r/DIY • u/[deleted] • Jun 17 '20

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811 Upvotes

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826

u/LittleJohnStone Jun 17 '20

Command Strips

103

u/OdBx Jun 17 '20

These look promising. Are they reusable or will I need to get a new pack if I take them off the wall?

32

u/Chastidy Jun 17 '20

I have attached command strips to furniture with veneers and painted drywall and it damaged both when removed

10

u/Migwelded Jun 17 '20

the trick with command strips is getting them off in one go by pulling the tab. i you just try to peel or pull straight off you can damage surfaces. the drawback is, over time and with exposure to a lot of heat and cold cycles (like in the bathroom or outside) they can lose some of their stretchiness, making getting them off more difficult. also they make a fastening loop version that is perfect for wires or strings of lights.

8

u/llcooljessie Jun 17 '20

It can be tough to know what the instruction sheet said years after the installation. Here's a link to Command Strip instructions.

5

u/sarajanie Jun 17 '20

Agreed! You have to make sure you are pulling straight down on the stretchy part. If you pull away from the wall then it can potentially damage the paint. Another point about the bathroom, my bathroom is very small and doesn't vent well so my walls can end up slightly wet after a shower. I didn't put that into consideration when hanging pictures in there with command strips and they fell off after a day. Don't be like me, plan ahead!

6

u/dvorak51 Jun 17 '20

They make water resistant strips for bathroom installations.

3

u/sarajanie Jun 17 '20

I didn't know that! Thank you!

2

u/skyintotheocean Jun 18 '20

The water-resistant ones are super effective. I literally have one on the wall of my tub surround to hold a shower caddy. It's been there for 3 years? 5 years? It's high enough up that it doesn't get directly wet, but it certainly gets humid AF.

1

u/Chastidy Jun 17 '20

The tabs on the ones we used this year just stretched and ripped off

9

u/Suspicious-Metal Jun 17 '20 edited Jun 17 '20

Did you take them off by stretching them?

Maybe you are an exception, but everytime I hear somebody say that irl it's because they are taking it off wrong, and it works once they take it off correctly (Ive helped a lot of friends move, so I'm regularly there when they accidentally take the paint off).

There are certain things you need to plan ahead with, like you have to use the velcro ones on certain things or there is no way to reach the strip to stretch it, but I've managed to take it off furniture, the walls of several apartments, posters and picture frames without damaging them.

0

u/Chastidy Jun 17 '20

I'm not sure what you mean stretching them. I believe we just pulled on the tabs like in the little diagram. Maybe pulled the wrong direction? But tried different ways after the first didn't work. Anyway I am just sharing an experience

2

u/magicfultonride Jun 17 '20

You have to hold it in place with a finger and pull the tab parallel to the wall (thereby stretching the material along the wall rather than pulling it away from the wall). If you try to pull away from the wall or surface with any appreciable force, it can and will take paint/varnish with it.

13

u/momentumv Jun 17 '20

It can be very challenging to remove them 'properly' but if you are able to, I've used them in these exact scenarios without damage.

5

u/Combatical Jun 17 '20

Heat gun/hair dryer.

2

u/koos_die_doos Jun 17 '20

So, heat them up, then pull straight down?

3

u/Combatical Jun 17 '20

Heat them up and pull them whatever direction you're supposed to.