[rjordan392]

Hello,
My home has brick veneer. This veneer also has hollow areas in it. When installing lead anchors, is it best to drill through the mortor joint so that the anchor will expand between two bricks? The first couple of times that I drilled through the brick, the hole was too close to the hollow area, that when I inserted a screw, the hole collapsed into the hollow space and the anchor was useless.

 

[nap]

what kind of lead anchors are you talking about? Just want to be sure before I tell you how to break your bricks with an expanding anchor.

what are you attaching as well?

and when you say veneer, do you mean a full size (depth) brick?. with space behind it?

 

[rjordan392]

My home was built with two rows of bricks. They are full length and width about 4 inches wide by 8 inches.
I am not sure but I think there may be a gap between the rows. My home is a Philadelphia type row home and the exterior walls have drywall, furring strips and the first row of brick, then another.

I mention anchors when I should have said Lag Shields. The size I usually have a problem with are the 3/8 size requiring a 5/8 hole. At the moment I am not hanging up anything. I just wanted to know if going through the mortor joint is an accepted way of installing lag shields? The question came up on another forum and I said I had no problems doing it that way.
I can up load a picture if needed after I recharge the batteries in my camera.

 

[Ron6519]

You can drill in the mortar to install the anchors.
Ron

 

[rjordan392]

That's what I thought.
In the past, I have used these 3/8 lag shields to mount a wooden frame for an overhang above my bay window and a doorway leading to a deck.
I try to put most of the shields in the mortor joints while a few had to go into the brick. Both overhangs are almost 30 years old and are as straight and tight as the day they were mounted.
By the way, today's contractors are using metal framing to build these overhangs. I wonder which type is stronger; wooden or metal? Philadelphia, Pa has not been hit with a strong hurricane in years. Time and weather will tell.

 

[NJ Brickie]

Yes you can drill into the mortar joints. An old Philly rowhome is not a brick veneer. Those walls are load bearing. I also would suspect that there are no cores in the brick, most likely solid brick. Depending on how old the house is. There would be a small space between the two wythes of brick.

 

[rjordan392]

My home was built in the early1950's. The exterior row of bricks has cores as I have seen them when I installed my bay window and in later years, I was reminded of that when I tried to install a lag shield or two. Its been a long time since then and I think there were three cores to each brick. The interior row of brick may be solid brick, I don't remember. I have heard that the exterior brick is called brick venner. If the brick has cores, does that make it a veneer?

 

[NJ Brickie]

No a veneer is basically designed to be used as siding. It has no structural function. It is a single wythe of brick. Your house is double wythe of brick with a furring strip and drywall, which means the brick wall is what "holds up" the house. Newer homes built have what you would call a veneer. It is a stick framed house "sided" with brick. The framing is the structural part of the house.

 

[spark plug]

Best location (in brick) for Anchor or Lag Shield

The ideal location for inserting an Anchor or Lag Shield (respectively), whether it's in Brick, Cinder block or Ceramic tile is always at the seam. (between). However, it's not always possible. When the dimensions of the object to be hung or fastened do not match the pattern of the bricks. With Ceramic tile you run the risk of cracking it. :no::yes::drink:

 

[rjordan392]

Thanks All,
While interviewing a Direct TV contractor, I had to remind him that placing the lag shields in the mortor joint was a more secure way of installing. He would have drilled through the brick if I had given him the job.