Zinc plated sleeve anchors should be used in indoor dry areas, stainless steel sleeve anchors should be considered for use in outside applications. All sleeve anchors come pre-assembled and ready to use. The hole that is required to be drilled into the brick is the same diameter as the sleeve anchor being used.
Sleeve anchors work well in brick. Wedge anchors don't work very well as the brick is too soft. Sometimes Tapcons will work. It depends on the brick and with Tapcons you need to get the exact diameter hole which can be slightly different for different density materials.
Wedge anchors are one of the strongest anchors available. They come in nine different diameters and several different lengths. The larger the anchor, the more holding power it has. They also come in several different materials, so you can use them in areas with or without the possibility of corrosion.
Installing Tapcon Screws into Brick
Drill a hole into the brick or the mortar joint using a hammer drill with a carbide drill bit that meets ANSI standards and is the correct diameter of the tapcon being installed. Drill hole a minimum of 1/2” deeper into the brick or mortar joint than the tapcon screw will penetrate.
The hole was not drilled deep enough and the masonry screw is bottoming out in the hole. Make sure that the hole is a minimum of 1/2” deeper than the screw will penetrate the base material. In some cases, using a generic imported masonry screw may be inferior to using the American made Tapcon brand masonry screw.
Concrete screws or a masonry screw as they're also commonly known as, are specially designed to fix materials to masonry surfaces such as concrete or brick. They feature a full thread from head to tip, which is deeper than a normal screw thread to ensure a high pull out resistance.
As a general rule, always drill into the brick unless you're hanging something very light (under two pounds). Mortar is much softer than brick and doesn't have the strength to hold significant weight. Mortar deteriorates faster than brick, which could compromise the stability of your installation over time.
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.
Command™ Outdoor Products can also be used on smooth, sealed and finished surfaces including vinyl siding and fences, doors, windows, decks, gutters and trim. The Outdoor Product line is not recommended for use on rough surfaces, such as cement board, brick or rough-sawn wood. Will Command™ Products stick to brick? No.
For this reason, sleeve anchors are recommended by their manufacturers for use in brick masonry more often than wedge anchors. Drop-in and self-drilling anchors (see Fig. 8) are two other types of expansion anchors available, but are typi- cally not recommended by their manufacturers for use in masonry.
Toggle Bolts: Toggle bolts are a popular choice for mounting heavier items, such as TVs. They consist of a spring-loaded toggle attached to a threaded bolt that expands behind the drywall to provide a strong hold. Toggle bolts can support up to 100 pounds or more, depending on the size and number of bolts used.
A drop-in anchor is designed for solid concrete, while a machine screw anchor is designed for use in brick, block, and concrete.
Wedge anchor
Wedge anchors are considered one of the best concrete screws due to their exceptional strength. They consist of a threaded bolt with a wedge-shaped mechanism. As you tighten the nut, the wedge expands the anchor body, creating immense holding power.
These light duty Ribbed Plastic Anchors are used in concrete, hollow block and brick, solid brick and wallboard applications. The anchor expands to grip the wall as you tighten the wood or sheet metal screw (not included).
Hollow-Set™ drop-in anchor is designed for anchoring in hollow base materials such as hollow concrete block, extruded wire cut brick, and hollow core pre-cast concrete, as well as solid base materials. Conventional anchors will not function due to shallow depths.
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.
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. So, it is a relatively easy skill to pick up.
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.
Types of Brick Anchors. Sleeve Anchors- are male type anchors that are manufactured in diameters from 1/4” to 3/4” and are available in many lengths to accommodate different material thickness. Sleeve anchors are versatile and can be used in solid brick, brick with holes or the mortar joint.
Tapcons can be installed in concrete, brick, block and in the mortar joints between the brick and block. The harder the base material, the less embedment is required to attain sufficient holding values. The minimum embedment for a Tapcon® concrete screw is 1” and the maximum embedment is 1-3/4”.
Apply the Appropriate Pressure: Operating a hammer drill is easy enough, provided you allow the power tool to do most of the work for you. Apply too little or too much force is a sure way of causing the drill to slip. Find your groove and apply a medium amount of pressure to maintain control.
Self-tapping brick anchors, concrete block or concrete screws are used for fastening items to brick. Concrete screws are most commonly called Tapcon® masonry screws. The heavy-duty masonry screw has the versatility for use in brick, mortar joints, CMU, block or solid concrete.
Masonry drill bits will provide neat, precise holes without cracking the brick work, but they need to be used at much slower speeds than standard HSS drill bits. This is because they heat up much quicker.