questions wall mounting 55" TV in brick

[poger67]

Just purchased up the LG 55" display (about 65lbs I think) and we want to wall mount it to a brick wall. We got a Sanus LL22 mount and I'm starting to lay out my level lines and such.

My "problem" is that the vertical spacing between the bolt holes will always give me one row of bolts in the mortar if I get the top row into the vertical center of the bricks. I've seen mixed opinions of tapping into the mortar for TV hanging.

The Sanus came with 1/2" lead anchors and I also picked up a box of the 1/4" X 3 1/4" blue tapcons. My plan is to get 4 of the lead anchor bolts across the top centered vertically in brick and then use the tapcons across the bottom (can probably get closer to 8 of them in). Does this plan seem acceptable? I'm also thinking about adding two more tapcons at the top center and running some steel wire through the mount bars on the back of the TV as an extra safety measure. This is my first time (needless to say) trying to wall mount one of these myself

 

[donfm]

Just purchased up the LG 55" display (about 65lbs I think) and we want to wall mount it to a brick wall. We got a Sanus LL22 mount and I'm starting to lay out my level lines and such.

My "problem" is that the vertical spacing between the bolt holes will always give me one row of bolts in the mortar if I get the top row into the vertical center of the bricks. I've seen mixed opinions of tapping into the mortar for TV hanging.

The Sanus came with 1/2" lead anchors and I also picked up a box of the 1/4" X 3 1/4" blue tapcons. My plan is to get 4 of the lead anchor bolts across the top centered vertically in brick and then use the tapcons across the bottom (can probably get closer to 8 of them in). Does this plan seem acceptable? I'm also thinking about adding two more tapcons at the top center and running some steel wire through the mount bars on the back of the TV as an extra safety measure. This is my first time (needless to say) trying to wall mount one of these myself

You can and should use the lead anchors in both the brick AND the mortar joint. If you are using 1/4-20 bolts the hole you will drill for the anchor is 5/8" I believe. The lead will wedge itself tight between the bricks on either side of the joint since it is wider than the joint even if you center it on the mortar joint. I have installed stuff this way many times and it's solid as a rock. I suggest you use a hollow wall set. It makes for a nice flush installation of the anchors. The thing you don't want to do is put lead anchors in crumbly mortar alone. The mortar will eventually loosen and crumble and your anchor will come loose. Tapcons should only be used in solid things like concrete, cinder block and brick walls not mortar for the same reason as the lead anchor. Mortar is too soft and unreliable to hold a tapcon. Oh it may work at first but down the road I'd worry. Four 1/4-20 bolts will hold up a truck you don't need all that other stuff. 65 pounds is nothing. Good luck!

One more thing....drilling holes in fired brick and keeping them on center is no easy thing to do. The hammer drill always walks when you drill in brick. So be ready to go to plan B if your holes don't exactly line up after you install the anchors. I would mark and drill your first hole and then install your anchor. Then measure off the first anchor for your second hole and drill that one and so forth. Don't just make all the marks and drill them at once based on the hole pattern of the bracket or you're going to be doing a lot of swearing afterward when nothing lines up right.....

 

[poger67]

Thanks donfm! Would it help to pre-drill pilot halls with a smaller bit before the main 1/2" hold for the anchors (Sanus has 1/2" lead anchors)?

 

[vi edit]

Forget the tapcon, they strip out too easy. Look at a wedge anchor bolt:

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=52011

 

[Zargon]

^^^ what he said

 

[donfm]

Thanks donfm! Would it help to pre-drill pilot halls with a smaller bit before the main 1/2" hold for the anchors (Sanus has 1/2" lead anchors)?

Yes I definitely suggest you drill a small pilot hole. You have a better chance of keeping the hole centered but there is no guarantee even with drilling a pilot hole. Brick is REALLY hard stuff and unlike drilling in softer concrete or cinder block the hammer drill bit tends to "bounce" off the brick while drilling. That's what makes it so difficult to keep it centered. Just take your time and go slow and keep checking to make sure you are not running off of your center mark. You will be fine.

As far as the "wedge anchor" the other guy is talking about. Do not use that anchor! It's made for solid concrete and perhaps solid brick! Most brick used for residential construction is not completely solid. It has holes in the middle...if your drilled hole falls on one of those spots it would render the wedge anchor useless. If you look at the link he sent about the anchor it states right on the Fastenal documentation for "CONCRETE". It's not made for use in brick or mortar. And the other thing is this anchor with a 1/2" bolt for your application is really way overkill. You don't need anything that strong to hold up a measly 65 pounds.

The size of the lead anchor refers to the size of the bolt not the anchor hole. The hole is always larger than the bolt size for lead anchors. So if you need a 1/2" hole you have a 1/4" or smaller bolt. Just a FYI.

 

[JAG87]

Yes I definitely suggest you drill a small pilot hole. You have a better chance of keeping the hole centered but there is no guarantee even with drilling a pilot hole. Brick is REALLY hard stuff and unlike drilling in softer concrete or cinder block the hammer drill bit tends to "bounce" off the brick while drilling. That's what makes it so difficult to keep it centered. Just take your time and go slow and keep checking to make sure you are not running off of your center mark. You will be fine.

You can also drill for the first half inch without the hammer, and make yourself a nice little groove that makes it easier to control the bit once you put the hammer back on.

 

[vi edit]

As far as the "wedge anchor" the other guy is talking about. Do not use that anchor! It's made for solid concrete and perhaps solid brick! Most brick used for residential construction is not completely solid. It has holes in the middle...if your drilled hole falls on one of those spots it would render the wedge anchor useless. If you look at the link he sent about the anchor it states right on the Fastenal documentation for "CONCRETE". It's not made for use in brick or mortar. And the other thing is this anchor with a 1/2" bolt for your application is really way overkill. You don't need anything that strong to hold up a measly 65 pounds.

Sometimes you need to improvise. A wedge or sleeve bolt work in non solid materials like brick or masonry block. Real thing to be careful about is not over torquing the nut and busting the anchor out of the block. My Dad has done masonry for close to 35 years and those are what we've used for hanging very heavy things vertically off block & brick.

The biggest problem you'll have with brick (and block) is getting between the webbing and simply not getting a solid bite. A toggle, wedge or sleeve is going to hold better than a lead anchor or a molly in that situation.

Just about anything sucks once you get in a mortar joint unfortunately.

As far as sizing goes, I linked that more as an example than anything else.

 

[donfm]

You can also drill for the first half inch without the hammer, and make yourself a nice little groove that makes it easier to control the bit once you put the hammer back on.

Drill a 1/2" hole 1/2" deep into face brick without the hammer turned on? Good luck with that my friend.....

 

[alkemyst]

Yes I definitely suggest you drill a small pilot hole. You have a better chance of keeping the hole centered but there is no guarantee even with drilling a pilot hole. Brick is REALLY hard stuff and unlike drilling in softer concrete or cinder block the hammer drill bit tends to "bounce" off the brick while drilling. That's what makes it so difficult to keep it centered. Just take your time and go slow and keep checking to make sure you are not running off of your center mark. You will be fine.

As far as the "wedge anchor" the other guy is talking about. Do not use that anchor! It's made for solid concrete and perhaps solid brick! Most brick used for residential construction is not completely solid. It has holes in the middle...if your drilled hole falls on one of those spots it would render the wedge anchor useless. If you look at the link he sent about the anchor it states right on the Fastenal documentation for "CONCRETE". It's not made for use in brick or mortar. And the other thing is this anchor with a 1/2" bolt for your application is really way overkill. You don't need anything that strong to hold up a measly 65 pounds.

The size of the lead anchor refers to the size of the bolt not the anchor hole. The hole is always larger than the bolt size for lead anchors. So if you need a 1/2" hole you have a 1/4" or smaller bolt. Just a FYI.

Very true. Not all brick is equal. That said not all concrete as well. Most concrete that doesn't hold a tapcon property was either due to the tapcon drilling not precise or a bad pour.

Also in the event of none of the stars aligning (very rare), you can always mount a backing board and attach to it.

 

[donfm]

Sometimes you need to improvise. A wedge or sleeve bolt work in non solid materials like brick or masonry block. Real thing to be careful about is not over torquing the nut and busting the anchor out of the block. My Dad has done masonry for close to 35 years and those are what we've used for hanging very heavy things vertically off block & brick.

The biggest problem you'll have with brick (and block) is getting between the webbing and simply not getting a solid bite. A toggle, wedge or sleeve is going to hold better than a lead anchor or a molly in that situation.

Just about anything sucks once you get in a mortar joint unfortunately.

As far as sizing goes, I linked that more as an example than anything else.

Oh well I wasn't aware that your dad the bricklayer did it that way for 35 years so it must be alright then.....I hate when those pesky building codes and OSHA safety regulations infringe on a man's right to "improvise" on the job..... Have a nice day back to the original topic please.