How to Remove Toggle Bolts from a Wall

Toggle bolts are la crème de la crème of anchor type bolts. A toggle bolt is made up of mainly, two mechanical metal parts. The first part resembles a pair of wings, made up of a spring metal mechanism and the second part is the machine screw. Toggle bolts are mainly found in two sizes.

The larger the diameter of the bolt the stronger the toggle bolt. Depending on their length and size, they can be driven into thick walls. They are normally used for supporting heavy items and for hanging robust shelving.

They are specifically created to withstand great pressure and wear that more often than not that when the bolt is stressed, the ceiling will pull away from the joists rather than the toggle bolt breaking.

These types of anchor bolts are very easy to remove; in fact they are the easiest anchor type bolts to remove. Once the toggle bolt is inserted into the wall the metal wings spring open and flush on the back of the wall.

There are two different techniques to remove or eliminate a toggle bolt, either by pushing it all the way through the wall without removing it or by unscrewing specific pieces.

Step 1 - Unscrew the Toggle Bolt

If the wall on which the toggle bolt is screwed on happens to be hollow or narrow, then you first have to unscrew the toggle bolt until the metal wings of the bolt fall on the opposite side of the wall, that is, behind the wall that you are working on. Don’t worry about the hole left in the wall after the bolt is removed as this is inevitable. You can deal with it after you remove all of the toggle bolts.

Step 2 - Pull It Out

Once the wings have fallen then your next step is to pull out the remaining screws from the wall, and the job is done. The toggle bolt is completely removed.

Step 3 - Cut the Head

If the toggle bolt doesn't unscrew, don't worry, just use the cutting pliers and cut off the head of the toggle bolt. Once its head is cut drive it through the wall so that it will then fall down the opposite side of the wall.

Step 4 - Hammer It In

In the eventuality that the wall is quite thick, the steps previously mentioned will not work. In this case, the best way to eliminate the toggle bolt is to insert a screwdriver in the toggle bolt's head and with a hammer push the entire toggle through the wall until it reaches just below the surface of the wall. It can then be covered with spackle paste.

Step 5 - Fill in Any Holes

The last thing to do now is to repair any holes in the wall. Ideally you fill these holes with spackle paste, sand it down and apply a fresh coat of paint. If you wish to take the easy way out, omit repainting your wall and fix a picture or mirror to hide the area.