Disassemble Wire Shelving
Wire shelving is found in closets, laundry rooms, mud rooms and pantries. This type of shelving is quite sturdy and can handle a great deal of weight, even though the unit is attached to the drywall with anchors and not necessarily to the wall studs as with conventional wood shelving. Removing wire shelving for cleaning, painting or replacement involves removing each component of the unit in the reverse order in which it was installed. If you're not replacing your wire shelf after removal, the wall can be repaired, leaving no trace of the shelving.
Instructions
1
Remove the center insert of the wall anchor on the bottom end of the diagonal shelf bracket by prying it out with a flat blade screwdriver. Rotate the bottom of the bracket away from the wall, then unhook the top of the bracket from the front edge of the wire shelf.
2
Remove the remaining shelf brackets in the same manner. Support the front edge of the shelf with one hand before removing the last bracket to keep the shelf from falling down and banging against the wall. Rotate the front of the shelf downward and let it rest against the wall once the last bracket has been removed.
3
Bump the bottom of the rear edge of the shelf directly under one of the wall retaining clips with your hand until the large diameter wire at the rear of the shelf disengages from the clip. Continue to remove the shelf from the remaining clips in the same fashion. Remove the shelf from the wall.
4
Pry the center insert from the wall clips with a flat blade screwdriver. Pry out the plastic anchors left in the wall from the clips and the diagonal brackets with a flat blade screwdriver.
5
Fill the holes left in the wall with spackling applied with a putty knife. Smooth the spackling with the knife before it dries to minimize sanding. Sand the area smooth with sandpaper once the spackling has cured and paint the area to match the surrounding wall, if desired.
