heavy duty wall fastenings

[andyv]

I'm trying to hang a sliding glass door. It runs on a heavy metal bar which is attached to the wall at 4 points. The kit provides 4 screw-in fastenings which have an M8 threaded section which sticks out of the wall and the bar bolts to.

I've used 12 mm sized plastic plugs as per the instructions but my drill turned out to be slightly bent so my holes are sloppy and not too accurate either. They are drilled either into a concrete lintel or into concrete blocks.

How do I make this good? I'm thinking along the lines of Rawlbolts which might be firmer, but how do I ensure that they are correctly centred?

[andrew]

Resin anchors

AJH

[The Medway Handyman]

Might be worth getting some resin to fix the buggers in.

[Paul - xxx]

I think it'd be easier to fill these holes and drill good new holes ...

Otherwise I've successfully used filler, then pressed the rawlfixing in and letting it all set at the correct alignment before hanging whatever it is you're hanging.

Start on one hole each end and allow the filler/plug to set properly such that you can hang the bar, albeit loosely, then filler-up the other holes, press in the plugs and hang the bar again loosely onto them, so it aligns itself until set before tightening all up solidly .. :)

Depends on the filler setting and/or curing time, obviously, but this can take a couple of days to do properly.

[andyv]

Many thanks. This is a new technique for me.

[Paul - xxx]

No worries. I'm a school caretaker and sometimes have to take a few shortcuts .. :)

[<me9]

If it's a heavy fitting, using resin (as in resin anchors) could be used as the filler, directly onto studding. This will leave studs sticking out of the wall on which to hang your bar. Stronger than the wall it is.

[Andrew Gabriel]

If you do that, start by drilling thinner holes than you need, and then widen them with a larger bit. That often gives a more accurately sized hole than trying to do it in one go, particularly if you can get away without hammer mode for the second hole.

I always initially try without hammer mode, and only engage hammer when it's needed. If you find youself going into a soft brick or mortar, hammer mode can make a real mess of the hole.

[stuart noble]

When hanging this type of thing I normally drill and screw one hole, then (in conjunction with a spirit level) use the bar as a drill guide for the rest. This normally entails using the biggest masonry bit you can fit through the hole, and then enlarging it slightly to take the plug.