A Contractor's Keys to Resist Holiday Decor

Whether you’re looking for a place to put up your Christmas wreath for a week or need something more lasting, hanging decor on the outside or interior of your house can be tricky sometimes. Where you are hanging it makes all the difference. Listed below are a couple of of my favourite techniques to hang items on Sheetrock, wood and brick — without hurting your walls.

Dawn Hearn Interior Design

How to Drill Into Brick or Concrete

Brick can be a challenging material to hang things on. Its durability implies you can’t use the standard methods that you’d use around the rest of your dwelling. You’ll need screws made for masonry and understand where to drill and how to fix the holes after the vacations.

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For anchoring something on a brick or concrete coating, I love to use Tapcon screws. You might also purchase a Tapcon masonry drill bit to match.

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Ensure to drill into a mortar joint — among the white lines in between the brick. Do not drill right into the brick! Not only could that be difficult, but you would risk cracking the brick.

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A masonry drill bit is intended for brick and concrete and is identifiable with a triangular-shaped tip.

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Twist a Tapcon screw in the mortar. If you are drilling into concrete, then I recommend having a power drill.

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If you want to eliminate the screw after the vacations, buy a tube of mortar fix and squirt a bit into the hole. You might also utilize 100 percent silicone, which comes from caulking tubes and squeezable tubes.

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Sometimes the mortar can become loose after it has been drilled. It’s possible to apply a little adhesive into the hole should you feel as though you need a bit more holding power. I am using Liquid Nails at a caulking gun here; Liquid Nails comes in a squeezable tube.

Note:
Installing glue will make it very difficult to eliminate the Tapcon screw in the future. Consider this a more permanent setup.

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If you use adhesive, you could also substitute a common nail for your Tapcon screw. Drill the hole, place from the glue and then hammer the nail into the hole once the glue is dry.

I abandon a nail like this up to get a wreath we hang every year. The nail and the glue are pretty delicate, but if you are concerned about it you can pull it out and cover up everything with mortar. This will be a lot of work, however, because using adhesive makes it more permanent.

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How to Insert a Twist to Sheetrock

I like Ook hooks for hanging items in Sheetrock. These modern versions of picture hangers can hold a tremendous amount of weight. Each package is rated by how much weight it could hold. The hangers within this pack can hold up to 50 pounds; larger versions can hold around 100 pounds.

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Here’s an Ook hook installed in Sheetrock. Simply set up the two nails that arrive from the package, and you are all set. There is no need to discover a stud — that’s what makes these so versatile and easy to use.

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I love EZ anchors for much more permanent Sheetrock hanging alternatives, and I substitute these for any Assets that might come with what I am hanging. These can hold a lot of weight (again, every package is rated; see that the circled number at the top right corner of the package) and are extremely easy to install.

Note:
These anchors can be readily eliminated but will leave a hole about the size of a dime in your walls, so use them to get longer permanent decorations.

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EZ anchors require no drilling. Just hold the anchor where you need it and then tap it with a hammer until you reach the screw portion.

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Next screw it in the wall using a screwdriver until it is flush with the wall.

Note: Do not overtighten. If you keep turning the twist, it will break the Sheetrock around it, and the screw will only spin in place, making a hole that’s larger than the width of the screw thread.

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Next insert the screw that comes from the package.

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Screw it in to the required depth.

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Tapping Into Wood

Do not underestimate the value of a simple trim nail. Nails are easy to install, can hold a lot of weight and are easy to eliminate.

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After removing the nail, then it is simple to fill out the nail hole with colored putty. There is a fitting putty for every blot Minwax sells, and a few colored putties to match painted surfaces.

Tell us How do you hang your art and holiday decorations?

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