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I am using 4-in blue Tapcon screws to attach 2x4s to a brick wall. The picture shows a top board where it worked just fine. I was able to drill the hole using a 3/16 in concrete bit and the screw went all the way in, holding the 2x4 tight.

I did the same with the bottom 2x4 but it will not go in more than a quarter inch into the brick. It's the same box of screws and actually I tried to use multiple ones in that bottom 2x4. It's the same brick wall. I saw other similar posts but none seem to apply to this situation. I tried a cordless drill as well as a hammer drill without the hammer option. What's the difference and why does this happen sometimes?

isherwood
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Chris Davis
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    "will not go in" what won't? The drill, the screw? If you're drilling brick/concrete you want an SDS, not a domestic DIY drill. – Tetsujin May 18 '23 at 18:40
  • Actually, you want the hammer part - masonry is what that is for. You don't want to use the hammer part when you are drilling in wood or metal. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact May 18 '23 at 19:03
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    I've drilled plenty of holes in masonry with a DeWalt cordless drill on the hammer setting. SDS is certainly not required. A hole is a hole. I'm also curious about the failure mode, though. Is the screw jamming? Spinning? Stripping? – isherwood May 18 '23 at 19:39
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    Did you blow the dust out of the hole after drilling it? (By the way, the picture didn't appear. You can Edit your question and use the "mountains" icon in the editing box to add the picture.) – keshlam May 18 '23 at 21:45
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    Tapcons are prone to variable results. Perhaps some of the brick are harder than others? https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/104151/18078 – Ecnerwal May 18 '23 at 23:59
  • Theres no picture. – Rohit Gupta May 19 '23 at 03:16
  • Note that I'm using the exact same approach as I did with the two in the upper 2x4. I did not use Hammer mode to insert the screw only to drill the hole. We should not need Hammer mode to actually insert the screw. The hole was blown out. There was nothing different about how I manage the upper and lower holes. But for the lower one it just simply won't go past about a quarter inch into the break. Same bricks so same hardness. But the hole is already there that was not a problem. – Chris Davis May 19 '23 at 19:54
  • If it's fired brick, depending where it was in the kiln it can be "the same batch of brick" but different hardness from bricks in different locations in the kiln. If it's concrete in a brick shape it would go back to aggregate variability. In any case, my experience is that you'll have more consistent results with a different type of anchor. Tapcons have been a waste of money for me. – Ecnerwal May 19 '23 at 20:20
  • Using Tapcons is like flipping a coin. – kreemoweet May 20 '23 at 19:55

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I did find a work around at least. I can grab the end with my vice grips and get it pretty darn tight. I would post a picture but the size limit here just makes it a pain.

Chris Davis
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    Good for you. I've broken more than a few before I stopped using them, so consider yourself fortunate that they didn't snap off. – Ecnerwal May 20 '23 at 16:10