How to Affix a Sign to a Brick Wall

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Things You'll Need

  • Carpenter's pencil

  • 4-foot level

  • Paint marker

  • Masonry drill bit

  • Masonry screws

  • Drill motor

  • Sealant

  • Eye protection

Brick walls hold signs securely with the correct fasteners.

The hardness of brick complicates the installation of a sign on a brick wall. Attempting to use fasteners designed for wood or metal walls on a masonry, or brick, wall will cause the end of the fastener to heat up and dull before it makes an indentation on the material. Fasteners designed for masonry — including brick — use a special tip designed to drill into hard materials combined with hardened alloys to secure materials to a masonry wall. One fastener in particular uses a similar installation to a self-tapping sheet metal screw.

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Step 1

Place a horizontal carpenter's pencil mark at the required bottom height of the sign. Place a vertical carpenter's pencil mark for one of the sign's sides. Align the top edge of a 4-foot level with the horizontal pencil mark. Adjust the level until it shows horizontally level. Pull the pencil across the top of the level. Repeat the process to draw a vertical plumb line at the second pencil mark.

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Step 2

Hold the sign against the face of the brick wall. Align the bottom and side of the sign with the horizontal and vertical lines. Push the pencil into each sign-mounting hole to mark its location on the surface of the wall. Remove the sign.

Step 3

Install a masonry drill bit in the chuck of a drill motor. Drill a hole at each pencil-marked location to the depth specified by the masonry screw installation instructions. Exchange the masonry drill bit for the tip adapter, which should have been supplied with the masonry screws.

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Step 4

Hold the sign in place with the screw holes aligned with the holes drilled in the brick wall.

Step 5

Run one masonry screw through each sign mounting hole. Make sure each screw sits tight to hold the sign securely to the wall.

Tip

Fill the drilled holes with sealant before you install the screws to keep water from entering the wall.

Warning

Wear eye protection when drilling holes in a brick wall.

Practice ladder safety if the sign sits higher than you can reach from the ground.

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