Home Improvement Question

[MrSplitshot]

So, I bought this gazebo kit thing at Lowe's today for my back patio...powder coated steel with a shade canopy on top...pretty dang nice looking. It's 10x10 and my little patio is 12x10.

I build the thing, get it in place, looks great and provides a nice bit of shade...just what we wanted. So, I want to secure it to the concrete. Each post has four holes in the bottom for just that purpose. So, I have a hammer drill...and I have a set of 1/4" Tapcon blue concrete screws with a 5/16" head that can be used with a nut driver. Groovy, looks easy enough.

Two hours later I'm worn out and gave up. Hammer drill bores the holes just fine, with the masonry bit that came special for the screws. But when I try to sink the screws they just spin and don't bite, almost like hole is too big. I tried a smaller bit, with a longer screw, and screws sink about halfway and then just spin.

Nothing I do will put these screws in the concrete. I even tried some lag screws with a hand ratchet and same thing, they get down and just spin. I can pull them right out by hand.

Anybody?

[waterdog101]

So, I bought this gazebo kit thing at Lowe's today for my back patio...powder coated steel with a shade canopy on top...pretty dang nice looking. It's 10x10 and my little patio is 12x10.

I build the thing, get it in place, looks great and provides a nice bit of shade...just what we wanted. So, I want to secure it to the concrete. Each post has four holes in the bottom for just that purpose. So, I have a hammer drill...and I have a set of 1/4" Tapcon blue concrete screws with a 5/16" head that can be used with a nut driver. Groovy, looks easy enough.

Two hours later I'm worn out and gave up. Hammer drill bores the holes just fine, with the masonry bit that came special for the screws. But when I try to sink the screws they just spin and don't bite, almost like hole is too big. I tried a smaller bit, with a longer screw, and screws sink about halfway and then just spin.

Nothing I do will put these screws in the concrete. I even tried some lag screws with a hand ratchet and same thing, they get down and just spin. I can pull them right out by hand.

Anybody?

you can go to Lowe's or home depot and get some concrete anchors that's the size of the holes you have drilled, push the anchors down in the holes and use lag bolts with them, when you tighten the bolts, it spreads the concrete anchors. so they will hold. hope this helps.

[DJD]

So, I bought this gazebo kit thing at Lowe's today for my back patio...powder coated steel with a shade canopy on top...pretty dang nice looking. It's 10x10 and my little patio is 12x10.

I build the thing, get it in place, looks great and provides a nice bit of shade...just what we wanted. So, I want to secure it to the concrete. Each post has four holes in the bottom for just that purpose. So, I have a hammer drill...and I have a set of 1/4" Tapcon blue concrete screws with a 5/16" head that can be used with a nut driver. Groovy, looks easy enough.

Two hours later I'm worn out and gave up. Hammer drill bores the holes just fine, with the masonry bit that came special for the screws. But when I try to sink the screws they just spin and don't bite, almost like hole is too big. I tried a smaller bit, with a longer screw, and screws sink about halfway and then just spin.

Nothing I do will put these screws in the concrete. I even tried some lag screws with a hand ratchet and same thing, they get down and just spin. I can pull them right out by hand.

Anybody?

Brian,
I have used tap cons for years and never had that problem. Sure sounds like the hole is to big. Did the tap cons come as a kit? I know you checked but when looking at the screw and drill bit.....does the bit look a little smaller than the screws?

[MrSplitshot]

Brian,
I have used tap cons for years and never had that problem. Sure sounds like the hole is to big. Did the tap cons come as a kit? I know you checked but when looking at the screw and drill bit.....does the bit look a little smaller than the screws?

Yep, bit that came in the kit was slightly (not much) smaller. I went back and bought the smaller bit that was for the 3/16" screws instead of the 1/4" screws, thinking that might be the issue, but same problem. I'm kinda baffled.

[MrSplitshot]

you can go to Lowe's or home depot and get some concrete anchors that's the size of the holes you have drilled, push the anchors down in the holes and use lag bolts with them, when you tighten the bolts, it spreads the concrete anchors. so they will hold. hope this helps.

I may have to try something like that. Thanks!

[MrSplitshot]

you can go to Lowe's or home depot and get some concrete anchors that's the size of the holes you have drilled, push the anchors down in the holes and use lag bolts with them, when you tighten the bolts, it spreads the concrete anchors. so they will hold. hope this helps.

Dog, this worked great...thanks for the tip. I picked up some at Lowe's that needed 1/2" holes, so I was able to just take a 1/2" masonry bit and widen my existing marks. Sleeves went in the holes and lag bolts tightened up into them pretty good. I think they'll hold, barring a hurricane...in which case it wouldn't matter anyway. LOL

Thanks again...turns out I'm pretty inexperienced doing any kind of anchoring to concrete.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Dog, this worked great...thanks for the tip. I picked up some at Lowe's that needed 1/2" holes, so I was able to just take a 1/2" masonry bit and widen my existing marks. Sleeves went in the holes and lag bolts tightened up into them pretty good. I think they'll hold, barring a hurricane...in which case it wouldn't matter anyway. LOL

Thanks again...turns out I'm pretty inexperienced doing any kind of anchoring to concrete.

I know your good to go now. Something for future. When I get ready to sink those sleeves, I roll up a little expoxy plumbers putty (at Lowe's "Fit-it-Stick"). I wrap the sleeve with a very thin layer of the putty. Then I sink the sleeve with the putty wrapped around it into the hole. Some of the putty will get forced out as the sleeve goes in, but that can be used to make a nicer seal at the concrete surface level. When you tighten the bolt into the sleeve and it expands, it pushes putty into any small voids in the concrete and those little indentations in the sleeve. Max strength comes in about 2-3 hours, but when that stuff has drier around the sleeve, that assembly ain't coming out :-). Also something to keep in mind for the future if one of your sleeves gets a little loose.

[MrSplitshot]

I know your good to go now. Something for future. When I get ready to sink those sleeves, I roll up a little expoxy plumbers putty (at Lowe's "Fit-it-Stick"). I wrap the sleeve with a very thin layer of the putty. Then I sink the sleeve with the putty wrapped around it into the hole. Some of the putty will get forced out as the sleeve goes in, but that can be used to make a nicer seal at the concrete surface level. When you tighten the bolt into the sleeve and it expands, it pushes putty into any small voids in the concrete and those little indentations in the sleeve. Max strength comes in about 2-3 hours, but when that stuff has drier around the sleeve, that assembly ain't coming out :-). Also something to keep in mind for the future if one of your sleeves gets a little loose.

Very good idea...

Thanks!