How to fill holes to re-drill into - heavy item.

[Char1980]

Hi there, we have a very heavy mirror that my husband has just tried to put up on a wall. It needs to go in a very specific place as it’s above a mantelpiece with not much room.

Unfortunately, he messed up and has somehow managed to put huge holes into the wall which now won’t take any wall plugs without being unsafe and loose.

We can’t relocate where the screws need to be as the space is so tight and specific. And by moving it, the mirror then won’t be in the middle of the mantelpiece wall.

Is there a product that he can use to fill the holes, which will be strong enough to then re-drill into and hold this very heavy mirror. Or any other suggestions on how he could solve this. Perhaps a specialty fixing of some kind??

We have two young children and I’m terrified of the fixings coming loose and the mirror falling on them- it is a really very heavy piece.

The wall is plasterboard with breezeblock brick behind.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice. Charlotte

 

[mikeey84]

What size hole did he try to drill?

You can get quite a wide variety of sizes, so it may be possible to get a larger wall plug that may fit (you may need different screws)

 

[Char1980]

Hi there, I think that ship has sailed- the holes are now about an inch across...
I don’t think any size of wall plug is going to fit into the mess that they’ve become

Thanks for you help!

 

[Burnerman]

In the ‘good old days’ we used to bash a tapered wooden plug into the hole, really tightly and get a screw fixing into that.
I guess the disaster incorporates the breeze blocks behind as well as the plasterboard?
John

 

[EddieM]

Fill the holes with epoxy resin, insert plugs into epoxy before it's cured. You may need to find a way to keep the plugs where you want them whilst the resin is curing.

 

[JohnD]

verify that the hole is deep enough and wide enough to accept the plug and screw you need, in the correct position

clean out all dust and loose material with a vacuum cleaner hose or water jet

Inject builders adhesive such as no-more-nails or an own-brand, starting with the nozzle deep in the hole so there is no air bubble behind it

Push the plasplug into the adhesive so it is in the correct place. Sunk slightly below the surface of the plaster

Leave it to set overnight

When firm, it is now held in the correct place and you can drive your screw into it.

 

[JohnD]

Hi there, I think that ship has sailed- the holes are now about an inch across...

In that case, fill them with sand and cement mortar, and, once hard, do it again properly. It will set stronger if you keep it moist for a few days rather than drying fast.

You will need a hammer drill with masonry bit.

I don't know what you were using before. A pickaxe?

You have to drill, and screw, at least an inch into the blockwork. Disregard the plasterboard. You will need quite long steel screws.

 

[foxhole]

Are you sure it’s breezblock and not thermalite?
You could move the mounts on the mirror so new mount position is needed on wall .

 

[Mottie]

I had a similar problem with a fixing in a concrete post to hold up 8 foot wide gates. I used this stuff:

£8 delivered off Amazon. Sets rock hard in 30 minutes. Once you've filled the hole, you can drill it or even, as has been suggested, push your wall plugs into it. Be quick when using it though, no dawdling!

 

[Tigercubrider]

I have used wickes quick set mortar to fix misdialled holes.
Squirt a bit of water into the dust free hole, this stops the wall sucking the moisture out of the repair before it goes off. You can use a bit of card and a cocktail stick taped together to hold a rawl plug in the wet mortar so the plug is exactly where you want. A short piece of metal tube can be used as a spacer if the plasterboard is far from the brick.
Gripit fixings are pretty strong - screwfix. They rely on metal arms on the rear of the plasterboard.

 

[Tigercubrider]

 

[foxhole]

Don’t they need space behind board OP are glued to blockwork.

 

[Tigercubrider]

It's not clear to me if the plasterboard is dot and dab?

 

[mattylad]

OP, is the hole in the breeze block also about an inch?

 

[Char1980]

Hi all,

I believe it’s dot and dab plasterboard.

He has gone a little into the breezeblock/ thermalites behind.

We can’t move the mirror brackets on the mirror. - it’s not possible with the mirror design unfortunately.

Thanks x