What the Brick is Going on (Brick-Drilling Issues)
It all started out as such a simple, lovely idea: put up a long shelf in my brownstone bedroom to free up space elsewhere in these here 510 sq. ft. But then I was sold plastic anchors for the task; then lead anchors that seemed to be crushed a bit. Finally, six of nine holes…
It all started out as such a simple, lovely idea: put up a long shelf in my brownstone bedroom to free up space elsewhere in these here 510 sq. ft.
But then I was sold plastic anchors for the task; then lead anchors that seemed to be crushed a bit. Finally, six of nine holes drilled, but still problems:
Problem 1: I seem to have struck metal or hard rock about 1/2 inch into one hole. What could this possibly be, and how do I drill through it, or should I? This is a brownstone from the 1880’s, so what could be in the brick?
Problem 2: along the way, at least two of the holes seemed to get too big for the anchors. Is there any way to fill-in a hole in brick (on a wall) such that it can be re-drilled? I was sold a tube of concrete patching material, but it is too fluid for a hole in a wall. I was told to try joint compound, but that seems implausible (too weak a material).
Any help appreciated!
Nothing is more fun, faster and butch then using a concrete nail gun. You’ll be asking the neighbors if they need anything fastened to the sidewalk.
http://www.getuptite.com/Powder-Actuated-Tools.html
Follow up: I just read something on the web about concrete sleeve anchors? assuming I they are available in a small enough size to somehow work with the shelf brackets I have, what about those?
It looks like this brick is suffiently old that none of the holes/anchors seem to really be secure. Maybe the epoxy is the way to go… hoping. Oh, the charm of a brownstone!
when I am boring into bricks which crumble or turn to powder, thereby creating too big a hole for the anchor, I put epoxy in the hole and press the anchor into it. Once set, I place the screws. You need a thick epoxy like PC-7. Forget the lead shields, they will only cause more damage to the brick and ditto for expandable anchors.
I am not going to take too many guesses at what you may have hit when drilling; I have hit rocks in bricks before.
In my experience, hammer drills give a very rough hole in brick as well. It’s just easier to drill. And the right epoxy provides a better bond than just the brick + anchor. But that’s just my experience.
What’s in your brick is likely a piece of stone.
Without a hammer drill and masonry bit, it is difficult not to end up with sloppy asymmetric holes, which won’t hold the anchors well. You either need to re-drill your holes with a larger bit (and use larger anchors), or move the supports and start over. I wouldn’t rely on epoxy (or anything else)as a filler.
Without knowing your exact situation, is it possible that you’re not drilling into brick? Do you know it’s brick or could it be plaster/metal lathe assembly over brick? It’s entirely plausible that you are drilling through finish plaster (the first 1/2″) to the much harder scratch plaster (the next +/- 1″) that has metal lathe embedded. IF that’s what it happening here, I’d suggest that lead anchors will do very little in the long term. Instead you should look at using toggle bolts.
What color is the dust that you’re creating? Is it red-brick color or is it white/tan?
I’ve experienced this exact problem many times.
Bricks seem to have hard spots that a drill bit won’t penetrate easily. It’s hit or miss; you can’t predict where they’ll be. You can drill through them, but be prepared to melt a few bits.
Lead anchors are the way to go. You should be able to just slide the anchor in, and the screw will expand the anchor. Use a rubber headed hammer to tap the anchors in, or you’ll crush them. It’s very hard to get a precise hole, because the brick material tends to crumble and the drill bit wobbles as you apply force. Start with a smaller bit, and then move to a larger bit, and you’ll minimize this issue. If the hole ends up too big, inject epoxy into the hole (you can buy it pre-loaded into a syringe) and then tap the anchor in.
Not all the anchors need to be tight. At some points in the system, the load is all directed downward (parallel to the wall), and simply having the anchor in the wall works. At other anchor points the load is also directed forward (perpendicular to the wall), and these anchors have to be very tight or the system will pull/twist itself out of the wall (I had a major system pull out of the wall with an enormous crash six months after it was installed.) If the system is heavy and you can’t visualize how the stresses are distributed, you should get some help!
Last night, in an admittedly tired state, I took a titanium drill bit to the undrillable hole. It worked, but then I heard what sounded like sparks, and freaked out, thinking I had hit some kind of electrical work. But there aren’t electrical wires in a solid brick, especially from the 1880’s. The titanium bit must have created some sparks, which is what I heard? Scared the hell of me!