What is the correct way to attach a wooden trellis to brick? Should the mounting bolts (screws?) go into the brick or into the mortar between the bricks? What is the best practice?
If it matters and to be clear, the trellis will be attached to multiple pressure treated wood 'footings' at the base (I'm thinking deck rails which are available precut at HD) buried a few feet into the ground. So the PT footings at the base will bear much of the load. But of course the trellis still needs to be attached to the brick.
The trellis needs to be proud (i.e. in front of) the brick by a few inches for purposes of the climbing rose I will plant at the base (ventilation etc.). So my thinking is to cut a few PT wood blocks, attach them to the brick at strategic points, and then attach the trellis to the PT blocks.
Best Answer
I would use something like a long pan-head Tapcon (maybe a 2.25") with a stainless steel spacer. The Tapcon can grip the masonry, and 1" stainless steel spacers are fairly ubiquitous at your local big box hardware store.
Assuming you don't have a hammer drill, buy a normal drill masonry bit. These tend to work better going into brick rather than the masonry, but I would experiment and see which goes in better. If the Tapcon has trouble gripping the hole, break a toothpick in half and stick it in before putting the screw in.