Bolting Wood to Concrete

[Lance Norris]

I have a problem and need the experience that I know is available here at the Creek. I have a house that is 120+ years old and has a sandstone foundation. I have a basement walkout that needs a door and door frame built. I dont know if I can attach the wood door frame I am going to build into the sandstones on the sides. I have a wooden header at the top, so that isnt a problem. I have a concrete bottom step. If I can attach a wooden threshold(just a 2x6) into the concrete bottom step, I can make a very solid frame by using pocket hole joinery. How can I bolt the 2x6 into the concrete step? Can the concrete be drilled? Or a construction adhesive? I have seen the devices that nail into concrete with a .22 caliber blank, but dont want to buy one just for 3 or 4 nails. Better would be a masonry bit. Or a tube of glue. Something economical. Thanks in advance.

[Shawn Walker]

Hammer Drill and tapcons, or lag bolts. HD can rent you the drill, and sell you the tapcons, or lagbolts. The rentals guys can tell you how to install them.
If you want to use glue as well, or instead of... PL Premium. They have it at HD as well.
Cheers Shawn.

[Jim O'Dell]

There is a special bolt, and I'm sure it's what Shawn is calling the lag bolt, that you drill a hole, put this in, then hammer into place, and turn the nut a few turns to anchor it in. Called Concrete anchors. Just don't get too close to the edge or you'll explode a piece of concrete. DAMHIKT! I won't admit it.
The brand I got at HD is Red Head. Here is a picture of the box and my last remaining anchor. I used a bunch in remodeling my shop for the walls that I rebuilt. They had used concrete nails through the 2X4s into the concrete. It worked ok, but I've never had luck in hammering them in. Here's a couple pictures. DSCN1894.jpgDSCN1895.jpg Jim.

ps: a hammer drill would work a lot quicker, but I used my 18 volt cordless and did ok. Also be sure to use PT wood against the floor. Concrete will still wick moisture out of the ground and into the wood and rot it.

[Shawn Walker]

Yeah Jim; Those are the ones in your picture I was talking about. I was getting ready to leave work so my post was kind of brief.
Good tip for Lance on the PTwood. In my neck of the woods moisture is a real problem so we would use a sill gasket as well.
Cheers Shawn.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

My preference is to drill and fill. All other methods put some level of expansive strain on the base material. Unless you have confidence that the material is such that it can take the strain of a driven bolt or an expanding wedge. I suggest you consider drilling and filling.

Your application would cause me to be concerned about material strength. If I understand you correctly, it is an opening in a foundation wall.

I'd drill over size squirt out the holes really well to clean the dust out and make up my mind whether I wanted to use a ballistic epoxy (my brother uses ballistic epoxy to secure the bolts of blast doors around the world.) and fill the holes with that as I sunk the bolts.
- - - Or - - -
Mortar, In which case I'd want to pre-coat the holes with block bond to make sure I got the best bond & then tamp the mortar in tight around the lag bolt.

In the past (example: anchoring a sill to a concrete knee wall) I drilled oversize and inserted bolts with a U or a right angle bend on the ends. Never had one fail.

[Greg Cole]

Pretty much what Cliff said....
I definately reccomend setting the anchors in some epoxy when ya tap the anchor in the hole (after blowing out debris with air or sucking it out with a shop vac).
I've attached quite a few heavy duty use things this way outside (ala dock plates for fork lifts etc that have been outside for years now and still hold rock solid up a 10,000 lb fork lift & up to 7,000 pound load on said lift).
My general rule of thumb is to use PT lumber for any cement contact areas & especially under the surrounding grade.

Cheers,
Greg

[Lance Norris]

What is, and where do I get, ballistic epoxy. I think the wedge bolt would work fine because the step I am bolting to is about 12" inches deep and 6" thick, but I will consider the epoxy method. Thanks

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

What is, and where do I get, ballistic epoxy. I think the wedge bolt would work fine because the step I am bolting to is about 12" inches deep and 6" thick, but I will consider the epoxy method. Thanks

The book
"Renovation" by Michael Litchfiield (Taunton Press and here on the web:
http://books.google.com/books?id=CPZ...KpZ7Bg#PPP1,M1
Has some god info on epoxying. See pages 215 - 219

I have done business with these people they are fabulous
http://www.epoxy.com/713.htm

And there is UNISORB® Epoxy Anchor Bolts Encapsulated with Stud Assembly
here:http://www.stampersstore.com/mainten...chor_bolts.htm

There is ChemStud Epoxy anchor bolts and expoxy:
http://www.barnhillbolt.com/index.ph...stid=723825717

There is Versa Crete
http://www.superior-industries.com/v...FRuhFQodsVWjGg

Hilti has HIT-RE 500-SD: epoxy anchor system for Strength Design
http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/module...ANGE_OID=42725