fastening wood to masonry

Home | A-Z Contents | Arcade| DIY Forum | Directory | Disclaimer | DIY Videos |Safety First | Search

There are several fasteners which can be used for fastening wood to masonry. In the example below I am fastening a fence post to the side of a brick built garage. My preferred fastener for this type of work is the Masonry screw or Multi Monti, these are a fantastic way to fasten anything to Masonry as they can be used close to the edge of the masonry as there is no expansion force like there is with other types of fastener and they can also be reused.

These types of fasteners always hold better in the brick rather
then the mortar because they cut a thread into the brick itself, so it is a good
idea to mark the wood to be drilled so that the holes are drilled as near to the
centre of the brick as possible, ensure the wood is level and is exactly where
you want it and then draw a line down one side.

	Mark the piece of wood so that the holes are drilled directly into the bricks and not into the mortar!

Remove the piece of wood from the wall and lay it flat to drill it. This is best drilled with a Brad point drill bit, ensuring that you drill through the wood straight and not on an angle.

Now reposition the wood and drill straight through the holes you have just made with a masonry drill bit which is the exact right size for the masonry screws that you are using, this will mark the wall in the correct position for drilling later.

	If you are unsure which drill size to use it is a good idea to test them on a old brick! A hole too small will make it impossible to drive the screw in without breaking the brick and a hole too large will mean that you can unscrew the screw with your fingers! Once these are fastened into the correct size hole you have a very strong efficient fastening

	Spot through the timber so that the drill holes are marked on the wall. Once all holes have been marked you can remove the wood and drill the holes to the correct depth

	Here you can see that the hole is drilled almost in the centre of the brick. Note also the pencil line that has been drawn to ensure it is positioned in exactly the right place.

The hole in the wood now needs drilling again with a drill the size of the head of the masonry screw as the head needs sinking into the wood so that more of the length of the screw enters the brickwork, this is because the wood is three inches thick and the screws are only 4 inches long!

Now you can replace the wood to the marks that you made earlier and screw in the masonry screws, a cordless drill/driver is best for this as the screws can be very difficult to tighten by hand.