How to Hang Things on Brick

Hang decorations on your brick walls and mantels to make your home even more inviting.

Brick walls commonly are in homes as part of a fireplace, or in living rooms and dens. They are sturdy and inviting, and can add a sense of warmth to a room. Add more layers of warmth to your home by hanging some of your favorite pictures, wall hangings, or antique objects on your brick wall.

Things You'll Need

• Marker
• 1/4-inch masonry drill bit
• Tape measure
• Hammer drill
• Vacuum cleaner
• Clear silicone
• 1/4-inch lag shield solid wall expansion anchor with screw
• Hammer
• Phillips/flat-head screwdriver

Instructions

1. Measure back 1 inch from the tip of the 1/4-inch drill bit, using the tape measure, and mark the 1-inch spot with the marker. Use this mark as a guide for the depth of the hole. Insert the bit into the hammer drill and tighten it down for drilling. Drill into the mortar, at the spot you have marked to hang your item, until you reach the mark on the drill bit. Stop and pull the bit out of the hole. Use the vacuum to remove the dust from the drilled hole.

2. Squeeze a dab of clear silicone on the tip of the expansion anchor and insert the narrow end of the expansion anchor into the drilled hole. Tap the open end, the head, of the anchor lightly with a hammer to drive the anchor into the hole.

3. Insert the screw included with the expansion anchor into the exposed opening of the expansion anchor. Use a screwdriver with a head that matches the head of the screw to drive the screw into the anchor. Turn the screw clockwise to tighten until only ¼ inch of the screw protrudes from the brick wall. Hang the item on the length of screw protruding from the wall.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a spot for hanging, if possible, that will align with drilling into the mortar between the bricks instead of drilling into the brick. Drilling into a brick may cause the brick to crack apart.

• If the item you wish to anchor to the brick wall requires more than one expansion anchor, use a level to ensure the spots you mark on the wall are level or the item could appear crooked when you hang it on the screw protruding from the expansion anchor.

• If the drilled hole is not deep enough to accommodate the expansion anchor, the item you're hanging could fall if the anchor pops out of the drilled hole because the hole is not deep enough to hold the anchor.

References

• Home Envy: Steps for Mounting Stuff on Masonry Surfaces
• The Natural Handyman: You Can Hang ALMOST Anything With Wall Anchors