How to screw into fibre cement eaves?

[BobHatton]

I need to screw into my fibre cement eaves sheets (4.5mm thick) with screws but I need to leave approx 5mm of the screw head showing to attach a camera to them. What would be the best screw to use or do I need to get some sort of anchor fixing? Plug, anchor, tapping screw?

Thanks for your help.

Community manager's note: Check out How to choose the right screw for the job for expert advice.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @BobHatton. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about fixing to eave sheets.

Your best bet would be to locate a roof timber in that area and screw directly into it with timber screws. If there isn't any timber available, you'll need to use and Ramset 5mm Hollow Wall Anchor. Once you've tightened it up, you can back the screw out 5mm.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[BobHatton]

Hi Mitchell, finding a timber behind may prove difficult but using a Ramset anchor sounds like a plan. Would I need to pre-drill the eaves sheet first for the anchor or would they just screw in?

[MitchellMc]

Those anchors require you to drill a hole first @BobHatton. It doesn't need to be all that precise, just large enough so you can slip the anchor through.

Mitchell

[BobHatton]

Thanks Mitchell. Can you recommend a drill bit size for these 5mm anchors?

[MitchellMc]

You'll need an 8mm drillbit @BobHatton.

Mitchell

[BobHatton]

Thanks Mitchell. Much appreciated