Powder actuated tool on a fieldstone foundation wall?

[NetWareHead]

I want to mount a plywood wood panel in my basement where coax, phone, data etc... can be managed, patch panel installed and distributed to rest of house. The house has a fieldstone foundation, pretty sure these are granite boulders.

Parts of the wall are brick and my electrician used a powder actuated tool to drive nails into the brick to hold up a plywood board to mount an electrical box. Would the same tool and nails work for large boulders?

Or do I have to bore holes with a hammer drill and mount the plywood this way?

 

[Humpy]

Yes.

They are kind of barbaric though, you don't really know the outcome until after you take the shot, especially in naturally inconsistent materials. If they do go in clean the fastener will almost never come out without causing damage.

I would take the extra few minutes and drill a few holes for a Tapcon.

 

[DrPizza]

I ditto Tapcon screws - you know what the outcome will be.

 

[Greenman]

Ramset + natural stone = lost time injury.

 

[paperfist]

Granite boulders, is that common for foundations back in the day?

 

[NetWareHead]

Granite boulders, is that common for foundations back in the day?

I'm pretty sure it was in NH; the granite state. You cant dig a hole without hitting granite somewhere. Even the curbing at the side of streets is made of cut granite, unlike other parts of the country that pour concrete.

 

[NetWareHead]

Ramset + natural stone = lost time injury.

Something about the stones spoke to me about being too hard for the nail to penetrate. The tool makes me kinda nervous to use already; something about a nail moving at a few hundred feet per second striking a surface that might not yield to it. Either you ruin the tool or you have a ricochet or something... And your body is 2 feet away from the impact zone. Glad I made this thread

 

[monkeydelmagico]

split/crack the stone with hammer drills and impact fasteners.

Some industrial adhesives along with concrete screws at the mortise points gets the job done. I'n not too keen on drilling into the gaps on a stone wall.

A set of floor to ceiling joists instead of trying to mount to difficult surface might be easiest and least likely to cause foundation damage.

 

[herm0016]

split/crack the stone with hammer drills and impact fasteners.

Some industrial adhesives along with concrete screws at the mortise points gets the job done. I'n not too keen on drilling into the gaps on a stone wall.

A set of floor to ceiling joists instead of trying to mount to difficult surface might be easiest and least likely to cause foundation damage.

mortar and studs, not mortise and joists. these things are not remotely the same.

i would drill and use wedge anchors if you are capable, meaning you have a real hammer drill, not some battery powered switchable thing. you can put these in the mortar joints, just don't get crazy cranking them down. otherwise, can you just hang it on some uni-strut from the joists above?

 

[NetWareHead]

mortar and studs, not mortise and joists. these things are not remotely the same.

i would drill and use wedge anchors if you are capable, meaning you have a real hammer drill, not some battery powered switchable thing. you can put these in the mortar joints, just don't get crazy cranking them down. otherwise, can you just hang it on some uni-strut from the joists above?

There are not enough mortar joints due to the varying sizes of the stones used in the foundations. Im sure when they were digging the foundation, these stones were unearthed and then used for the basement walls.

At this point, Id rather hammer drill and put the holes in the rock exactly where I need them instead of trying to fasten this plywood exactly where mortar is.

 

[Homerboy]

Don't attach anything.

Get a 2 post telco rack and use that instead. Then you can use all the patch panels, shelves etc that you want.

 

[natto fire]

mortar and studs, not mortise and joists. these things are not remotely the same.

i would drill and use wedge anchors if you are capable, meaning you have a real hammer drill, not some battery powered switchable thing. you can put these in the mortar joints, just don't get crazy cranking them down. otherwise, can you just hang it on some uni-strut from the joists above?

Are you talking about these:

I call them drop-in anchors, and like them for vertical loads. For lateral loads like OP's situation, a Tapcon requires a much smaller hole, is cheaper, and easier to install.

FWIW, they do make cordless rotary hammer drills that can give smaller and midsize corded ones a run for their money. Not something every DIY'er has, but they are out there.

I always try to avoid the mortar, especially with tapcons, as the bit can wallow out the soft mortar and make it harder for the fastener to set.

 

[herm0016]

https://www.confast.com/products/thunderstud-anchor.aspx

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