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How to drill into a brick wall?

Hi,

I just drilled my first ever holes in a brick wall and you can see from the photo, the first two holes are extremely large.
The project was to drill a new outside clothes dryer into the wall. The metal dryer came with all the materials needed, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.
When I realised the size of the holes, I added a few toothpicks to fill the gap, a couple of weeks later, when it was loose again, I tried to use epoxy glue. It lasted a month or so and now I’m ready to do the right thing.

So far I bought liquid nail and bigger plugs, more professional ones but haven’t done anything yet, decided to get your expert advice and do it that way.
thanks in advance

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Nailbag

Hi @diyerau

based on the @JacobZ recommendations on which masonry fastener he recommends, this is where you need to drill the holes to use them. It will be the strongest point to holt your drier securely to the wall.

Nailbag

Screenshot 2025-06-13 at 10.08.25 pm.png

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JacobZ

Hi @diyerau,

Thank you for reaching out for assistance with fixing into bricks at your home.

The issue with the first attempt was the location. You've drilled into the mortar, which is not capable of supporting a masonry anchor.

With the second attempt, it looks like you've used too large a drill bit for those anchors.

The main thing you need to do is ensure that the pilot hole for the anchor is the correct size for that anchor. If you are, for example, using these Ramset 8 x 50mm Blue Wall Plugs, you would use an 8mm masonry bit.

If you can let me know what anchors you are using, then I would be happy to have a look and let you know what sized drill bit you'll need.

It is also possible that the anchors are being driven into a hollow brick. If this is the case, you would need to use a hollow brick anchoring system like these Ramset Multifit Sieves set in place with Chemset UltraFix Plus.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

diyerau

Thank you! I’ll look into this on the weekend and get back to you.

Nailbag

Hi @diyerau

Nailbag

Screenshot 2025-06-13 at 10.08.25 pm.png

diyerau

Thanks, this is great help!

Can you suggest what to use to fill in the existing holes?

JacobZ

Hi @diyerau,

You can fill the existing holes with some Selleys No More Gaps Bricks and Mortar Gap Filler - Terracotta.

This will be relatively close to the colour of the bricks and very easy to apply.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

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