I've built some Board-N-Batten shutters and am ready to hang them on the house. However, I've never installed shutters before, so I want to be sure I install them properly.
- Do I drill pilot holes in the wood first?
- Pilot holes into wood and brick of my house?
- Or do I drill the screws through the wood and into the brick all at the same time? If I do it this way, I'm just afraid the shutters will shift & not hang properly when I am drilling.
What exactly is the accepted procedure for installing shutters?
Also, what type of screws are recommended for this sort of install?
Best Answer
If you want to use a screw I would use Tapcon® Concrete Screws. They hold very well and are fairly easy to use. The only draw back is that they are a bright blue and you will have to countersink them and caulk or plugged the hole. 3/16 inch will be strong enough, you will want about 1.5" of penetration. To install you just drill a hole matching the size of the screw (needs to be exact size required) and screw them in. Using a screw is helpful because its about the only concrete anchor you can easily remove.
The other option is Metal Hit Anchors. These are a nail in a sleeve. you pre drill the hole and hammer the anchor in and the nail expands the sleeve.
Any time you drill into masonry you should be using a hammer drill, and a masonry bit that is specifically designed to be used with a hammer drill.
On most brick homes anchoring into the brick is going to be stronger. But it is only shutters and you could get away with drilling into the mortar. This way if you ever want to take the shutters down you can fix the hole in the mortar, unlike if you were to drill directly into the brick.