If you want to make your own shelves you can see an example of fitting shelves into alcoves. Putting up floating shelves is a slightly different process , where you fit special hidden brackets that the shelf then slots onto.
When the floating shelf is on the wall you cannot see the fixings at all. Decorative mouldings include picture rails, dado rails, skirting boards, and coving. See a full description of decorative mouldings , and a full guide to putting up coving in our coving project. The process of putting up door liners and frames and putting up door trim and architrave is quite different to method of fixing that we have dealt with on this page but you can visit the specific pages to find our more.
Hopefully this project will have answered all your questions about fixing to masonry, including using wall plugs and chemical anchor fixings in any type of solid walls. If you need any further help you can always go to our excellent DIY Forum, and look for your own specific question on there.
The forum is used by thousands of Home Improvers and Tradesmen so you are sure to find the answer, and you can always post you own question on there once you have registered.
All project content written and produced by Mike Edwards , founder of DIY Doctor and industry expert in building technology. Find a tradesman now! We love feedback on our DIY tutorials it helps us to make them the best they possibly can be so if you have any comments you would like to share with us, click the button below and let us know.
Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Skip to footer Main navigation. Search this website. Blog DIY Competitions. Twitter Facebook Pin It Buffer. Project Page Menu. If you have a solid wall it could be brick, block or stone masonry. Drilling into Masonry Masonry surfaces are hard if they are in good condition. You can find more advice on these power tools from our product review section Masonry Drill Bits have a flat cutting section at the end You will also need masonry drill bits of the correct size for your job more on sizes later — you can tell if a drill bit is for drilling masonry or concrete by the shape of the end.
Most importantly it will not burn out the motor in your drill, which can make the job and expensive one Fixing to Masonry The traditional way of fixing to masonry is to use screws, but you cannot screw directly into a brick wall, a block wall, or stone, so you need to drill a hole, and then provide a material that can be screwed into, but will also hold the screw firmly in place.
Fixing with Plastic Wall Plugs Plastic wall plugs also known as Rawl plugs help you to get a secure fitting when you are fixing things to walls. Wall Plugs Colour Code Wall plugs sizes are indicated by their colour code to make it easier to identify the one you need while you are fixing things to walls, without the need to carefully scrutinise each wall plug before using it.
Yellow plugs fit into holes made by a 5mm drill bit and are for screw sizes 4 — 8 Red wall plugs fit into a hole made by a 6mm drill bit and are for screw sizes 6 — 10 Brown wall plugs fit into a hole made by a 7mm drill bit and are for screw sizes 10 — 14 Blue wall plugs fit into a hole made by a 10mm drill bit and are for screw sizes 14 — 18 Wall plugs are colour coded to quickly indicate their size Screws for Wall Plugs Screws come in all shapes and sizes. Attaching to Brick Walls — A Tutorial Fixing a bracket to a brick wall is the example we have pictured, but you would use the same process for attaching things to brick walls as you would for any other masonry surface.
Electric Drill Masonry Bit or Bits depending on the size of hole Correct size Plugs Wall plugs also known as Rawl plugs Screws of the correct size for the job Electrical Tape Tape Measure Pencil, chalk or a nail to mark where the hole should go Now you have all of the equipment you need, you can start fixing. Measure your drill bit and place coloured tape to mark the depth of the hole you need So in this instance you would measure 53mm from the tip of your masonry bit and mark it with a piece of tape see above.
Masonry drill bit marked with the correct depth for the hole we will need for this wall plug Next we hold our wall bracket up to the wall if possible to mark the position of the screws.
Mark the brickwork in a V shape with a nail where you want to drill your hole to get an accurate position When we measure to drill holes, you will see above, we always mark our position with a V shape. Make sure though that whichever mark you make it will be covered by the work you are hanging. Make sure your drill bit is straight and at right angles to the wall Apply pressure to the drill, but allow the drill to do the work.
Drill into the wall until the marker tape touches the brickwork Push in the wall plug you are using, in this case a red one. Screw your bracket to the wall — you can see the red wall plug in the hole sitting flush with the brickwork Screw the bracket to the wall so that you get a secure fixing.
Fixing Timber Battens to Masonry with Wall Plugs Timber battens are used to allow you to get a level surface to fix plasterboard or other sheeting material to the wall. Make sure if you are fixing Battens on a wall that they are straight and regularly spaced at mm apart see our Battening a Wall project for more information To fix a timber batten hold the batten into position on the wall, making sure it is level using a spirit level. Fixing with Resins and Adhesives Fixing things to walls with resins is a specialist area and we have taken advice from Property Repair Systems, to bring you the best advice on this method of fixing.
Epoxy Thixotrophic Adhesives These allow you to bond or "glue" items directly to the surface you want.
Epoxy Fillers These fillers provide a base for you to screw or bolt your item to. Anchoring with Resins Using a chemical or resin anchor system involves fixing a steel stud, bolt or other type of anchoring fixing, by filling a drilled hole in masonry with a resin-based adhesive and setting the anchoring fixing into the resin and allowing it to set or "cure".
Measure, mark and drill your hole in the desired location. Clean the hole of dust and debris. You can do this using proprietary brushes or by using a compressor to blow air into the hole. Resin injection into holes for solid fixings Inject the resin into the hole.
The best way to do this is using the applicator skeleton gun fitted with an extension tube of the correct length and diameter to reach the bottom of the hole see picture above. Inject gently, slowly removing the tube from the hole, to deposit resin without trapping air. For accurate, waste-free injection you can pre-mark the tube with tape just like we did with the masonry bit when we were drilling holes in the project above. Stop operating the trigger when the tape appears. Make sure you set the tape at a distance from the tube end to allow for the resin that will be displaced by the stud, dowel or bar.
There are various applicator skeleton guns available, depending on which resin you choose. Skeleton gun for applying resin Mask the threaded stud with electrical tape over the part required to take the nut, to avoid resin contamination, which might block the threads.
Take the stud in a gloved hand and slowly rotate whilst pushing it into the resin filled hole. Complete kits are available for resin fixing if you have a lot to do.
If you need to use dowels, for reinforcement or joining materials together these are available in high tensile plated steel or epoxy-glass in 6 — 25mm diameters.
You can see an example of dowels being used to repair a joist in the picture below. Joining and repairing damaged timber with dowels resins Types of Resin for Chemical Anchors There are two main types of resins used as chemical anchors: Epoxies — Epoxies are a group of adhesives, plastics, or other materials made from a class of synthetic manmade thermosetting give off heat as they cure polymers a chemical with a large number of similar sized bonds containing epoxide groups — see the Oxford English Dictionary for definition!
Polyesters — Polyesters are made up of multiple esters — no we are not sure either, but you will have been used to seeing the term polyester on clothing and the same properties it gives clothes make it suitable as a building material. The fibres are strong, shrink resistant, and hydrophobic resists moisture. What you need to know is they both form a strong and stable substance to set your fixings into. Polyester Anchor Resins are available online from Property Repair Systems They are available in three different setting times to suit the job you are doing, either to give you a quick result or to allow you time to get fixings in place, depending on what you are using the resin for: Fast — cures in 3 — 6 minutes Medium — cures in 15 — 30 minutes Slow — cures in 4 — 6 hours The formulations are available in three main pack types: Single Cartridge Tube — No Hand Mixing Required — This does not require any hand mixing and it fits in a standard skeleton gun.
There are two resins inside the tube separated by plastic until they are needed. The two resins mix in the nozzle, inside a spiral, which can be replaced if the resin hardens before the tube is exhausted.
The two resins are inside twin plastic tubes which are linked together. It requires a specific skeleton gun for each type, depending on the cartridge size and the specific mix ratio.
Again the resins mix in the nozzle, inside a spiral, which can be replaced should the resin harden before the tube is emptied. The tube fits standard skeleton guns and mixed resin is pushed into an empty cartridge using a grease pot type pusher plate before it is applied to the surface. You may need to sand the area if the surface is very flaky. Set the batten on the wall and make sure it is vertical using a spirit level. Mark around the batten with a pencil. Take the batten down and coat the back of the batten and the marked wall area with the Thixo Rapid Resin.
This mixes in the nozzle and will cure in minutes. Press the batten against the wall, resin side against the wall obviously! Hold or prop in place for a few minutes until the resin begins to set.
Once the resin has cured you can then use the batten to provide a base for nails or screws, to hold your plasterboard, kitchen cupboard or radiator for example. Fixing Things to Walls Fixing Pictures to Walls We have mostly dealt with battens and brackets in this project but if you want to know about putting up picture frames, and putting up picture hooks, you can go to our DIY Project which deals with putting up photos on walls and attaching pictures to brick walls.
Mirror fixing Picture hook If you want to know more about putting up heavy pictures or attaching mirrors to walls , then go to our Putting up Mirrors guide because you use the same process for hanging mirrors as you do to hang heavy and large pictures.
Putting Up Blinds If you are putting up blinds we have a number of helpful DIY Guides on the site, why not start out on our main Blinds project pages particularly this one if you need more information. The affore mentioned DIY Projects deal with: Dry Lined Walls Cutting plasterboard Fixing plasterboard to brick Fixing plasterboard to walls Dry Wall Screws Stud Walling Putting up a shelf If you are putting up shelves onto a masonry wall the process for fixing the brackets is very similar to the Attaching to Brick Walls in our picture tutorial above.
Making shelves and putting up shelves in an alcove Putting up floating shelves is a slightly different process , where you fit special hidden brackets that the shelf then slots onto. Putting up Decorative Mouldings Decorative mouldings include picture rails, dado rails, skirting boards, and coving. Use a rotary hammer drill for holes that exceed half an inch. Knowing how to drill into brick with a hammer drill will result in efficient, safe, accurate and smooth holes.
Implementing the right drill bit is also critical. The most common for drilling brick or mortar are masonry bits that include hammer and rotary. Masonry bits have the power to break up masonry and hard-cutting tips made of rougher material than standard bits. They also have an arrow-like shape with tips that are larger than the rest of the bit to cut through dense materials. Whether you decide to drill on brick or mortar, you need to pick the location of the hole.
Drilling incorrectly can damage the wall and your drill. You can follow the same steps found in the initial brick drilling procedure. Knowing where drill on either brick or mortar can save you from splitting the surface. Examine the wall for fractures, erosion, holes and weak spots that may affect the drilling process. For example, drilling a small hole in the softer mortar will require different products than when cutting a deep hole into brick.
The two proper tools to have on hand include a hammer drill and a masonry drill bit. Working with a standard drill may not hold up to the material. Make sure a hammer drill is your prime source, or find another type of drill with a hammer function.
Other considerations for the correct drill come down to specific features. Does the tool have a variable speed? Can it produce strong and powerful torque? Is a depth setting available? Masonry or mortar drill bits are the only type that can penetrate brick or mortar with ease. These bits are designed to deal with particular materials, so the central part of the bit is made of steel, while the tip has tungsten carbide to help it cut through tough walls.
The head of the bit hammers against the brick to break it apart. While a hammer drill and masonry bit are the two main tools you need, you may also require extra tools when drilling. Drilling into a brick wall with a regular drill requires a high-quality masonry bit at the least. With no hammer action, the tool has to rely on its turning speed. Without a proper hammer drill, the process will take longer.
You will also need to remove the drill from the hole more often. To prevent overheating, place the bit in cold water every time you remove it. Anytime you operate power tools, safety should be your priority. Administering safe practices when drilling can protect you and other workers, as well as forge accurate and well-made holes. To prevent injuries on the worksite, wear goggles , protective earmuffs, gloves and a respirator.
Safety equipment and other tips to think about include the following. Exposure to silica, which is in brick and mortar, can be detrimental to your health. Silica particles ranging from 0. Over time, the buildup can cause fibrosis of the lung.
Be vigilant when wearing your protective gear. Regular inspections and maintenance of your hammer drill are also key. The first step to drilling into brick is to mark the location. Drilling near the edges can cause the brick to split and crumble. Make sure to stay more than an inch from any edge. That dust can obstruct an anchor or screw, so you need to remove it before attaching anything to the brick.
Since you already have the vacuum out, this is a good time to sweep and clean the floor. On occasion, you may need to drill all the way through brick to run a water pipe, anchor, or electrical wiring.
Following these steps will enable you to hang shelving, pictures, and other decorative items on your brick surfaces. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. How to Drill into Brick. By Tom Scalisi.
Pinterest Email Pocket Flipboard. Can You Drill into Brick? Brick vs. Mortar In only rare instances would you have to consider whether to drill into bricks versus mortar, the much softer material that sits between them. Step 1: Measure and mark where you want to drill The first step to drilling into brick is to mark the location.
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