How to remove kitchen frame from wall?

HReno

I’d like some advice as to how to remove these pieces of wood leftover from my 1970s kitchen. The screws that have been used are almost like hexagon washers with a small divot at the top but nowhere deep enough for me to actually unscrew them. Just looking for a way to remove without damaging the render too much. Thanks!

MitchellMc

Hi @HReno,

From your photo, those don’t look like typical screws. You’re likely dealing with concrete nails or masonry fixings rather than something designed to be unscrewed. The “hex washer with a shallow divot” look can be misleading, but if there’s no proper drive recess, they’re probably hammered in, not threaded.

The easiest way forward is usually to remove the timber first, rather than fighting the fixings head-on. You can cut or split the wood (using a handsaw, oscillating tool, or pry bar) and pull it away in sections. Once the timber is out of the way, you’ll have much better access to whatever is holding it to the wall.

If they are concrete nails, you can try levering them out with the prybar, but they’re often stubborn and can take chunks of render with them. If they won’t budge cleanly, the safer option is to cut them off flush with the wall (using an oscillating tool) and then patch over the area with filler.

That approach usually causes far less damage than trying to rip everything out in one go, especially on older rendered walls.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell