the same type of fastener was used on top, it's not a surprise it pulled out.
    – Huesmann
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 11:58
  • Rawlplugs are fine if the plug, hole & screw are the right size.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 12:12
  • I don't like them for brick, which is a bit friable.
    – Huesmann
    Commented Aug 14, 2023 at 12:16
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Here is what I would do if I were you. Clean up the area by removing all loose pieces. Remove the 2 screw anchors. Fill up the resulting cavity with concrete (look for pre-mixed concrete patch) using a trowel so it's nice and even with the rest of the wall. Paint once it's dry. Re-install the bracket - make sure you pre-drill the holes and use masonry screws.

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