removing tightly nailed baton from wall

[olive]

Having removed some boxing I find the batons nailed to the wall are so tight I can't ease them off at all without damaging the plaster. Any advice please? Thinking of making a series of cuts across them so I can hammer them off!...
Thanks

[chris_on_tour2002]

that's pretty much the way to do it - try and locate the fixings, cut either side so you just leave a small piece of material. you can then split the remaining piece of timber batten with a chisel (pref an old one, not your best one! a flat screwdriver may suffice) and remove it. you will then be left with the original fixing still in the wall.

it may be a screw though cut masonry nails may have been used. you may have problems getting them out. i find that a twist or two with a claw hammer will snap them off. only problem is that they can sometimes cause rust spots thru paint. there is a solution to this but that's for another forum!

let us know how you get on.

[olive]

Worked perfectly - thank you so much! As a bonus, the nails actually all came out with the claw hammer (and a block to protect the wall, of course :D ) so just a bit of filling to do.

[chris_on_tour2002]

pleased to help, thanks for the feedback.