TransWikia.com

drill concrete for installing tack strips

Home Improvement Asked on October 5, 2021

I’ll planning to replace carpet in the basement and will need to install tack strips on the concrete surface. I know they sell tack strips with presettled sturdy nails for concrete. So do people normally drill holes in concrete of nail size and hammer it in? I need probably special “enforced” drill bits for this?

3 Answers

The tackless carpet strips installed on masonry surfaces have short evenly-spaced concrete nails on every strip. They are set in position and with a well placed hammer strike the point of the nail penetrates the concrete securing the strip tightly.

Of course in the real world not every nail hit goes as planned. It's a good idea to have a few spares on hand as some tackles will be missing a nail or a bad hammer blow renders the nail useless.

If you can afford the extra time to install the strips with concrete screws (Tap-Cons) then the strips will be anchored better than nails. Use a 5/32 masonry bit for the small Tap-Con screw.

Some suggestions: If you do use screws along with nails 3-4 per strip should be enough. I found that 2 and sometimes 3 layers of tackles in long rooms will not pull loose overtime.

Answered by ojait on October 5, 2021

I wouldn't use Tapcons™. Way too expensive. I use a 1/8 in carbide bit and then use a 3/4 fluted masonry nail or 7/8 in aluminum drive nails. Or you can glue it down with a good adhesive like Bosch.

Answered by Troy Mundis on October 5, 2021

If aluminum nails won't work for you or you're not a professional flooring installer I would not recommend installing the strip yourself. It is really easy to miss with a hammer and bash the crap out of your baseboards.

If you're insistent on doing it yourself, I suggest a method called "drill and plug":

  • Buy a 1/4 inch concrete bit and several 1/4 inch dowel rods.
  • Drill right through the strip into the concrete.
  • Tap the dowel rod into the hole and snap it off flush with the strip.
  • Then using a roofing nail of the appropriate length, simply hammer the nail into the rod in the hole.
  • The dowel rod expands in hole and holds the strip extremely well.

Answered by David Hess on October 5, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP