How to Hang Things on Tough Surfaces | |
Hanging objects on a brick or stone wall isn't easy. Few objects will penetrate masonry and concrete surfaces unless you're using a hardened steel masonry or cut nail. If you are faced with the challenge of hanging artwork, a mailbox or anything on a tough masonry surface, here are the best methods to use. The most reliable method to attach both lightweight and heavy things to a masonry surface is with an expanding wall anchor that requires a predrilled hole. The best tool for making this hole is a standard electric drill equipped with a carbide-tipped drill bit. If you have several holes to drill or the anchor requires a hole more than 7/8-in. in diameter, consider renting a hammer drill (about $20 a day) from a local rental outlet to make the job easier. It doesn't matter whether you want to attach something to a cement block, concrete, brick or stone surface, the tactics are basically the same. For light loads (10 to 20 lbs. per anchor) like securing a small shelf to a wall, a plastic expansion anchor is the easiest and least expensive to purchase and install. Mark the location of the anchor and use a carbide-tipped drill to make a pilot hole in the wall slightly smaller than the diameter of the anchor. Make the hole at least a 1/4-in. deeper than the overall length of the anchor if you are drilling in solid concrete, brick or stone. The anchor will have more holding power if you don't install it in a mortar joint. Then insert the plastic anchor into its pilot hole and use a hammer to drive it into the wall until its head is flush with the wall surface. Put the fastener that comes with the anchor through the mounting hole in whatever you are attaching to the wall and then tighten the screw into the anchor. Continue tightening the screw 1/2 turn after its head has pulled tight against the wall to expand the anchor. To hang a framed picture, back the screw out of the anchor a turn or two and then hook the wire over the screw. If the anchors don't come with screws, use sheet metal screws. For a medium-weight load (up to 40 lbs. per anchor) a dual purpose masonry wood screw is a good choice and easy to install because it has special self-tapping threads designed to cut into masonry walls. One 1 1/4-in. long, 3/16-in. diameter screw will hold up to 100 lbs. per anchor if installed in a solid concrete wall. These screws also work in cement block, brick or stone, and plaster. Installation is straightforward but you do have to drill a pilot hole for the screw with a carbide-tipped drill. The big advantage to this type of fastener is that it can be easily removed from the wall. To hold heavy objects such as book shelves, a lead or steel expansion anchor should be used. Depending on the anchor diameter, this type of fastener can hold anywhere from a couple of hundred pounds per anchor in the 1/4-in. sizes to well over a thousand pounds in larger sizes. These anchors are installed in exactly the same way as the plastic anchors but the pilot hole is not drilled as deep. The hole must be about a 1/4-in. shallower than the length of the anchor. Check the manufacturer's installation instructions. After the pilot hole is drilled, insert the anchor and pound it into the hole. This drives the anchor body down over the expansion plug to spread the base of the anchor and lock it in place. Lead anchors without steel inserts accept sheet metal or standard screws. Steel anchors or large diameter lead anchors with threaded steel inserts will accept only bolts. The screws or bolts should be shorter than the length of the anchor so you can tighten them without having the screw reach the bottom of the anchor. written by the editors of HouseNet Copyright HouseNet, Inc. |