How to Hang Anything on Amsterdam's Crumbly Walls (Without It Falling Down)
Curtain rails pulling out? Shelves sagging? Learn how to identify Amsterdam wall types, choose the right wall plugs, and safely mount TVs, shelves and curtains — even in soft pre-war walls.
"The wall is basically sand behind the first few millimeters, and I'm yet to find a screw or plug that stays in." That's how one Amsterdam resident described their mounting struggles on Reddit — right after their curtain rails started pulling out of the wall overnight. If you've ever watched a freshly mounted shelf sag away from an Amsterdam wall, or twisted a screw in a plug that just spins endlessly, you know exactly what they mean.
The problem isn't you, and it usually isn't the plug either. It's that Amsterdam housing spans everything from 17th-century canal houses to 1970s system-built flats to brand-new IJburg apartments, and each era gives you a completely different wall. Use the fixing designed for the wrong wall, and physics wins. Here's how to identify what you're drilling into, which anchors actually hold, and when it's smarter to hand the drill to a professional.
First: figure out what your wall is made of
Do the knock test, then the drill-dust test. Knock on the wall. A dull, solid thud means masonry (brick, concrete or aerated concrete blocks). A hollow, drum-like sound means plasterboard or a lightweight partition wall with a cavity behind it.
Then look at the dust when you drill a small test hole in a hidden spot. Red or orange dust means brick. In pre-war Amsterdam buildings (roughly anything built before 1945, which is most of the city center, De Pijp, Oud-West and large parts of Oost) this is often soft brick with thick, aging plaster on top. The first centimeter feels solid; behind it, the material crumbles. This is the infamous 'sand wall.' Grey dust means concrete, common in post-war and modern buildings (Buitenveldert, Zuidoost, Nieuw-West, new-builds). It's hard to drill, but holds screws brilliantly once you're in. White, fine dust means aerated concrete or gypsum block — light, soft, and easy to pull standard plugs out of. White dust and the drill suddenly 'falls through' means plasterboard over a cavity. Normal plugs have nothing to grip.
Amsterdam-specific quirk: in many older apartments, interior partition walls are lightweight (gypsum block or plasterboard) even when the outer walls are brick. Don't assume one test hole tells you about the whole apartment.
- Red or orange dust → soft brick
- Grey dust → concrete
- White, fine dust → aerated concrete or gypsum block
- White dust and the drill 'falls through' → plasterboard
- Always test a hidden spot first
The right fixing for each wall type
This is where nearly every failed curtain rail went wrong. Match the anchor to the wall:
- Solid brick (good condition): standard universal nylon plugs (6–8 mm), screw 4–5 mm. Nothing special needed.
- Soft/crumbly brick and old plaster: longer plugs (60–80 mm) that reach past the plaster into the brick; oversized universal plugs; for heavy loads, chemical anchors (injection mortar with mesh sleeve). Don't use short plugs that only grip the plaster layer — that's the classic Amsterdam failure.
- Concrete: standard nylon plugs with a hammer drill (or SDS drill). Don't use cheap drill bits — they'll glaze, not bite.
- Aerated concrete (gasbeton): dedicated gasbeton plugs (spiral/conical), or chemical anchors for heavy items. Standard universal plugs won't hold.
- Plasterboard / hollow walls: hollow-wall anchors (hollewandpluggen), spring or gravity toggles; for TVs, anchor into the studs behind the board or use toggles rated for the load. Don't use ordinary plugs or 'just a longer screw.'
Three technique details that matter more than people think
Small changes in how you drill make the difference between a mount that lasts and one that falls in a month.
- Turn off the hammer function on soft walls. Hammer drilling old plaster and soft brick blows the hole out to twice the intended size, so the plug never grips. Drill gently, at moderate speed, with a sharp masonry bit exactly matching the plug diameter.
- Drill deeper than the plug and clear the dust. A vacuum nozzle held at the hole while drilling makes a real difference — dust left in the hole is why plugs spin.
- If the hole is already blown out: don't just jam in a bigger plug and hope. Fill the hole with filler or injection mortar, let it cure, and re-drill — or use a chemical anchor, which bonds to whatever crumbly material is there.
Special cases every Amsterdam household hits
Curtain rails. The load isn't just the curtain — it's the yank of opening it twice a day, which loosens marginal fixings over weeks. If your wall above the window is crumbly (very common, since lintel areas in old buildings are often patched), mount the rail to the ceiling instead. Concrete ceilings hold far better than blown-out window reveals, and ceiling-mounted curtains look intentional.
TVs. A tilting bracket with a 55-inch TV puts serious leverage on its top fixings. On solid brick or concrete, use the bracket's full bolt pattern with 8–10 mm plugs. On plasterboard or soft brick, this is honestly a job for chemical anchors or a professional — a falling TV is an expensive way to learn wall types.
Floating shelves. The minimalist hidden-bracket design is the most demanding fixing there is: all the weight works as rotation on two or three points. On a crumbly wall, choose brackets that spread the load, or accept visible brackets. Books are heavier than people think — a meter of full shelf is easily 25–30 kg.
Before you drill anywhere, check for pipes and cables. In Dutch homes, wiring typically runs vertically above and below sockets and switches, and horizontally at fixed heights — but old Amsterdam buildings have been rewired many times and follow no rules. A €25 detector (leidingzoeker) is cheaper than drilling into a water pipe, and in these buildings, water damage gets expensive fast — including for the neighbors below.
Renting? Know the rules before making holes
Normal picture-hanging and shelf-mounting holes fall under ordinary use of a rental home — you're allowed to hang things. But you're generally expected to return the walls in reasonable state, which means filling holes and touching up paint when you leave. For anything structural (removing walls, mounting very heavy items into shared/structural walls), ask the landlord or VvE first. If a previous botched fixing left a crater in the wall, document it at check-in so it isn't deducted from your deposit later.
When to stop DIYing and call someone
Be honest about the crossover point. Call in a professional when:
- The item is heavy or dangerous if it falls (TV above a sofa, overhead cabinets, anything above a bed or cot).
- You've already got one or two blown-out holes in the same spot.
- The wall is plasterboard and the item is heavier than a mirror.
- You need chemical anchors and have never used them.
- It's a whole batch of jobs — curtains, shelves, TV, mirrors — where a pro with the right plugs for the right walls finishes in two hours what costs you a weekend and a bag of filler.
A handyman visit for a morning of mounting work typically costs €50–€150 for a single job or €150–€400 for a half-day of accumulated tasks — usually less than the cost of repairing a wall (or a TV) after a failed fixing.
Walls fighting back? Tom's Klussen handymen mount TVs, shelves and curtain rails on every Amsterdam wall type — with the fixing that matches your wall, and a fixed price agreed upfront. Get a free quote or estimate the cost with the fee calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why do wall plugs keep coming out of my Amsterdam wall?
Most likely the plug only grips the plaster layer, while the brick behind it is soft or the hole was widened by hammer-drilling. Use longer plugs that reach into sound material, drill without hammer function, and clear the dust from the hole.
What are the best wall plugs for old Dutch walls?
For soft pre-war brick: long universal nylon plugs (60–80 mm) or chemical anchors for heavy loads. For plasterboard: hollow-wall anchors or toggle bolts. For aerated concrete: dedicated gasbeton plugs. There is no single 'best' plug — matching plug to wall type is the whole game.
Can I mount a TV on a plasterboard wall?
Yes, but only with fixings rated for the combined weight and leverage — heavy-duty toggles or by anchoring into the studs behind the board. For large TVs on hollow or crumbly walls, professional mounting is the safer choice.
Am I allowed to drill holes in a rental apartment in the Netherlands?
Normal mounting holes are considered ordinary use, but you're expected to fill them and repair the paint when you move out. For heavy or structural fixings, get your landlord's permission in writing first.