How to secure wall panels on hollow bricks?

Question

Just a couple of years ago, I had the most beautiful 9m tall liquid ambre tree in my driveway. Unfortunately, it was 10cm over the boundary line and the developer had it cut down.  I cried for days.

Fast forward to present day, I have the most hideous wall in my driveway amd my aim is to make it less "offensive".  Please see the before and after (AI generated) pictures.

During the build, my security camera caught a shot of the bricks and now that I am ready to give the wall a facelift, want to make sure my decor stays in place.  There is nothing super heavy going on the wall - the heaviest being the louvre doors on the right and left (giving 'shutter' vibes).

Originally I thought I could just use the green or blue wall plugs but on reviewing the picture of the bricks, I have my doubts.

Your expert advice in making this project come to life is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Stephanie

JacobZ · Answer

Good luck @Tullucy!

I look forward to seeing photos of a successful project.

Jacob

Tullucy · Answer

Thank you very much for your advice @JacobZ.  I thought for a while my project might have been a lost cause due to the nature of the hollow bricks, but you have given me hope! All my items are light weight and so I will give the Ramset universal anchors a go.  With any luck, I will be able to post "after" photos 🙂.

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @Tullucy,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

With hollow bricks, you need to use a fixing method that is specifically suited to hollow masonry, as a standard masonry plug can end up sitting partly within the hollow section of the brick without enough material around it to grip effectively.

For lighter fixing, you could use Ramset Universal Anchors. When the screw is driven into the anchor, the section of the anchor sitting inside the hollow cavity pulls back towards the screw and mushrooms out behind the face of the brick. This creates a wider section that bears against the inside face of the brick and helps prevent the fixing from pulling back through the hole.

When drilling the holes, I'd avoid using the hammer function on your drill where possible, as the face of hollow bricks can be relatively thin and you don't want to cause unnecessary breakout.

For a more substantial fixing, another method we regularly recommend for hollow bricks is to use Ramset Multifit Sieves with a suitable Ramset chemical anchoring adhesive and anchor studs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm9MW2_UNvw

The sieve is inserted into the hole and filled with the chemical anchoring adhesive. When the threaded stud is inserted, the adhesive is pushed through the holes in the sieve, creating a solid mass around the sieve and within the hollow section of the brick. Once cured, this provides a strong fixing point for the panel.

Whichever method you use, I'd suggest spreading the fixings across several points on each panel rather than relying on only one or two.

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

Jacob