Going to tear down wall, what plug have I encountered? (and some other thoughts)

[bryggarebob]

Hello!

I have a couple of questions.

I'm in the process of renovating our small kitchen and will be removing parts of a wall. It's just a wall section that extends 60cm from the wall, made of plaster. I've taken down the plasterboard, which was attached to two "aluminum studs", one in the ceiling and one closest to the wall, as well as a wooden stud running from floor to ceiling. I can't imagine that the wall has any load-bearing function, as both the real estate agent noted that the wall was not a load-bearing construction and we have seen that the neighbor has removed this wall section.

I'm now going to remove these aluminum studs, but they are attached with something I haven't encountered before, could it be some form of concrete anchor? What's the easiest way to remove these? It looks like there's a washer and a shiny head on the screw.

The kitchen is small and U-shaped, and the idea is that the worktop will hang over the part of the wall that's left (i.e. about 90cm of the wall will remain), and the countertop will overhang by about 15mm.

There's a "recess" in the ceiling where the track is, approximately 1-2cm deep, how is it best filled? Is there a special type of filler or similar that suits this purpose? (So it's not too runny and just makes a mess=) )

 

[Stefan N]

Concrete wall? Looks like a bolt gun.

 

[bryggarebob]

That's correct, it's a concrete wall. Should I try to drill them out or just try to get a grip on the head and pull straight out?

Thanks for the quick response!

 

[Nils82]

Usually works well to pry off with a crowbar and hammer or a chisel you're not worried about.

 

[Stuff]

I also don't believe the wall is load-bearing, but then I'm an engineer and not a real estate agent

A tip is not to listen to real estate agents at all when it comes to construction-related questions. There are exceptions, but generally, real estate agents are nothing more than well-dressed horse traders.

 

[quayle]

Do NOT try to pull them out (I did it in my apartment with similar nail plugs). You will end up with a chunk of concrete, and thus have some work with plastering. Instead, drill in the middle of the head with a 5mm metal drill.

 

[bryggarebob]

Thanks for the tip! =)

So, it will be about drilling then.

I looked closer now and can safely conclude that it cannot be load-bearing since the "aluminiumregeln" doesn't even reach the ceiling but stops a few mm before, but it was reassuring to hear that from an engineer.

You're probably right that one shouldn't trust real estate agents, we've bought the condominium fairly recently and participated in many bids etc. before that. And sure, there are many tricksters out there.