# Wall mounting TV in concrete wall (beginner)



## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

So I'm a beginner in using a drill and planned on mounting my 70-lb. TV in my bedroom's concrete wall. The TV mount bracket that I bought included #12 lab bolts (6.3mm diameter) and 10mm plastic anchors. So I bought a 10mm drill bit for my drill and began drilling at 4 points in my wall. Here are my questions:

1. When you use a 10mm drill bit to drill, should you expect a hole that is exactly 10mm? I measured the 4 holes I drilled and I got 11mm, 11mm, 11.5mm, and 12mm  
2. When I inserted the 10mm plastic anchors and try to screw in the lag bolts, the anchors just don't grip the concrete and so they just rotate together with the screws. When hammering them in, should they go in the holes easily or have a bit of a resistance?
3. How do I remedy my situation? Can I perhaps buy 12mm anchors and bigger screws? Would 12mm anchors fit in the holes I made or can I force them to go in by using a hammer or something?
4. What screw gauge should I be getting for 12mm anchors?
5. Also, while I was drilling I noticed that at maybe around 60mm-80mm in the drill bit just went though which means that I drilled into a hollow section of the concrete. Is this fine? Would that length be enough for the plastic anchors to grip onto when they expand when the screws are in? Is there a trick to determine how exactly deep are the holes before the hollow part?

Sorry for the noob question and I'm really hoping for your help. Thanks.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

It sounds as if you drilled into a CMU (Concrete masonry unit) or concrete block wall, not solid concrete monolith. Can you confirm? Can you post a picture of what you have done?


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

First thing I recommend is that you ditch the plastic anchors and get lag shields.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

chandler48 said:


> It sounds as if you drilled into a CMU (Concrete masonry unit) or concrete block wall, not solid concrete monolith. Can you confirm? Can you post a picture of what you have done?


I honestly have no idea. Is this something that I can check myself or should I consult our property management officers (I live in a condo)? Here are some pictures of what I did (nevermind the chipped of paint, they used very cheap painting that bubble out through time):





















Drachenfire said:


> First thing I recommend is that you ditch the plastic anchors and get lag shields.
> 
> View attachment 632795


That's what I thought. Are lag shield always more powerful than those cheap plastic anchors? If so, how big of a lag shield should I get? The TV mount bracket that I'm mounting now included #12 screws and 10mm anchors.

After I'm successful with mounting this, I will mount another TV using the AEON-40200 which includes 8x70mm lag bolts and this mount is rated up to 150lbs.

If I were to replace all of these screws with lag shields, I want to get a size that's practical (not small but not too big of course).


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## anyacolo (Oct 3, 2016)

i would suggest using concrete sleeve anchors.....

example.....



https://www.homedepot.ca/product/red-head-3-8-inch-x-1-7-8-inch-steel-hex-head-sleeve-anchors-with-zinc-plated-finish-25-pack/1001071880


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

Lags work very well in solid concrete. In block or any concrete wall with cavities they can break out.

How heavy is this television? 3/8" lags seem like overkill.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

anyacolo said:


> i would suggest using concrete sleeve anchors.....
> 
> example.....
> 
> ...


What's the difference between the concrete sleeve anchors vs. the ones with the lag shields?



Missouri Bound said:


> Lags work very well in solid concrete. In block or any concrete wall with cavities they can break out.
> 
> How heavy is this television? 3/8" lags seem like overkill.


What would you suggest then?

I'm mounting two TV's in two mounting brackets on the same wall and are a few meters apart. 1st TV is 70 lbs (55") as it's an older one. The 2nd TV is 55,6 lbs (also 55") as it's a 2019 OLED model. The lags I have (included with both mounts) for TV1 are 1/4" (6.3mm) and for TV2 are 5/16" (8mm).


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## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

Kevin are you sure thats a concrete wall? I zoomed in on the picture and it looks like some type of wallboard. Doesn’t look like its thick enough for concrete. 
The anchors that come with the mounting bracket are almost always too cheap and wrong. The lead shield will work for concrete. If you have walboard you might try something like this ... something with wings that open inside the wall.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

When you say wallboard are you pertaining to a wood wall? This is definitely concrete. I live in the Philippines and asked around. They said that for normal walls (non load bearing) in our country, a wall made of hollow blocks is common. Poured concrete (solid walls) are only used for load bearing walls like pillars, walls that support roofs, etc. So I'm guessing this wall is made of hollow blocks.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

Also, how were you able to estimate the wall thickness from the picture alone? When I drilled earlier, the hole started become hollow somewhere between 60mm-80mm so that should tell us something. I wanted to measure the exact depth before it becomes hollow but I don't know how.


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## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

60 mm is almost 3” in real measurements ... thats pretty think for a concrete block. Actually not thick enough for a solid block, but too thick for breaking through into a cavity. 

I zoomed in real close to this picture, and it kinda looks like i can see a thickness of a sheet product. Maybe not. Either way, if you have broken through into a hollow, you need an anchor with wings.

To get actual thickness, take a piece of wire about 6 or 8 inches long and bend an L in one end, small enough to go in the hole. Poke it in the hole and pull it back until it catches on the inside of the wall, and mark the wire where it meets the face if the wall.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

So I asked the property management office about how our walls our constructed here. He said they are made out of concrete hollow blocks with poured concrete (so no hollow section) plus embedded steel frames (probably rebar).

I still did my due diligence and followed your recommendation about using a metal wire and bending one end to an L shape small enough to go inside the holes. I got varying results which makes it more confusing to me. I put the wire in the holes, exerted a bit of force around the circumference of the holes, and pulled back each time. In some parts of the circumference, I can hook into something (indicating there's a hollow part there somewhere) but in some parts there is none. If it was really hollow, I should have gotten consistent results (hooking action) all around each hole. So I'm not convinced that the area behind the hole is hollow all around which means those drywall anchors won't work too.

To be triple sure though, I got my Datavac blower and pointed it to one of the holes so that it gets blown with pressurized air. The air came out of the three other holes. I did the same for the other holes and I get the same result. This means that all 4 holes are connected by some hollow channel somewhere, no?

The property management officer also recommended I use expansion bolts and add two more to the existing 4 holes that I have to make it even stronger.


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Most likely you have drywall on furring strips over concrete block. Never depend on drywall alone to support weight.
If so you have 2 choices.
Lag bolts will need to be in the concrete not the drywall, aka plaster board. So the hole in the surface you're looking at will need to big big enough to pass the anchors thru and into the concrete.
Your other choice, and this might be better, is a plywood board attached to the furring strips or, even better, Tapcon- ed thru the plaster, the furring strips and into the concrete.
To comment on your original questions you will find that it pays to get the holes for whatever fasteners you use to the right size AND as close to straight in as possible.
If plywood doesn't appeal you could chose a straight piece of for or oak but you'd want to avoid weak or soft woods such as Poplar or some pine.

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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

ChuckTin said:


> Most likely you have drywall on furring strips over concrete block. Never depend on drywall alone to support weight.
> If so you have 2 choices.
> Lag bolts will need to be in the concrete not the drywall, aka plaster board. So the hole in the surface you're looking at will need to big big enough to pass the anchors thru and into the concrete.
> Your other choice, and this might be better, is a plywood board attached to the furring strips or, even better, Tapcon- ed thru the plaster, the furring strips and into the concrete.
> ...


How were you able to conclude that? I don't see how this could have a drywall over furring strips inside. The wall divider in this condo unit is made out of drywall with furring strips inside. If it were, I would have seen wood dust while I was drilling, wouldn't I?


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Only if you hit a stud.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

I see. Well, I'm not sure if I need to believe the property management officer about this wall being made out of CHB's and poured concrete. I originally planned on mounting this over drywall (with the plywood board technique explained above) but then I had a choice of using the concrete wall instead which will make things easier.

Any other suggestions to confirm what type of wall is this? Or maybe go ahead and just use sleeve anchors and probably add two more holes (for a total of 6) just to be sure?


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## Joeywhat (Apr 18, 2020)

When you drilled through this wall, did you use a hammer drill with a masonry bit? A regular drill and bit (i.e. for wood, metal, etc.)?

If you used a standard drill (only rotates, no hammer action) and a regular drill bit, how easily did it make it through all these materials? Concrete is a bit difficult to get through without a hammer drill and masonry bit. Not that it can't be done, it just takes a little longer and is usually a noticeable difference over going through wood and drywall. Did it drill right through all the layers of the wall without much issue?


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

I have a hammer drill but only takes up to 8mm drill bits so I had to borrow a drill that can take 10mm bits. The drill I used was a Makita M0600. When I search online, it seems that there are two submodels for it, one a regular rotary drill and another a hammer drill. I'm not sure which one was it because it only mentioned M0600 in the body. I would guess it's a regular drill because I didn't hear any hammering action. But I did use a 10mm masonry drill bit.

The first layer was very hard to drill through and it took me a long time. I'm guessing that's the plaster layer. And if i had to guess, at about 50 to 60mm deep, I felt it easier to drill (still with a bit of resistance but much less) and I think this is the block layer already, right?


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

Since my holes are between 10mm and 11mm, am I still able to use a sleeve anchor with a 10mm sleeve diameter? It looks like the wedge of a sleeve anchor has a slightly bigger diameter than the sleeve diameter.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

I have a Bosch GBS-12V30 and I had to extend the length of 4 x 10mm holes from about 80mm to 90mm. I used the tool to drill through 10mm of what I think are already hollow blocks so it's not that very hard compared to the first layer of plaster (when I used a different drill that I borrowed). I forgot that even though my drill accepts up to a 10mm chuck it is only rated up to 8mm when drilling in masonry.

Do I have to worry about anything breaking because of what I did? 

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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I would not worry about it now. I seriously doubt you did any damage. Over-heating and burning out the motor are what might have happened.


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## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

For 4 holes you probably didn’t do any more than give the drill a good workout. But thats a fairly weak drill, meant for small dia holes and light driving. If you have plans to do hard work in the future you should look into getting a 24v drill. Bosch makes good products, but that drill is light duty.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

For sure. This is my very first drill so I really bought for light DIY jobs. If I need more, I will definitely consider its bigger brothers in the future.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

I'm mounting a TV bracket and I drilled 4 holes in masonry with a 10mm masonry drill bit but since this my first time doing it, I measured the holes and they ended up 1x10mm, 2x11mm, and 1x12mm. Because of the stud in the end of Fischer sleeve anchors, can I get away using 10mm ones for the 1x10mm and 2x11mm holes and a 12mm for the 1x12mm hole? Or do sleeve anchors need to go through very precise holes?

Also, I know that the proper way of using sleeve anchors is for the whole anchor (including the sleeve) goes through the fixing (the TV bracket). The holes of the bracket measure 10mm. So with 10mm sleeve anchors, I wouldn't have any problems. But for 12mm sleeve anchors, can I get away if only the bolt (10mm) goes through the bracket hole? I think the bracket is thin enough for this to matter anyway. The whole sleeve will practically be embedded in the holes and would just leave the bolt protruding.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

This is the 5th thread on this subject. Look through the other threads and get your answers.


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

I only have three threads regarding the topic of drilling into masonry. Where did you get the other two?

Also, in this thread I was asking for workarounds to fitting into oversized holes. The info in the original thread was saying that it's best to have an exact hole size. So where will I be getting my answers? I'm also researching on the side and it's hard to get concrete answers for this topic.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

threads merged


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## kevindd992002 (Sep 28, 2011)

I had to drill new holes just to be sure. I have good 4 x 10mm holes on my concrete wall now. But I planned on using 5 in total (4 corners plus 1 bottom center). My new problem is with the upper left corner hole. I hit a rebar so I only have a depth of around 50mm deep. The Fischer sleeve anchors I have and that are already installed in the other 4 holes are 10mm x 77mm that need a minimum of 90mm deep hole and I won't be able to meet that spec with the problem hole.

So now my plan is to use a shorter 10mm Fischer sleeve anchor (10mm x 50mm) that needs a drill depth of 60mm. That is the shortest 50mm I can find. So I still need some kind of a spacer. Spacers are hard to find here. Can I use a nut to act as a spacer instead?


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## neil86 (Oct 13, 2018)

Just to clarify, the block wall behind the wallboard/sheetrock/whatever is hollow, correct? If so, I do not believe those Fischer sleeves are going to work, as I think they are for solid concrete installations since they need to expand in the cavity that they are installed in and apply pressure to the cavity walls.

If the block wall you drilled into is hollow concrete block, you simply need anchors similar to toggle bolts, like Half-fast Eddie suggested. Toggle bolts will apply pressure to the inside of the concrete blocks, as well as the outside on the wallboard/sheetrock/whatever side. If you need to use washers (for the TV mount side), then find some simple washers that are the right size for the heads of the screws that come with the toggle bolts. This isn't as difficult as you seem to be making it.

Here are some links to toggle bolts that should be plenty strong enough to hold up your TV, especially is you are using 4, 5 or even 6 toggle bolts.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-10...e-Bolt-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/3183815

Everbilt 1/4 in. x 3 in. Zinc-Plated Toggle Bolt with Round-Head Phillips Drive Screw (10-Piece)-803932 - The Home Depot

https://www.amazon.com/12-TOGGLER-SNAPTOGGLE-included-Fastener/dp/B01IU6HG48


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

It's _sometimes_ possible to save and use an oversized hole (don't feel bad everybody does this - you didn't keep the drill 90* to the surface) into concrete by wrapping the anchor with a thin layer of some dense material like solid bare copper wire.
But strictly from the sound of this discussion I think your at sea unless you're willing to hang a 3/4" plywood board secure and firmly(!) to that wall first. And mount 160#s of TVs on that. Think! Would you be willing to climb that wall using illfitted hanger bolts?
Another thought - a civil engineer friend once told me "Figure on three times the load to be absolutely safe".

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