How to Anchor into Brick, Concrete & Masonry

Brick, block, and concrete won't hold a regular screw, and a regular drill bit won't even make the hole. But with the right bit and the right anchor, fastening to masonry is very doable. Here's the homeowner version.

You need a masonry bit — and ideally a hammer drill

Masonry needs a carbide-tipped masonry bit, which looks different from a wood bit and is built to grind through hard material. A regular drill will work slowly in soft brick or mortar, but a hammer drill (or a drill with a hammer setting) makes the job far faster and cleaner in concrete by tapping as it spins. Many cordless drill/drivers have a hammer mode — check yours.

Pick the anchor for the load

• Plastic masonry anchors for light stuff — a house number, a small light, a hook. Drill, tap the sleeve in, drive the screw.
• Tapcon-style concrete screws for medium loads — a rail bracket, a hose reel, a small fixture. They thread straight into a pre-drilled hole; the box tells you the exact bit size to use.
• Sleeve or wedge anchors for heavy loads — a handrail post, a heavy bracket, something structural-adjacent. These expand hard against the hole and hold serious weight.

How to set it

1. Mark and drill into the solid part. In brick, it's usually stronger to drill into the brick itself than the mortar joint for a heavy fixture (though light fixtures in mortar are fine and easier to patch later). Use the bit size the anchor calls for.
2. Drill slightly deeper than the anchor is long so debris at the bottom doesn't stop it from seating.
3. Clear the hole. Blow or vacuum the dust out — masonry dust left in the hole keeps the anchor from gripping. This step matters more than people think.
4. Set the anchor and fixture. Tap in a sleeve, drive a concrete screw, or insert and tighten a wedge anchor until the fixture is snug. Don't overtighten a concrete screw or you'll strip the hole.

Know when to call a pro

Hanging light and medium fixtures on masonry is fine DIY. Step back and call a pro when it's a handrail or guardrail that has to hold a person's weight (those carry code and safety requirements), when you're drilling into a foundation or structural wall and aren't sure what's behind it, or when the brick or block itself is cracked, loose, or crumbling — that's a masonry repair, not an anchor. Anchoring into failing masonry just hides the problem.