Can anyone recommend a good type of wall filler? One room in my house has a curtain rail which is beginning to come away since the wall plugs are pulling away from the wall. I think this is because the plaster is very soft (it's not plasterboard). I don't have much confidence in the "polyfilla" type powder which you mix with water.
Polyfilla is actually quite strong. If you can get it keyed into something structural (like the laths in lath and plaster), or applied to good brick or blockwork, then it will take wallplugs, as long as the load isn't too silly. It would take net curtains on light rails, for example.
Car body filler might be another option, get a big tin from eBay, not a small one from Halfords. But you *do* have to make sure it is attached to something. Assuming your curtain rail is over a window (rather than a door, say) the plaster is almost certainly attached to bricks, blockwork, or possibly a wooden lintel. This should be strong enough apart from any areas of rot or woodworm. You may need quite long screws. Another good fix is to put a wooden batten behind the rail, then you can fix that at strong spots while being able to space the rail hangers evenly.
IME polyfilla & similar are just fine, as long as your wallplug goes into a hole that's filled partly with it. You can toughen it up a good bit by mixing it with PVA. Give it a couple of days minimum before drilling or fixing.
Previous owner here had uPVC windows fitted, including a bowed outwards window at the front and a patio door at the back. I had problems with curtain poles keep coming loose. Luckily, the work the previous owner had had done had necessitated catnics at both openings and the poles haven't moved since I drilled right into the Catnics and screwed to those!
I get along with it fine but I only add enough water to make a stiff paste that only just doesn't stick to the filling knife. Spray water onto the existing substrate so that doesn't suck the water out of it. I also treat it like plaster, fill smooth and only a tiny bit proud. Then let it partialy set, a light water spray and polish flush with a flexible knife.
I guess you want something to refix the plugs/screws? Polyfilla will do that but use it to fix the plug back into the dust/loose material free hole. Well damped hole, very stiff mix, use something to push filler right to the bottom of the hole and partially fill so that the filler oozes back out as you push the plug in, might be a hard push with a stiff mix...
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.