anchorbrickremoval
I was putting these plastic anchors into brick to mount a TV, but didn't drill the first hole deep enough! I've tried screwing in the screw a little and pulling it out that way, but it won't budge. What's the best way to remove this? At this point I don't think it's salvageable so it doesn't matter if it's destroyed.
I usually just poke them into the wall (unless they are the screw in kind obviously, or the kind with a large collar). Put a screw driver on them and give it a sharp whack, then patch the hole. I find it's easier and faster to patch the slightly larger hole, than it is to try and dig them out and then patch the hole anyway.
For the larger collar ones, try to bend/mutilate the collar enough then poke them through the wall.
Be careful when you do this, you don't want to put the screw driver and/or your hand through the wall as well.
In a brick wall you could drill them out. Find a bit that is about the same size as the hole in the anchor, then carefully drill it out.
No, this isn't normal. Your anchors don't fit to your screws. What is happening is that the tip of the screw reached the concrete, and, of course, you can't force a screw into concrete - not even with a drill or a electric screwdriver, and certainly not by hand.
This picture shows how anchor and screw should fit into the hole. The hole definitely needs to be longer than the screw. The screw should be a bit longer than the anchor, but not as long. Maybe the clerk saw that you have picked an wood screw and gave you anchors suited for the second situation. It doesn't hurt to use wood screws with anchors in a concrete wall, you'll just have the cap jutting out a bit. But the length of the screw should be only a bit longer than that of the anchor (the surplus should equal the length of the tip + the length of the attached thing), and your cap will stick out a bit if the thing you are attaching isn't soft enough for the cap to sink in.
The table shows how to determine the correct hole depth. It also tells you what diameter of anchor and drill to choose for a given screw. As for the length of the screw, it is determined by the weight it will have to carry. Vertical screws are more problematic than screws in walls, because gravity is pulling in the direction of the hole, not at 90° to it. Light curtains will be OK with your size screw, but don't put any molton on them.
Best Answer
Pulling it out with long nose pliers is one option, but it often comes out in pieces if you do that.
If you want to pull it out with a screw, you need to engage the screw enough to grip the plastic, but not enough to make it expand. This position may not exist, or if may be further out than you think. Sometimes a screw engaged just 2-3 turns will give you something to get a grip on with pliers or a claw hammer (not under the screw head but near the tip). A very slightly undersized screw can help with some fixings.
Drilling it out completely is tricky. Once it breaks into pieces they tend to go round in the hole rather than drill.
It looks to me, from the fact that there's still some sticking out but it won't pull out, that the hole is too tight (drill too small). The universal plastic fittings often call for different hole sizes for different materials.