Homewalls holds stuck to paint - advice for removing

I think the paint didn't fully dry and now the holds are pretty well stuck on there (they don't budge at all no matter how hard I pull). Any advice for removing the holds without damaging them or or the board? I can't even get a flathead screw driver behind them to try and pry. Thanks! 

You can whack them with a rubber mallet but expect some paint to come off. That's what I've done.

The surgical nature of removing them without damaging the paint isn't worth it. Rubber mallet as suggested above wont damage the hold or the wall, and repainting or touching up the paint will be the easiest thing to fix

WHAM . wrote:

The surgical nature of removing them without damaging the paint isn't worth it. Rubber mallet as suggested above wont damage the hold or the wall, and repainting or touching up the paint will be the easiest thing to fix

Username checks out.

I use a paint scraper to pry them off. Wack it with a mallet. 

Might want to score around the holds with a razor knife, so at least you don’t delaminate the wood or start pealing the paint beyond the holds if you need to use a mallet.

Use a wood block with a rubber mallet or deadblow(for when you miss the block). Hit the hold in the direction of the grain on the plywood(top veneer is always parallel to the long axis. The block is better at transferring the force to the edge of the hold which helps if you have polyurethane holds because they are so malleable. Putting a twisting force on the hold by whacking towards one side or the other sometimes helps.

You should always wait at least a week before installing holds on a painted wall. Never use any oil based paints, because their cure times are much longer.  I always use texture with my painted walls which also helps prevent blocking. You do not need to tighten the holds as much because the texture helps keep them from spinning. I learned these lessons the hard way. 

I've had good luck just putting a thick screwdriver in the T-nut cylinder and prying. A bit crude perhaps.

Thanks for all the helpful responses! Now I gotta find one of those rubber mallets! 

Update - hitting the holds with a mallet and block didn't work at all - I ended up using the mallet to wedge a paint scraper under the holds and that popped them off pretty well. A few times a good amount of plywood came off with the hold but most of the time there was minimal impact on the wall. Can definitely recommend the paint scraper pry technique. Will make sure to wait a lot longer after painting next time! 

John Goodlander wrote:

Will make sure to wait a lot longer after painting next time! 

Better yet, don't paint your wall.  It's not necessary and causes problems.