How do I attach shelves to a brick wall
adear11
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I need a bit of advice.
I’m need to know what is the best way to attach shelves/racks to a brick wall. I am a amatuer wood worker, and am starting to amass a bit of scrap that I need to be able to store. My current work area is my carport that has brick walls.
How should I go about attaching the supports to the walls? I have a powder actuated ramset gun, but do not have a hammer drill. Would using the ramset provide enough holding power in the brick, or would it crack/shatter the brick when I shot a fastener in?
Would it be better if I anchored into the floor and ceiling for the bulk of the support and use the ramset nails for extra strength?
I really have no idea about the best way to approach this with the tools I have available.
Thanks
Replies
Kind of a shame to ding up the brick walls if you don't have to. Most bricks will crack, if using a ramset, shoot in the motar joints. Using Tapcon screws is a possibility as are lead sheilds but you would likely want a hammer drill, these also go in the mortar. Building some ladders that attach to the ceiling and with lateral braces would not require attaching to the brick and could be the strongest option.
This is brick and not concrete block/cinder block?
The problem is that brick varies greatly in hardness and brittleness (as does the mortar used between the bricks), and what would work in one case might not in another.
In some cases it's better to anchor into the brick, in other cases anchoring in the mortar joints makes more sense.
Generally, a ramset is not a good idea, though it might work OK with some relatively "modern" bricks. Better to drill holes and use some sort of anchor. But the type of anchor to use depends on the nature of the brick as well.
It is real brick
Yes, it is real, red brick. The house was built in the late 1960s.
Since I posted this yesterday, and after doing some more research, I think I have decided to do a freestanding rack that maybe has casters on it so that I can easily reloacte it if/when I decide to rearrange my workspace.
I'm beginning to think that trying to afix it to the bricks is going to be too much trouble, and has the potential to be unreliable.
Thanks for the input.
Yeah, even if you were going to do an attached rack it would probably be best to make it self-supporting and just use any wall attachment for stability.
Something to be said for putting everything in a shop on casters. Spend the $ to get some that won't flat spot & that have locks. Pricey, but well worth it in the long run.
shelves to brick wall
Not there so can see actual, but my guess is that your "brick wall" is not a wall. but a brick veneer finish only minimally attached to a wood frame wall. If so it is not structural and would not support a very heavy load.
You might want to invest in a hammer/drill. Great tool to have around. Much more versatilel that a stud gun.
I have a rather small shop, and have found that storing wood and sheet goods vertically takes up much less space and makes the stock much more easily accessible than storing horizontally on shelf racks. The floor is what carries the weight, and you can easily leaf through your stock to see what's available.
....just another idea.
At one time I had a sheet goods dolly, after the style of a glass truck. But it took up too much room and got tossed when I was cleaning out the garage about 4 years back.,