Masonry screws are used to secure materials to various masonry materials (usually concrete). Tapcon is a brand that has become a generic term for these screws over the years, often called Tapcon screws.
Tapcon screws can be identified by their blue color. Most of them are fully threaded, but some longer screws will have smooth shoulders. This shoulder is designed to disperse the heat accumulated by the bolt. If the shoulder were absent, the screw would heat up exponentially and expand the hole. This expansion plus the heat of the screw can compromise its integrity, causing the screw to break.
Now that we know something about masonry screws, let's start installing one.
To start
What will you need:
- Concrete drill
- Stick
- Painter's tape
- Tapcon Screws
- Various driver bits depending on chosen head style
- Safety equipment!
Step 1
The first thing we need to do is take the screw we are going to install and mark the tip of the screw with masking tape. We don't want to make too big a hole in the concrete, it just needs to be long enough.
After securing our drill, it's time for the most important part of our setup. Wearing our gloves and safety glasses to protect ourselves.
Step 2
With our safety equipment and hand drill with gloves on, we can start drilling into the concrete. Short concrete screws also hold very well in concrete. These masonry screws cut their own threads and will only need to be installed a little over an inch to have any real holding power. Once you reach the desired depth marked by the tape, you can remove the drill bit and carefully remove any extra debris from the hole.
step 3
This is the starting point for installing a concrete screw. Find the appropriate driver bit. We decided to use Tapcon hex head slotted screws due to their popularity. Just drill the screw into the hole until the head hits the concrete surface and you're done!
