Wall plugs are required for hollow walls like plasterboard, and solid walls such as brick or concrete. In general, screws can be inserted directly into wood without the use of plugs.
Yes always use a plug if it's going into brick.
They may be small, but masonry anchors play a mighty—and vital—role in securing fixtures, structural elements, decorations, and equipment to brick walls. Finding the right fixture can prevent a potential catastrophe in your home.
Without them, screws cannot successfully grip materials such as plasterboard, creating a fixing that will become loose over time. Wall plugs are manufactured out of medium-duty, modelled plastic, that expands when the screw is entered.
The main thing to know is that you cannot drill straight into brick. You must drill a hole, insert a wall plug, and then screw the fitting into this. Brick is stronger than other materials, such as plasterboard.
The CON-SERT™ concrete and masonry screws can be inserted directly into the project area – there is no need for plugs, saving you time and money. They come in boxes of 100 screws with a 1x Star T-30 driver bit included in every box.
Firmness: Brick is generally harder and denser than mortar, which means that it requires more force and a stronger drill bit to drill into it. Porosity: It is far easier to drill into mortar as it is much more porous and therefore may require less force.
Depending on the material you're drilling into, you'll need a specific wall plug. To know the material, knock on the wall. If it sounds solid, it is probably masonry such as brick or concrete. If it sounds hollow, it's likely drywall or plaster.
It's difficult to put an exact weight limit on a masonry screw, as many things have to be taken into consideration. This includes the strength of the material and the size of the screw. That being said, anything up to 45kg should be fine.
Normal screws will not securely stay in plasterboard or masonry without a wall plug, so learning how to use them is an important DIY skill.
Always drill at least an inch away from the edges of the brick. Apply steady, even pressure rather than forcing the drill. Start with a smaller pilot hole before moving to larger bit sizes. Use sharp, high-quality drill bits.
Types of popular wall plugs
We will describe them below. You can also get universal fixings that can be used in a variety of materials, including the three basic ones: concrete, drywall, and hollow substrates such as vertically perforated bricks and hollow masonry units.
Command™ adhesive holds strongly to a variety of surfaces: painted, stained or varnished wood, glass, tile, metal, painted drywall and other smooth surfaces. Do not use Command™ Products on textured walls or surfaces, wallpaper, brick, rough or non-stick surfaces, or fabrics.
The Fischer nylon S plug is an effective wall plug for brick and concrete, constructed of high quality nylon with 2-way expansion. The Fischer nylon high performance wall plug for brick, concrete and natural stone is ideal for high load bearing capacities in solid and hollow materials.
Hammer-in plugs
These alternatives to wall plugs and screws are good for fixing timber battens to masonry. One type has a wall plug with a ready-fitted screw. It's inserted into a drilled hole with a hammer, then driven home with the screw. There's also a version of this designed for plasterboard.
Or, as you say you're ready to do, you can tackle the work yourself and gradually build up your skill set. To patch holes in bricks, there are two ways to proceed: Use caulk, or plug with a little mortar.
Sleeve anchors are versatile and can be used in solid brick, brick with holes or the mortar joint. Sleeve anchors provide the widest variety of head styles and they come in round slotted head, flat Phillips countersunk, acorn head or the standard hex nut.
Masonry screws can attach material to concrete, stone or brick without the need for an additional plug. They have a unique design that includes a long body with a deeper thread for extra strength and resistance.
A single 4mm diameter screw into a 30x6mm Fischer Duopower wall plug in a solid brick will support 50kg - and this is the smallest plug I routinely use. You have to be more wary if you have plasterboard - which can be fixed to studs (wood or metal) or it can be stuck on solid walls (dot & dab) with a small void.
won't do the job and a screw on its own wont grip. Our Multi-purpose screws will not securely stay fixed in plasterboard or brickwork without a wall plug and attempting to do so will damage the wall or plaster They expand under the pressure of the advancing screw to securely grip the sides of the hole you have drilled.
Wall plugs come in various colours. Although it varies somewhat depending on the manufacturer, yellow plugs are for 4 mm gauge screws, red ones are for 5 mm, and brown wall plugs are for 5.5 mm screws.
Generally the plug is the movable connector attached to an electrically operated device's power cord, and the socket-outlet is fixed on equipment or a building structure. The plug has protruding prongs, or pins that fit into matching slots or holes in the socket-outlet.
If you're a DIYer novice, you need to know you can't screw directly into brick. You need to drill a hole, insert a rawl plug – a type of fixing which will hold your screw in place – and then screw into this. This process is much easier in a brick wall than plasterboard, which may require more specialist fixings.
A regular drill can still drill holes in bricks without the hammer motion. However, it is slower and requires the use of masonry drill bits. Masonry bits feature an arrow-like form and larger tips than the remainder of the bit and are designed to cut through solid materials like bricks.
When drilling with a masonry bit, you should be making slow progress even if the drill is not in hammer mode. You should be able to drill into it without too much effort.