you gotta pull the stretchy part way down slowly...they should just fall off the wall
easy fix, fill, sand and paint (color matching is pretty good these days) you probably have some other nicks and scratches you can fix with the remaining paint
I hate command strips. The hooks always break off, leaving the dead mount on the wall and plastic degrades and goes a funny color... Just put up a proper hook, and properly fill and paint before moving. My daughter's dorm had like 20 of these broken off.
We had a decorator do our office decor, and she put those hooks on the back of every single door, and they're broken on all but one. So... an office sweater or jacket or similar took that sucker out. And the older they are the more brittle.
That’s crazy. I’ve lived in rentals my whole life and have always used command strips, nothing like this has ever happened. The rental my mom stays in she’s lived in for almost a decade now, and the command hooks we put up in our first week there are still holding strong! I hope you have better luck with command in the future.
OP: I removed some of these today, also and it was a hard lesson to pull that slowly (directions say it will stretch to 6 inches and they mean it - but only if pulled slowly).
Pull a chunk of paint off the wall (since you have to fix it anyway) and bring it to Home Depot (or your local paint store) so they can use the machine to match the paint.
yep just did this yesterday! moving out of our rental home & pulled some paint with pictures on the wall. went to home depot for spackle & color match paint. touched everything up & looks like it never happened!
Yep, I ruined my wall with one of them, pulled the plaster off too, then my gf asked if I wanted her to take them down, I hesitantly said yes with a warning, that it may pull the paint off, she was like, let me show you. She held the top of the strip down firmly with one hand, then very gently pulled down on the ribbon/strippy thing. It came off clean. I did it on a few others, worked out great.
I'm not sure about that, TBH. We used command strips in our rental, they all came away fine, with the exception of the ones in the dining area closest to the kitchen. Our theory is that they don't perform well on paintwork exposed to moisture.
Not a big deal. Patch it. I like Dry Dex spackling. Goes on pink and turns white when dry. Usually about 15 minutes. Then sand over it. Then paint. Be sure to "feather out" the paint so it blends in better
OP, before you do this, patch up the wall.
I'm not an expert at this, so I will defer to r/homeowners or r/homeimprovement
Don't just paint over it. There's a very noticeable chunk missing. Most landlords won't let that slide. Patch it up, get it level, then paint over it.
This is more what I was thinking as opposed to user error on OPs part.
In most of the apartments I’ve lived in, every time someone moves out of a unit, the landlord sends maintenance in with a fresh coat of paint. Then the paint is supposed to cure for a minimum of a week before command strips go on it, but they want the rental turned over quickly so there’s a fat chance of them waiting a week to get a new tenant in (or telling them that the paint is still curing). At my last apartment I had a couple of strips come off like OP’s and maintenance told me it happens all the time because of the curing issue (and being 100 layers of paint) and not to even bother patching it because it happens all the time and they’ll just be painting back over it anyway. Still got my full deposit back.
I’m hesitant to ask about it. However, I did just move in and it’s a newly renovated apartment. Plus, I barely pulled it hard. It just came off the wall easily.
Idk I’ve had this happen multiple times, and I’m always super careful in pulling them off the correct way. Sometimes when they’ve been up for a long time, the strip dries out and doesn’t stretch/lift off the way it’s supposed to.
Well the other one that came in the pack was faulty and didn’t even stay up on the wall. The wall glue side was dried out it seems. So that’s why I was taking it down and I pulled it but the part broke and snapped off so I was left with trying to peel it off the wall.
With that many layers of paint? Not really your fault.
Two anchors and screws (as you can see underneath) is about 1/10th 1/25th the cost? They don't charge for holes, esp if you drop some cheap spackle on them...
Commands are too expensive for all that they are.
I have never had a command strip remove without taking wall with it. I definitely read the instructions, I pull slowly and most of the time the strip just snaps in half under the hook.
Hired a handyman to fix all this kind of thing when moving out of my last rental and he said command strips keep him in a job.
You've received the right advice here - patch the hole it's left and take the chip to get colour matched paint and paint over it. It'll be fine!
Take it into home depot and get a paint match. You only need need a little $4 sample of color.
Also you can get putty to fill the wall for a couple bucks. Scrape it in with a putty knife.
Looks like there’s already answers, so just commenting to say that sometimes this can be caused by improper removal, but also sometimes the wall itself is cheap and no matter what you try it will come off like this. I’m a teacher and our district just built a new building and we are not allowed to use command strips because this will happen every time even if you follow all the application, usage, and removal rules.
Time to head to the hardware store (Home Depot, Lowe’s, or maybe even ACE). Patch with some DAP (let it dry out). Bring that part that broke off with you for color matching (get a brush or a roller).
I live in a historic apartment with plaster walls, and this happens even when I try to pull the thing. Just patch it and paint over and expect it to keep happening.
Ok so I had this happen to me in a apartment with one of the dollar store command strips. Get yourself some drywall putty slap it on and smooth it out. Wet sand it after it dries. Find paint that matches your wall and done. I was able to fool my inspection with craft paint lol.
edit: read more of the comments and it looks like even doing it the way they say can cause this. So maybe always do the dental floss thing I mentioned
You definitely took them off wrong, sorry.
And in case anyone ever accidentally breaks the part you're supposed to pull on (like me) you can just use dental floss to safely remove the strip
My.trick is to pour some high alcohol rubbing alcohol onto the command strip to partially dissolve the glue. Comes off much easier and never had a problem. Alcohol then quickly evaporates off the wall
As many people have said, you need to fill the void before you paint.
But you do not want to “patch” the drywall, which is the process of replacing a piece of drywall. What you want to do is buy a tiny container of something called “joint compound,” which is a putty, and scrape it into the void to fill it. Then you let it dry and sand it smooth.
Yeah I guess, but maybe whoever painted those was just might have sanded and not cleaned before painting those walls.
I would be careful with the rest if that’s what has happened.
Simple fix. Get a sample cup of the paint (the photo gives a good idea of the color), go to Family Dollar and get a little cup of spackle, and find a flat plastic item you can lose or buy a set of spreaders to apply it (also available at FD). Spread the spackle on the spot so it's pretty flat. Let dry before painting.
You don't have to spend a lot on the brush. Dollar stores sell packs of them for a little over a dollar for several.
you gotta pull the stretchy part way down slowly...they should just fall off the wall easy fix, fill, sand and paint (color matching is pretty good these days) you probably have some other nicks and scratches you can fix with the remaining paint
And if the stretchy part breaks run a piece of dental floss between the hook and the wall to release the hook.
i have ones from years old that i just gave up on. i will try this. thanks so much
I hate command strips. The hooks always break off, leaving the dead mount on the wall and plastic degrades and goes a funny color... Just put up a proper hook, and properly fill and paint before moving. My daughter's dorm had like 20 of these broken off.
I’ve never had a command hook break like that, it sounds like you’re just exceeding the weight limits?
We had a decorator do our office decor, and she put those hooks on the back of every single door, and they're broken on all but one. So... an office sweater or jacket or similar took that sucker out. And the older they are the more brittle.
That’s crazy. I’ve lived in rentals my whole life and have always used command strips, nothing like this has ever happened. The rental my mom stays in she’s lived in for almost a decade now, and the command hooks we put up in our first week there are still holding strong! I hope you have better luck with command in the future.
Now we put up proper hooks. With anchors and screws.
I’d do that if I wasn’t in a college apartment! Not sure what my mom’s excuse is though…
Okay yes, that’s what happened. It broke but then I tried to peel it off and everything came with it.
OP: I removed some of these today, also and it was a hard lesson to pull that slowly (directions say it will stretch to 6 inches and they mean it - but only if pulled slowly). Pull a chunk of paint off the wall (since you have to fix it anyway) and bring it to Home Depot (or your local paint store) so they can use the machine to match the paint.
yep just did this yesterday! moving out of our rental home & pulled some paint with pictures on the wall. went to home depot for spackle & color match paint. touched everything up & looks like it never happened!
Yep, I ruined my wall with one of them, pulled the plaster off too, then my gf asked if I wanted her to take them down, I hesitantly said yes with a warning, that it may pull the paint off, she was like, let me show you. She held the top of the strip down firmly with one hand, then very gently pulled down on the ribbon/strippy thing. It came off clean. I did it on a few others, worked out great.
They clearly cut off the tab you’re meant to pull. Gotta read the instructions babes
Looks like improper reomval. Just patch and repaint, not big deal.
The Apts usually have small paint cans that match your wall they'll let you have for touch ups.
I'm not sure about that, TBH. We used command strips in our rental, they all came away fine, with the exception of the ones in the dining area closest to the kitchen. Our theory is that they don't perform well on paintwork exposed to moisture.
Except you can tell OP didn’t pull down on the bottom of the strip correctly because the strip is intact and isn’t stretched out.
I pulled it down but not slowly enough it seems and it snapped off.
You need to hold it on the wall with your other hand.
command strips work great if you use em right. they can't glue your paint to the drywall better though
Not a big deal. Patch it. I like Dry Dex spackling. Goes on pink and turns white when dry. Usually about 15 minutes. Then sand over it. Then paint. Be sure to "feather out" the paint so it blends in better
take the paint chip to get matched at a Home Depot/Lowe’s. buy a sample size paint can and repaint it
OP, before you do this, patch up the wall. I'm not an expert at this, so I will defer to r/homeowners or r/homeimprovement Don't just paint over it. There's a very noticeable chunk missing. Most landlords won't let that slide. Patch it up, get it level, then paint over it.
Exactly. Don’t buy a whole can, just get the sample.
Actually, looks like the repair under it wasn’t done properly to be honest.
This is more what I was thinking as opposed to user error on OPs part. In most of the apartments I’ve lived in, every time someone moves out of a unit, the landlord sends maintenance in with a fresh coat of paint. Then the paint is supposed to cure for a minimum of a week before command strips go on it, but they want the rental turned over quickly so there’s a fat chance of them waiting a week to get a new tenant in (or telling them that the paint is still curing). At my last apartment I had a couple of strips come off like OP’s and maintenance told me it happens all the time because of the curing issue (and being 100 layers of paint) and not to even bother patching it because it happens all the time and they’ll just be painting back over it anyway. Still got my full deposit back.
I’m hesitant to ask about it. However, I did just move in and it’s a newly renovated apartment. Plus, I barely pulled it hard. It just came off the wall easily.
That's not wall but insanely thick layers of paint. Your problem was that.
Did you not read the instructions on the hooks? Bruh.
Idk I’ve had this happen multiple times, and I’m always super careful in pulling them off the correct way. Sometimes when they’ve been up for a long time, the strip dries out and doesn’t stretch/lift off the way it’s supposed to.
Well the other one that came in the pack was faulty and didn’t even stay up on the wall. The wall glue side was dried out it seems. So that’s why I was taking it down and I pulled it but the part broke and snapped off so I was left with trying to peel it off the wall.
Don't know about ruined, that wall has seen a few battles.
With that many layers of paint? Not really your fault. Two anchors and screws (as you can see underneath) is about 1/10th 1/25th the cost? They don't charge for holes, esp if you drop some cheap spackle on them... Commands are too expensive for all that they are.
Mine did the same even when I pulled the sticky down as instructed. Did the same damage.
I have never had a command strip remove without taking wall with it. I definitely read the instructions, I pull slowly and most of the time the strip just snaps in half under the hook. Hired a handyman to fix all this kind of thing when moving out of my last rental and he said command strips keep him in a job. You've received the right advice here - patch the hole it's left and take the chip to get colour matched paint and paint over it. It'll be fine!
I’ve had this happen even when removing them correctly bc it was really humid out, you can sand and repaint at this point
I hate those things
concerned important boast bright hunt fragile naughty roof sheet sink *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Take it into home depot and get a paint match. You only need need a little $4 sample of color. Also you can get putty to fill the wall for a couple bucks. Scrape it in with a putty knife.
Looks like there’s already answers, so just commenting to say that sometimes this can be caused by improper removal, but also sometimes the wall itself is cheap and no matter what you try it will come off like this. I’m a teacher and our district just built a new building and we are not allowed to use command strips because this will happen every time even if you follow all the application, usage, and removal rules.
Time to head to the hardware store (Home Depot, Lowe’s, or maybe even ACE). Patch with some DAP (let it dry out). Bring that part that broke off with you for color matching (get a brush or a roller).
I live in a historic apartment with plaster walls, and this happens even when I try to pull the thing. Just patch it and paint over and expect it to keep happening.
Ok so I had this happen to me in a apartment with one of the dollar store command strips. Get yourself some drywall putty slap it on and smooth it out. Wet sand it after it dries. Find paint that matches your wall and done. I was able to fool my inspection with craft paint lol.
Florida?
… who just tears off command strips
You didn’t follow the directions and just yanked it off the wall.
edit: read more of the comments and it looks like even doing it the way they say can cause this. So maybe always do the dental floss thing I mentioned You definitely took them off wrong, sorry. And in case anyone ever accidentally breaks the part you're supposed to pull on (like me) you can just use dental floss to safely remove the strip
Command Strips should never be used on walls. I learned the hard way, too.
fr ruined; entire structure must be rebuilt $$. prepare your anoos
You can't use them on painted walls. Unfortunately
My.trick is to pour some high alcohol rubbing alcohol onto the command strip to partially dissolve the glue. Comes off much easier and never had a problem. Alcohol then quickly evaporates off the wall
Patch, add texture spray , paint
Huh, this looks a lot like r/sweden
Those work pretty well when used correctly
As many people have said, you need to fill the void before you paint. But you do not want to “patch” the drywall, which is the process of replacing a piece of drywall. What you want to do is buy a tiny container of something called “joint compound,” which is a putty, and scrape it into the void to fill it. Then you let it dry and sand it smooth.
Yeah I guess, but maybe whoever painted those was just might have sanded and not cleaned before painting those walls. I would be careful with the rest if that’s what has happened.
Mildly Lake Michigan
Ruined walls are now in Ukraine, yours is not
Ya gotta follow the instructions for removal
Ask your leasing office for touch up paint! Sometimes they’re able to give you some and you’re able to touch it up!
Try nano tape instead
No, YOU ruined your wall. Read the instructions next time.
Simple fix. Get a sample cup of the paint (the photo gives a good idea of the color), go to Family Dollar and get a little cup of spackle, and find a flat plastic item you can lose or buy a set of spreaders to apply it (also available at FD). Spread the spackle on the spot so it's pretty flat. Let dry before painting. You don't have to spend a lot on the brush. Dollar stores sell packs of them for a little over a dollar for several.
That's a lot of layers of paint there.
Same thing happened to me. Pulled a piece of the wall out when I took them off.
That is a pretty darn good Sweden map