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Baby Gate Keeps Coming Off The Wall

17 replies

VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 12:43

I'm no where near a pro with these things so it'll be in layman's terms.

I have a swing screw-in gate set for my stairs. One at the top, one at the bottom. They can't go anywhere else because of the way my house/Stargate is shaped. Getting the hinges in the wood was easy, by because the staircase is awkward, the main swing hinge has to go in wall.

The bottom gate gets used the most and it's fallen out of the wall so many times. Doesn't help the boyfriend crashes into it despite no sticking-out bits...🙄

Here's what I've tried so far:-

I used wooden dowels to fill in the holes which became too big and screwed into those. BF tore them from the wall when he somehow managed to bump into it...

I drilled new holes slightly off the original because the holes had tripled in size at this point. A day later it's already falling out.

I tried plastering the holes and tears to the paint and tried to even plaster the screws into the new holes. Left it overnight. It's already off the wall 1 hour in the morning after. Quick dry player apparently... 🙄

I've noticed the plaster falls away easy and I can see the grey wall literally crumble away as I drill. So I used a smaller bit since the hole will double in size by the time I'm done because of the crumbling. Still ended up with a too-big hole as it fell away from the anchor and I screwed into it....

Hell, I've even tried using super glue at this point and it still comes off...

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 18/10/2020 13:02

What age is your baby? Are they old enough to be taught to use the stairs safely? Alternatively could you put a gate on a door leading to the stair area or in a hallway instead? We couldn't put a gate at the bottom of the stairs so had it across the hallway near the stairs instead

JudgeRindersMinder · 18/10/2020 13:04

Are you using the right kind of rawl plugs for the wall? The ones meant for brick are no use for plasterboard

PigletJohn · 18/10/2020 14:01

show us some photos of the holes in the wall to help understand it.

Is the wall plastered brick, or is it plasterboard on wooden studding?

How long are the screws, and how long are the plugs you are using?

VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 14:28

@dementedpixie
He's 1.5 and scrambles up the stairs as soon as he sees the gates open. He's already had a tumble on stairs (not ours, at his Nana's house) so he still can't fathom safety. Especially coming downstairs. Unfortunately our hallway is narrow and there's no way to put the gate without having to put like...3 more to make sure it's shielded from all entrances/exits.

@JudgeRindersMinder as far as I know? I'm using the ones provided with the kit and the kit says it's suitable for 'all types of wall'

@PigletJohn I've already used filler to try and repair the wall because it's just getting worse and needed to try and save it so the Council don't sue me 🙄
I'm not 100% but I think it's plaster on top of brick. The grey just seems like concrete blocks that are crumbling away and I didn't see any wood.

OP posts:
VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 14:28

@dementedpixie
He's 1.5 and scrambles up the stairs as soon as he sees the gates open. He's already had a tumble on stairs (not ours, at his Nana's house) so he still can't fathom safety. Especially coming downstairs. Unfortunately our hallway is narrow and there's no way to put the gate without having to put like...3 more to make sure it's shielded from all entrances/exits.

@JudgeRindersMinder as far as I know? I'm using the ones provided with the kit and the kit says it's suitable for 'all types of wall'

@PigletJohn I've already used filler to try and repair the wall because it's just getting worse and needed to try and save it so the Council don't sue me 🙄
I'm not 100% but I think it's plaster on top of brick. The grey just seems like concrete blocks that are crumbling away and I didn't see any wood.

OP posts:
VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 14:29

@PigletJohn sorry, to add - the screws/wall plugs that came with the kit (apparently suitable for all wall types according to the pack) are about 4cm long

OP posts:
GroundAlmonds · 18/10/2020 14:31

You might do better with pressure-mounted gates if the walls are so rubbish.

Whataplonkerheis · 18/10/2020 14:32

We attached a bit of wood (like a bit of skirting board) Vertically to the Wall and attached the gate to that. Was much stronger, as could have several fixings from the wood to the wall.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 18/10/2020 14:33

Ah, just seen it is a council property. I was going to suggest attaching a wooden batten vertically meaning it would have several fixing points into the wall and then screw the child gate into that.

I am wondering if the wall is thermalite block when you describe it crumbling, like a crunchie texture (the chocolate bar) great for insulation absolutely awful to drill into.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 18/10/2020 14:33

Cross post with what

PigletJohn · 18/10/2020 14:45

OK, so when you drill the wall, the dust that comes out is light grey?

And the house is fairly modern (30 years or less?)

What colour and length are the plugs you are using?

How much of the length of the 40mm screw goes into the wall, and how much is used up passing through the gate?

JudgeRindersMinder · 18/10/2020 14:50

This is the kind of thing you need, not the week skinny ones...and you NEVER get them included with anything
www.screwfix.com/p/fischer-self-drill-plasterboard-fixings-metal-35mm-100-pack/47347

PigletJohn · 18/10/2020 15:14

If the wall is plastered block (not plasterboard), do this:

I use brown plasplugs for pretty well everything. Red and yellow ones are weedy.

You can get 6mm or 7mm, in your case I would go straight to 7mm.

You can get a small pack in most hardware or DIY shops.

Like this

In the middle of the block of plugs (it unfolds) you will find a flat plastic rectangle, embossed on it are the sizes or screws and drills they fit, and sample holes that fit them.

use no. 8 screws (4mm diameter). You may need to buy a few if your existing ones are too short.

You need a screw and plug that penetrate at least 25mm into the brick or block, disregarding the thickness of plaster, which has no strength, and the wood or other object you are screwing into it. Plaster is usually about 18mm thick, so a screw 45mm plus the gate thickness.

As you have a crumbly wall, first check that your holes are deep enough and wide enough for the plug and the screw to go into. Drill them if not. Then, clean out the dust and loose material with a vac cleaner hose or a water jet. For this method, it does not matter if the plugs are a loose fit.

You will need a tube of builders adhesive no-more-nails is an example, but an own brand will do. I would go for a solvent-free one as you can clean up with water. Unless you have, or buy, or borrow, an applicator gun, get a tube like a toothpaste tube, not the big cartridge. You need a long pointy nozzle with it. I think Tesco and Wilko have them. Own brand is cheaper if they have it. THIS IS NOT FILLER.

Insert the nozzle into the hole, pushing it right to the back so there is no airspace. Inject the adhesive, withdrawing the nozzle as the hole fills. Stop half an inch or so before the surface.

Press the plasplug into the hole so that it sinks into the adhesive. This will cause the adhesive to bulge up to the surface. Push the plug slightly below the surface of the wall (this is so that, when redecorating, you do not need to pull it out). You can put a screw a couple of turns into it as a handle.

hold the gate up against it to verify that they are in the correct position. Wipe the wall clean.

Leave it for 24 hours until the adhesive is set firm.

You can now drive your screws into the plasplug. The set adhesive will transmit the expansion force into the wall, it is slightly flexible so will not crack, and it will have glued itself into place, and will hold the plasplug so it is not loose and cannot turn.

VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 15:31

Thank you all for your advice and products, I'll go and price up the tools and such and order them in (if my job decides to pay me...late payments are a pain 🙄) and I'll give them a go and fingers crossed I can get it to work.

Frankly don't care if I have to drill more holes in for support boards. I can plaster it all back in if I ever have to move. I've done so much to improve this council house so they should just shut up and take a hole or two in the walls...the state it was in when I came in. Forked out 1000s what's a few pounds more 😆

OP posts:
VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 17:53

Okay, so to elaborate a bit more because I just tried to put on some wood to screw the hinge onto.

This is what happens when I start making a small hole (with a 2 mm bit). It crumbles until it's about 4 times the size and can't hold anything securely. Also, I can only go about 1 cm in before the drill hits something and cannot get through any further. It's like this throughout the house. Can barely get nails in to hang pictures and I've had SUCH a hassle drilling the curtain poles in so I'm not surprised I'm struggling here.

Also, I can't really afford a pressure gate, literally in debt just keeping us alive so trying my best to use this gate if I can help it.

Attached picture of the hole and the only screws I can use because anything longer will just stick out and I can't attach the hi he properly.

Baby Gate Keeps Coming Off The Wall
Baby Gate Keeps Coming Off The Wall
OP posts:
VixenAndCub · 18/10/2020 17:53

*hinge properly

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 18/10/2020 18:11

" It crumbles until it's about 4 times the size and can't hold anything securely. Also, I can only go about 1 cm in before the drill hits something and cannot get through any further. "

i think you are just drilling into the plaster.

Please show us a close photo of the tip of the drill bit, and pictures of the top and sides of your electric drill, close enough to read the markings.

thanks

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