# TapCon and DriCore



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Are you using a wood bit through the dricore and then switching to a concrete bit? It sound like the snapping is due to the hole being too shallow or the wrong size concrete bit.
Ron


----------



## BlueBSH (Oct 29, 2009)

Ron6519 said:


> Are you using a wood bit through the dricore and then switching to a concrete bit? It sound like the snapping is due to the hole being too shallow or the wrong size concrete bit.
> Ron


I've tried it two different ways... first one was going through from start to finish with the tapcon bit, the second one was predrill and countersink then drill with tapcon concrete bit the size of the bit matches the size the screws say they want... i went out tonight and bought some small length screws, dricore said to use 1 3/4" x 1/4" tapcon screws we will see how this goes.... also bought some new bits, maybe the old ones where wearing out too.... used them a bit already


----------



## Joe Carola (Apr 14, 2006)

BlueBSH said:


> well I am using *1/4" hex head 2 1/2" *dricore screws and it is going miserably.






BlueBSH said:


> I've tried it two different ways... first one was going through from start to finish with the tapcon bit, the second one was predrill and countersink then drill with tapcon concrete bit the size of the bit matches the size the screws say they want... i went out tonight and bought some small length screws,* dricore said to use 1 3/4" x 1/4" tapcon screws *we will see how this goes.... also bought some new bits, maybe the old ones where wearing out too.... used them a bit already


If dricore said to use 1-3/4" screws, why were you using 2-1/2" screws like you said in your first post?


----------



## BlueBSH (Oct 29, 2009)

Joe Carola said:


> If dricore said to use 1-3/4" screws, why were you using 2-1/2" screws like you said in your first post?


 
because I was originally told 2 1/2"... I was just told yesterday 1 3/4".....  originally they said it had to go deeper into the concrete... then i was told it only needed to go in 1"... which 1 3/4" would do... tried it last night with 1 3/4" went in a lot easier with no snaps


----------



## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

Make sure to drill deep and blow out the hole. Sometimes the residue settles in the bottom and the screw has nowhere to go. A little extra depth puts the dust out of the way. 

And for your application I would think you could get by with very short screws. If your strips are 3/8" thick try a 1 1/4" screw (shortest tapcon I could find) and see if you can pull it out with a lateral force before the strip itself breaks. I bet you can't.


----------



## BlueBSH (Oct 29, 2009)

jogr said:


> Make sure to drill deep and blow out the hole. Sometimes the residue settles in the bottom and the screw has nowhere to go. A little extra depth puts the dust out of the way.
> 
> And for your application I would think you could get by with very short screws. If your strips are 3/8" thick and if tapcon makes a 1" screw then I'd be inclined to test screw a strip down and see if you can pull it out with a lateral force before the strip itself breaks. I bet you can't.


well dricore is 3/4" tick... 1/2" OSB with a plastic bottom and air space in the last 1/4"... so I dont think I want to go shorter then 1 3/4"


----------

