I live in a house with plaster walls. My landlord used to live here growing up and his dad was so worried that any holes in the walls would ruin the plaster they never hung anything up. So no picture frames or shelves, etc. So my landlord said if I do put holes in the walls and the plaster gets ruined, I am responsible for it. How can I screw or nail a shelf or frame in the plaster without ruining it?
By Marge M. from Chicago, IL
You can't. Nailing or screwing anything in the plaster will make a hole - period. Since you are renting, you will have to abide by the landlord's rules. Poster putty will come off, but it will only hold paper, nothing heavy. There are some special hooks that will usually make small holes that can easily be repaired, but there are no guarantees. They could easily chip the plaster or you could lose a chunk of it when pounding them in or using them.
