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Installing a hangboard in masonry.

Original Post
cfuttner · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 5

Just bought a Metolius Wood Grips hangboard but now I have a bit of a conundrum about how to install it. We own an old 1920's condo and the walls are terra cotta brick/tile. I'm worried that trying to screw the hangboard directly to the wall is going to cause the masonry to blow out. Backer board wouldn't solve this as I would still be attaching directly to the terra cotta. My thought was to drill through the wall and install a backboard on the other side, sandwiching the wall between the two boards ( with lag bolts ) and attach the hangboard to the backer board. Anyone else run into this type of installation. Am I going to pull the whole wall down upon myself and be buried in a pile of rubble?

Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

Go the Home Depot and explain this to them. They will direct to the lag bolts or masonry anchors.

Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55

If the masonry is solid (and lots of the old stuff isn't) it's fairly simple to do it. The go to Home Depot advice is solid. Proper tools (rent them) and parts will make it pretty easy to do.

AThomas · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 25

I don't think structural terra cotta would be great for holding the load of masonry anchors. (They look like cinderblocks.) Yo might just blow the wall out on the first pull. Maybe ask a contractor near you who's familiar with that type of construction.

Eric Hardester · · Provo, Utah · Joined May 2013 · Points: 111

You could attach it to a pull-up bar and hang it in your doorway. There are some videos about how to do it on youtube.

youtube.com/watch?v=KtMDa13…

cfuttner · · Chicago, IL · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 5

Yeah, the problem is that this isn't concrete. It's terra cotta. think the stuff your red clay flower pots are made of. Plus they're hollow blocks. I imagine a masonry anchor is just going to cause them to crack. No joists in the ceiling either. Not really sure what's in the floor other than under the finished oak floor is concrete. This is an 8 story 1920's Chicago condo (was an apt. Building back then.) Plaster and masonry. It also has to look good, hence the Metolius Wood grips board. Wife would not appreciate colored plastic in the dining room.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

given the construction materials of the condo, i think you would be much better off just building a free standing wood frame. if you do it with bolts, one nice thing would be that you could easily take it down and stow it away when needed. also, if you ever moved to a new place you could set it up really quickly.

if you do end up mounting it to the terra cotta, you're going to want to be really careful. it will be hard to mount it without resulting in an eccentric load, causing bending, causing cracking...

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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