Attaching American Flag to Garage

[jshailor1871]

Good morning GJ!

I attempted to install an American flag to the front of my garage this weekend only to find that once I had the flag holder in place a slight movement would cause the lead anchors to move around in their hole. However when I installed them they were a very tight fit. It was only after I threaded a screw into them that they became loose.

My question for you all is what anchor system is best for my apparently soft mortar? I don't want to come home one day and see my flag on the ground.


Thanks


John

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[BillK]

Mine isn't brick but wood siding and I had the same problem. I ended up mounting a 1 x 4 piece of wood trim to the siding with 6 screws and then mounted the flag holder to the center of the 1x4. There is a LOT of force on it when the wind starts blowing.

 

[jshailor1871]

I've thought about doing a piece of wood to help strengthen everything up, but am worried I'll have the same issue with the soft mortar.

I'm also not entirely convinced I want to drill into brick either. I've read a decent amount on brick vs mortar. Seems to be a debated topic, almost as bad as "what oil should I use?"

Thanks,


John

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[jtbinvalrico]

What kind of wall is it? Stucco over cinder block? Brick? How long were the lag shields (lead anchors)?

Using too short of a lag shield on stucco could have you not embedded in the block.

Edit: I see. Brick. I'd put the holes into the brick, not the mortar.

 

[jshailor1871]

Brick and mortar. The house was built in 1970.

The lag shield was 1" in length.


John



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[OccupantRJ]

Toggle bolts through the brick into the cavity behind. There is usually an inch gap or so back there on a brick veneer. Use a hooked wire to determine the gap. You may need to shorten the wings on the toggle nut to allow the wings to spread out once they pass through the hole. A larger back plate is still a good idea to spread the load.

 

[driftpin]

What about 1-3/4" tapcons, or whatever length you believe would need to be capable of holding? I like the hex-heads > flat head phillips, and 1/4" > 3/16".

The use of a wood block is also a good choice.

 

[jshailor1871]

I have been leaning towards using tapcons as I have some leftover from a previous project.

I also like the idea of using toggle bolts.

I love this site, so much information to take in and think about.

Thanks for all the help so far.


John

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[Buckaroo5]

Had this issue drilling into the mortar trying to use lead anchors. I ended up going with large, beefy plastic anchors into the mortar with slightly oversized SS full thread machine screws. I also went with a four point mount rather than a three point mount. Still very secure after 15 years. If your mortar has weakened with age, agree that you may need to go into the brick.

Buckaroo

 

[jshailor1871]

Just an update to say I resolved the issue.

I went to HD and picked up some liquid nail and drilled new holes in the mortar. Filled the holes with liquid nail and then ran tapcons in.

The flag holder feels more solid than it did previously, I'm hoping this provides a more permanent solution. This weekend I will be rummaging through my scrap wood pile to find a suitable piece of wood in case I need to mount the holder to if need be.

Thanks for all of the suggestions GJ!


John



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[1320stang]

Caught you late. I too would have went toggle bolts as later, when you want to go full on flagpole, you could grout the toggle holes closed.