Plasterboard covered concrete wall fixing problem

[ckes101]

Hi All and thanks for taking the time to look at my post. I live in an old Cornish unit house and have just had the living room re plastered. The walls at either end of the room were concrete. The walls were plaster boarded and plastered and all is well. But I have hit a problem now I am trying to put up the curtain rails. I can't just have the rails supported on the new plasterboard can I ??

Have I got to drill into the concrete wall behind? if so what type of fixing do i use and also there is approx one and a half in void between the old concrete wall and the plasterboard so if i do drill into the original concrete wall the fixing I use will not be supported by anything in the void?? I hope this makes sense as i am stuck for a solution. Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[KenGMac]

ckes101, Hi

Suggest you Google "No Fines Concrete Fixings"?

The Concrete you refer to? may well be this type of Construction, much in favour albeit some time ago with almost all Local Authorities.

Ken

 

[Doggit]

You'll very likely have to use and sds drill to drill into the concrete, but if you can get hold of the old style long lengths of rawlplug, then you'll be able to use longer screws into the concrete itself. The other trick, is to use 2 plugs rather than one. Measure the length of 2 wall plugs and tape a piece of masking tape around the drill, then knock the first plug into the hole, and then the second. Use a screw that is as long as the 2 wall plugs, and you should be fine.

 

[^woody^]

Ordinarily, you could just use a 'frame fix' fixing which is just a long plastic plug with a screw, and put this though into the concrete wall - 80 to 100mm to allow for about 40-50mm into the concrete. There's little weight with the rail, so no need to worry about the air gap.

However as this is a Cornish unit, if the external wall has not been modified or upgraded, then you risk either going through the concrete with the drill, or at least blowing the front off the panel externally.