Carpentry Hack: Attach Wood to Concrete with Construction Screws

January 30, 2017

 

Yup—just drill a hole, add a piece of copper wire and drive the screw home

 

When I have to attach a piece of wood to concrete, concrete block, brick or any similar hard surface it's not always practical to buy a box of specialty concrete fasteners, especially when I usually have a full assortment of torx-drive 'deck screws' on hand when framing. 

Having this attachment method in my bag-o-tricks speeds the process and widens the range of fastening options.

There is a whole compartment in my screw assortment box dedicated to a handful of various sizes of copper wire from small and stranded to large, single conductor pieces.  This gives me options for fastening most anything TO most anything... which happens a lot during remodeling projects.

 

Here's how to do it:

  • Select a masonry bit that is as close to the screw thread size as possible.
  • Position the wood where it needs to be
  • Drill holes through the wood far enough to mark the locations on the concrete.
  • Remove the wood and drill holes into the concrete deep enough to accept the screw you are using: more is better.
  • Replace the wood and drive a test screw to make sure the holes still line up and are an acceptable size.
  • Insert a piece of coated stranded wire into the hole through the wood and into the concrete.
  • Drive a screw into the hole. If the hole is too big, use extra wire or larger wire.

This is a plenty sturdy method for attaching wood to masonry—especially in a pinch when masonry anchors are not handy.

 

—Matt Jackson is a master carpenter, remodeler, SketchUp Wiz, YouTuber, and contributing editor to ProTradeCraft. He lives and works in Rapid City, South Dakota. 

 

 

 


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