What to do when you can't get a fixing

[tombrooker84]

Hello Guys,

Recently completed the first fix on a small 2 bed house, as soon as you drilled to get a raw plug in, the brick just crumbled away (thats without using hammer setting and using a slightly smaller drill bit). What do you guys do, I've tried cutting bits of wood, but that is quite time consuming when you have a few to do. I was thinking perhaps quick setting concrete, bonding them in, or perhaps drywall adhesive. Any ideas?

Cheers

Tom

 

[Rockingit]

I was starting to sweat that no one had used the words 'grip' and 'fill', either Tel.

 

[steve.b]

blu-tac, Have you seen the price!!!

 

[MarkieSparkie]

If it's just the odd box, Gripfill works provided the substrate is not dusty.

 

[itselectric]

surprised nobody's mentioned blu-tac.

I use all mine fixing consumer unit to the wall

 

[ste mac]

blu-tac, Have you seen the price!!!

Hubba-bubba is cheaper & stickier!

 

[Engineer54]

All they ever used in the past on new builds, was builders cement or bonding. Can't ever remember them going back and fixing them with wall plugs and screws. lol!! Come to think of it, i've never seen one that has fallen out after it's all set hard either!!

Has the builders cement/mortar and bonding compounds become so weak these days then?? lol!!

 

[RyanCheetham]

Wickes do a quick set mortar that sets in about 15mins. Brilliant for this type of problem

 

[Des 56]

There is not so much rendering being done nowadays,but when it was gobbing cement to fix them was perfecto

The standard of alignment and how proud the box was to be,it could be made spot on and much better than drilling and maybe ending up with wonky boxes.especially after the labourer with Gnats brains got the demolition hammers to work on the cutting

 

[ayjay]

what type of brickwork/blockwork is it?
is it newbuild?

 

[tombrooker84]

In this house it is brick, but they have had a damp problem in various parts of the house which has now dried up, but the brick are either brittle and brake to pieces as soon as you touch them with a drill or chisel

 

[odawire]

probably not expanding foam, but there is a sticky foam call insta-stick that will literally stick any two surfaces solidly, they don't even have to be clean its amazing stuff, see it on all building sites now

 

[ayjay]

ah-- the bricks have probably gone all crumbly as they have been damp for years tom
try drilling really deep then use really good rawlplugs
and much longer screws
srart the screws into the plug then tap the head of the screw till the plug goes into the brick much deeper
drill the holes at an angle outwards as well

 

[hubsy]

Have you thought of drilling through the sides of the back box?

 

[grantr37]

there's special resin disks made by SPIT/PASLODE that you can use, drill a hole into the wall, you wet the disk with water then shove your fixing plug in pushing the disk in with it (it is like wet white paper) it has special glue/resin in it and sets fast (2 minutes or so) then it is strong.....the liquid resin seeps into the brick around it and bonds rigid...

they are quite expensive, think it is about £15 for a box of 20......

you will find them on ebay and I think screwfix sells them as well...

 

[grantr37]

OK here's another version I found .......hope this helps....

Product Information | WETNFIX?

quite cheap too......