Fixing heavy things to friable block wall/resin sleeves - where to buy?

Hi,

I'm about to embark on fixing various things or various loadings to the walls of a house where I believe the walls are composed of Thermalite or similar under the dot 'n' dab plasterboard. Block is grey and a 5mm flat blade screwdriver can be pushed into it - feels like plaster of paris.

Having read googlegroups and various FAQs, I came to an interesting diversion:

Does anyone in the UK sell these:

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like a decent answer to fixing large weights to friable block where leaving a stud sticking out is not desired.

I'm putting up some shelves at the moment and will probably go with the the drop of Araldite on the wallplug approach - but for something with more loading (eg LCD TV) I'm not convinced. The resin sleeves in the URL look a lot more convincing.

Cheers,

Tim

Reply to
Tim S
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I read on one of the manufacturer's websites recently how to drill and plug these walls. The idea is to get a very clean parallel sided cylindrical hole for a regular wall plug. Use a HSS or similar drill bit without any hammer action, and not a masonary bit. I used this recently to mount quite a heavy air con internal unit, and it felt rock-solid.

For very lightweight loads, you can screw into the blockwork directly with a woodscrew, without any plug or pilot hole.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Ive never had problem using a non hammer type drill and a well fitted plug and a LONG screw.

If you feel paranoid, get some car body filler and coat the plug with the..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I agree. No fancy fixing changes the fact that you have a Thermalite wall (which I've always found an excellent material to fix to).

Not sure I'd trust that though

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Reply to
Stuart Noble

Thanks to all for the ideas - Jewson have some Fischer plugs that look suitable - and as mentioned, a bit of body filler/glue will do no harm.

Just noticed on Fischer's website:

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full...

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$EKAT-HK-DE&path=$INA-HK-$INKT-HK&path=$INA-HK-$INKT-HK-$INPG-CHEMIE&path=F5011Which is what I'm looking for for the TV. I'll ask in the local builder's merchants - most of them keep Fischer products.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

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$EKAT-HK-DE&path=$INA-HK-$INKT-HK&path=$INA-HK-$INKT-HK-$INPG-CHEMIE&path=F5011Those are for dense concrete or stone. I thought you were looking for fixings for lightweight aerated blocks, which is about as different a material as you could have.

I've found that the Rawlplug 'Rawlbloc' plugs work well in lightweight blocks; this is not surprising because that's what they're designed for.

Reply to
Andy Wade

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I'd considered switching the resin for one more suitable for friable substrates - I remember, but can't recall exactly where I saw it, a resin that was claimed to be good for crumbly material. Switching the (expected) stud for a sleeve would make no practical difference - that's my thinking anyway.

Worth considering - thanks. I'm not set on resin, it's just I've not been very convinced of other methods up until now.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

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Ah.,. a full size CRT TV?

Use at least 6" screws..I remember actually knocking out a whole brick when trying to mount a TV shelf..could see daylight through the wall..filled it up with mortar, pressed the rawlpug in, came back next day, and put a half brick sliver back on the outside, plastered up ..came back thee day after and painted it and put the shelf up..

Oh these wonderful 'period' properties made with cowdung mortar and friable brick that everyone thinks are o such high quality..give me a thermalite block any day..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

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Not CRT but heavy enough that I'm paranoid and you have to add the additional turning moment of a random sprog trying to hang off it to the equation in my house ;->

Just for the record, found the above anchor sleeves can be ordered by my local branch of

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Seems that Fischer VS 150C gunk is suitable for aircrete/thermalite which they have in stock. I'll give it a try. Gluing the thing to the wall somehow gives me a warmer feeling...

Oh for the days when I used to complain about drilling holes in diamond hard bricks - good old 1930's! :)

But the use of crap awkward building materials seems to have spawned a whole industry of fixings judging by PlasPlugs' range, so that's good for someone's economy.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

I'll certainly make a note of that, I see them as a useful alternative to studs and I don't think you'll be disappointed by Fischer. I just wish mor places stocked them though. Thought the drawings were bloody awful though, unless I missed it, no mention of the fixing depth at all, just the min/max mating depth for the bolt.

And B&Q own brands, useless.

Reply to
fred

If you are fixing between the'dots' you may find that, if there is a small contact area on the item you are fixing (I had the problem with an inch square plate for a concealed fixing 'L' shaped toilet roll holder) tht the plasterboard collapses - I cut it out and used a piece of wood to support the fixing.

Malcolm

Reply to
Malcolm Race

Or simply welly some muckite behind the board. Body filler or plaster or whatever.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Yep - I learnt that from bitter experience when I stuck some speaker mounts up in my last flat - nice rectangular dent in the wall on the one that didn't go over a dab. I was going to inject a load of builder's "structural" filler - I forget which one, have to google again.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

OK - Have just installed shelving - so here's how I did it for the record - as this method seemed to work well:

Many bits are put together from kind folks' suggestions here, some from my own research. I'm not taking credit for all of it - rather just presenting a coherent method that works for me in my little cheese house.

Problem: House is made of Thermashite/aircrete/somesuch blocks behind plasterboard dot n dabbed on. Blockwork isn't so much friable but rather some loose powder which someone gobbed in and vaguely shaped into cuboids. Even by aircrete's standards, these things are *poor*.

1) Get 8x80mm (or bigger if required, bigger is better) Fischer FUR frame fixings (or similar). These have nice teeth that expand outwards over 3/4 length. Some frame fixings only have a few serrations right near the end and in our application the screw does get that far due to thickness of thing being fixed (or get a longer screw).

Worth the money and the special order in this case. I really do not think many other plugs (certainly none that B&Q, local hardware store or Homebase had) would have stood a chance, or they would be hanging on the PB mostly. I wanted good fixings into the main part of the wall as these shelves will have heavy and expensive things on.

2) As instructed, drill hole with indicated size drill bit - being very careful not to wobble the drill. Straight in and out or the hole will be oversized. Do not use a masonary bit, use an HSS bit or the hole will be oversized.

3) Blow out hole - I used a cheap "can of air" inserting the pipe right into the back of the hole.

4) Mix some rapid set (15 minute) Araldite. Generous blob round the end of the fixing and a bit along the sides and a generous smear around the bit that will be level with the plasterboard.

5) Insert plug(s) to full depth. Remove screw if used to get purchase on plug. Wipe off excess glue.

6) Smear oil on screw - cotton wool stick works well. Only need a light smear.

7) Do up screw - power driver or drill works best with this Fischer part - but if using a hand driver, keep pressure on as the supplied screw has a very shallow thread and can strip the plug whilst it is "fighting" the plug by expanding it. Finish by hand - with the oil on, the screw comes to a very definate stop when done - over tightening a lot may strip the thread cut in the plastic. In fact, even with the thread stripped, these things still hold, but mental confidence drops...

8) Over next 10 minutes back of each screw a bit and re tighten - just to break the bond of any glue that got on a bit of the screw that the oil didn't. In practise I had no problems...

Job done. I don't think those shelves are going to fall off any time soon.

The purpose of the glue to to stop the plug turning if the screw is removed (my shelves are coming straight off again for room painting, then back up). If the plug turns a bit it tends to lose its grip in the block as the powder disintegrates further.

I did try the first 4 screws dry as intended by Fischer (none of the glue/oil malarky). 3 actually held quite well but the 4th gave way and I was able to remove the plug with my fingers! Probably a combination of a slightly misdrilled hole and over tightening. That's when I decided to take the glue tip on board...

Cheers

Tim

PS - Bollocks to this in the future when I hang a telly on 4 screws close together with a significant turning moment - I am now definitely going to use resin anchor sleeves and bolts.

Reply to
Tim S

The message from Tim S contains these words:

I wash the holes out with a water pistol and use polyurethane foaming glue.

Reply to
Guy King

That's interesting - what particular glue do you use? Enerbond was one that came up on google but the applicator is a bit industrial! Presumably you inject the glue into the hole? That would work better - with my method the glue tends to scrape off leaving less in the hole and most on the wall.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

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