Adhesive Hooks and Strips for Renters That Actually Hold
Adhesive hooks are the answer to most rental walls, because you can hang a towel or the house keys without putting a hole in the plaster, and they come off clean at the end of the lease as long as you treat them properly going up and coming down. When they fail it's nearly always the prep or the weight, and only occasionally the hook itself.
Clean the spot with isopropyl alcohol first
A painted wall carries a film of grease and dust you can't see, and the adhesive grabs that film instead of the paint. Wipe the spot with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry before you peel the backing. Spray cleaners and household wipes leave their own residue behind, so they make the problem worse rather than better.
Freshly painted walls need time as well. Paint keeps curing for days after it feels dry, so if the wall has just been painted, give it about a week before anything sticky goes on it.
Press it, then leave it alone
Hold the hook or strip hard against the wall for a good 30 seconds, then wait about an hour before you hang anything on it. Most of the hooks that land on the floor overnight were loaded straight away, before the adhesive had a chance to bond.
Respect the weight on the packet
The rating on the pack assumes a straight downward pull on a smooth painted wall, so treat it as the most it'll hold on a good day and pick one with room to spare. Anything that gets pulled outward, like a bag hanging off a hook you grab every morning, puts far more strain on the adhesive than its weight suggests.
Some walls just won't hold an adhesive hook properly, and textured paint, wallpaper, bare brick and timber panelling are the usual ones. Steamy bathrooms are hard on them too, so in a bathroom I'd stick to the tiles and use hooks made for wet areas.
Something heavy or precious belongs on a proper fixing rather than a sticky one, and so does anything that would land on somebody if it let go, like a frame over a bed. If that's what you're trying to hang, the rental shelving post linked below covers what actually holds in plasterboard and how to patch the holes before you move out.
Take them down the right way
This is the part that costs people their bond. Strips with a pull tab are made to be stretched slowly, straight down along the wall, until the adhesive lets go, so never pull a hook outward toward you, because that's what lifts the paint. Hooks without a tab can be warmed with a hair dryer for a minute so the adhesive softens before you ease them off.
Be careful with permanent mounting tape and heavy double-sided tape on a rental wall, because they're built not to come off, and when they do they often bring the paint and the top layer of plaster with them.
If the paint does lift
A small patch of lifted paint is a filler and a touch-up job. Fill it, let it dry, sand it flush and touch it up with the wall colour, and it should be hard to spot.
Shop related products
- GSA Fast Filler 260g. For the odd spot where the paint comes away.
- GSA Uni Filler 0.2L. A ready-mixed filler for small patches.
- GSA Super Filler 0.2L. A lightweight filler that sands back easily.
- Supercraft Small Plastering Tool, 1/2 Inch. Spreads filler flat in a small patch.
Did you know we also stock Command hooks and a range of self-adhesive hooks in the shop, the biggest of them rated to 5kg, along with isopropyl alcohol for the prep. They aren't on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check stock before you come in.
The rest of the online range for jobs around the house is in hardware.
Read next
- How to hang shelves in a rental without losing your bond
- How to put up fairy lights without damaging the walls
I'm a firm believer in the hair dryer trick, mostly because I'm too impatient to do it any other way.
Candeece
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