Drilling into old bricks and mortar

[Dave9876]

Hi team,

Looking for some advice around drilling and fixing into old internal brick walls.

Firstly, I seem to be very lucky (unlucky) in that I always seem to miss the bricks and find the mortar... any tips here?

Secondly, the mortar has basically turned into sand due to age. Is there a workaround here for when I have hit mortar? Someone suggested filling the mortar hold with superglue and then fixing into that.

NB: I'm using a hammer drill with a masonry bit.

Cheers,

Dave

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Dave9876. It's amazing to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about drilling into masonry.
 

If you take a standard nail and tap it into the wall, you'd likely drive it slightly into the mortar if it's soft and not at all if you hit a brick. It should just bounce off the bricks if they're struck. This could be a way of determining what you're about to drill into.
 

If you can provide a bit more info about what you are hanging, that would assist our members in determining a solution that might work. Instead of superglue, I'd recommend you use Ramset Chemset UltraFix. It's typically used for anchoring threaded studs and reinforcement bars into masonry but would help bind the powdery mortar. However, I still wouldn't advise hanging anything weighty off those compromised fixings and certainly nothing that could cause injury if it fell.

Let me mention a couple of our knowledgeable members, @Noyade and @TedBear, to see if they have any thoughts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[EricL]

Hello @Dave9876 

Can you please tell us what you're mounting onto your wall? Our members can then make an assessment of how much support the object will need. We can then make recommendations on how to mount it safely. Any information you can add about the item you're mounting would be much appreciated.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave9876]

Thanks for your help so far.

I'm trying to mount a small (300mm long) aluminum book shelf. It has one mounting point at each end. 

Cheers 

[EricL]

Hello @Dave9876 

Thanks for that extra information. As my colleague, @MitchellMc has recommended, it's best to use Ramset Chemset UltraFix. For fixing into bricks with hollow portions, I suggest using Ramset Multifit Sieve - 4 Pack in combination with the Ramset Anchor Stud. Please note that it's important to choose the correct size and length for your application. Make sure you have the measurement of your wall thickness at hand before going to the store. 

Here is a handy video guide: 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric