Struggling to attach skirting to wall?

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F54Mini

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Hi

We have had a room skimmed, job wasn’t perfect so the walls are not dead straight along the bottom but decent enough.

I now need to fit new skirting and I figured it’s best to screw as the gaps to the wall behind vary.

Screwed into the wall right along, plugs in and tried to screw skirting in but it won’t pull tight, the screw the spins and spins. Figured holes may be too big so did smaller ones, plugs are in tighter but same thing.

Ok so figured the plaster round the plug is just crumbling away so I drilled a bigger hole which is the length of the drill but so maybe 3 inches or so. Tapped plug to back of hole….it still won’t pull tight.

It’s an external cavity was so surely 3 inch of drilling should be hitting the brickwork? The drill just goes in like a knife through butter!
 
What sort of walls? Old 1800/19000s or 1950s?

6mm dewalt drill and Fisher plugs and 75mm screws with a few blobs (small or won't push back tight) of polymer grab.

I normally use foam to stick with the odd screw.

Sounds like you are hitting the brick mortar so need to drill at different height maybe
 
It’s a 60s house but this was the extension which was build in the mid 80s.

Using normal brown plugs

Thanks
 
After drilling through the plastering, did you see grey dust? If yes, I think they are thermalite blocks.

Thermalite blocks are not particularly strong, hence my recommended plugs.

Regardless of the block type- I would expect them to be thicker than 3 inches.
 
opps said:
After drilling through the plastering, did you see grey dust? If yes, I think they are thermalite blocks.

Thermalite blocks are not particularly strong, hence my recommended plugs.

Regardless of the block type- I would expect them to be thicker than 3 inches.
Click to expand...
Yes, it’s grey dust that comes out of the hole so that explains it then. Will check out those plugs.

Thanks
 
F54Mini said:
Yes, it’s grey dust that comes out of the hole so that explains it then. Will check out those plugs.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Please read the reviews first though. I haven't used them.

When drilling in to thermolite I drill at slight angles. I offset them as I go along. That said, I don't use the really basic brown plugs (the ones that only work on expansion).

For reference, if using 7mm brown plugs do not use screws over 5mm in (shaft) diameter. Tapping plugs deep in the wall only really works if you then continue to tap more plugs in to the same hole until you reach the surface. Imagine a plug pushed 3" in to a wall. You put the screw in and the first thing that happens is that the screw pulls the plug forward as you tighten it.
 
There is another work around - drill your holes, remove the skirting, squirt something in the hole such as GripFill then push a brown plug into the hole and leave to set (12 to 18 hours) before screwing. It works, but is a bit slow

You might also consider using low exoansion foam to fix your skirtings instead
 
Thermalite block I just push a screwdriver in to create a hole for plug. Seems to crush the block more solid around hole but always problems as blocks are soft
 
Looking at plans from 1984, it states the bricks will be 215mm solar so is this the same as thermalite?

The previous skirting was difficult to remove, I had to pull it away with force from the wall, when then had a skim done so if it was nailed in before, I figured the new stuff should
Screw in easy.
 
F54Mini said:
Looking at plans from 1984, it states the bricks will be 215mm solar so is this the same as thermalite?

The previous skirting was difficult to remove, I had to pull it away with force from the wall, when then had a skim done so if it was nailed in before, I figured the new stuff should
Screw in easy.
Click to expand...

AFAIK they are both aerated concrete blocks. They may have slightly load bearing qualities but in this case, I think that the terms are interchangeable.
 
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