I have removed a couple of walls in a room and need to patch the walls. The house is block and the old walls are plaster over plaster board. They attached 1x to the block with cut nails then the plaster board and then the plaster. I need to attach 1x to the block also to fill the spaces. What could I use to attach the 1x to the block? Since I am going to put drywall over the 1x I would like to have the fastener flush with the 1x. I thought about a ramset or concrete screws but both would leave the head proud. Any ideas?
Craftwork Construction LLC
Replies
I've used both and found that counter sunk Tapcons worked best for me. YMMV
have you thought of cut nails?, same fastener used before?
A non-power actuated fastner? Didn't know they still made such a thing.
I think that may be less work than contersinking the tapcons. I will give it a try.
Craftwork Construction LLC
I think the easiest thing to do if you don't have many tools, is to get some of the round hardened concrete nails of the proper length and use them.
Use PL Premium on the back of the strips. Stand them in place against the wall and drill through them with a masonry bit slightly smaller than the nail.
Slam the nails home with a heavy hammer just enough to set the head flush with the surface. You won't need many nails, the adhesive will do all the work.
I use a special air nailer with hardened pins to do the same thing. Do you know anyone who could lend you one?
I think the cut nails are a bad idea because they have no corrosion resistance and the furring is probably ACQ and the block will leach moisture. I use a low tech method taught to me by an Old Timer on my first job 20 years ago. Drill a 1/4" hole through the furring 1X, 2X, or whatever size you need. Now drive 2 12 D Hot Dip Galvanized nails into the hole simultaneously. The 2 nails act as a wedge and grab with incredible force. We use a high quality Hilti SDS set up to drill holes rapidly. If the 2 12's are a little loose use a 12 and a 16. If too tight wiggle the hammer drill on exit of the hole to widen it. We have played with our bits with a grinder to tune them in for optimal fit. Works like a champ and is much much cheaper than any alternative. Also works on precast, tie beams, and slabs where powder actuated or cut nails would be a PITA. Old concrete tends to spawl and won't hold cut or powder nails, especially if it's river rock aggregate.
Good Luck, Scott
That's a great tip Scott.
I've done similar things, but your idea makes a lot of sense.
blue
I've become a big fan of tapcons recently (maybe it has something to do with my recent rotary hammer purchase...hmm).
I've always felt that power actuated fasteners do ok with a lateral load (like hold a bottom plate in plumb), but I would never trust one to hold a sleeper to the wall. IMO the impact blows too much of the concrete away so it has nothing to hold on to tightly.
As far as powder actuated and lateral loads. HILTI 3" pins are great in the right circumstance. Have you ever been in a LOWE's and seen the TOOL WORLD signs with the pipes and logo running down it? That was me, worked in almost every state they have a Lowe's, That sign is 30-40 sheets of 3/4 MDF and every one from Miami to Alaska is supported by 3" Hilti pins in concrete block. 3 stores in the chain are tilt up with granite aggregate, went through about 50 drill bits each.
scottthebuilder used to be scott the HILTI gun weilding sign hanger store setter upper.
say that 3 times fast.
Never used the 3" Hiltis. I guess I base my opinion just on what i've seen banging 2x4's into concrete floors. The board wouldnt move left to right but would (more often than not) lift up off the ground pretty easily.
Thanks for all the feedback. Just wanted to check in and say that I used PL and the cut nails and it worked great. If I fad a whole house to do, I would consider something faster/cheaper but for this remodel it was fine.Craftwork Construction LLC
I totally agree with scottthebuilder, the two galvie nails are the way to go, far cheaper than tapcon or any other specialty concrete fastener. we use that up here a lot. don't get discouraged by a few bent nails. they some times go over easily as the last quarter of the nails go in. you just have to make sure you are hitting them in straight.
The PL Premium construction glue and CUT nails. They work great and that is the best glue....Stairbuilders use it for gluing ends of newel posts and if you try to pull them off the floor it will tear the woodflooring.
Forrest,
When I lived and worked in Florida every ranch we ever framed was a Block shell with a truss roof on it. We attached PT 1X2's to the inside of that shell to attach drywall to.
We used to have a BOstich "T" nailer that shot hardened nails. They don't need much penetration and it was a fast and secure way to get them attached.
Depending on how many you need to attach you might check E-Bay for a gun but I would check and see if nail were still available. That was the prefered method for yeasr down there so I'm sure you could hunt up a used gun and some nails.
Robert, That's the gun I use. I have had it for at least 15 years and must have shot up miles of strips with it.
We have a pneumatic gun for dispensing the PL on to the back of the strip. Then you just put it against the wall and fire. We usually cut strips of Styrofoam to the proper width for insulation and use that as the spacer between the wood strips.
The trick as you pointed out, is to use as short a nail as possible and let the adhesive do the work when working with concrete block. I would suspect you used cinder blocks in Florida and probably just used the nails with no adhesive??
Bostitch still makes that nailer and sells the hardened nails. Almost all of our basements are block, so it gets a lot of use on our jobs.