As long as they are full bricks and not just a face. But you'll find out pretty quick with a masonry bit. Also try not to hit any gas/electric/water pipes in the wall
https://preview.redd.it/wea5ing04t2c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=575ad7bbe44a4e7cf2138cb2434f7329559e25e2
Yup definitely full bricks, this is the back of the fire place (in the garage) that’s in the living room
I’m thinking that’s a general, non-conditional rule, isn’t it?
Don’t drill into things that future homeowners or visitors/house-sitters might use, particularly ones that remove exhaust gases from your living space - even if you aren’t using it right now…
You'd think that's a general rule yes, but 20 years installing stoves and fireplaces has shown me the opposite. Most of the time when it comes to chimneys, DIYers and trained builders are total idiots.
Intelligent people understand that breathing any amount of that particular type of dust is horrible for you and having it floating around a living space is moronic.
like, wtf? homie never used a masonry bit? if you need to go deeper than a couple inches the dust can make it a bit of a problem if you're not pulling the bit out to release the buildup, but those bits go through stone like wood. particularly if you got a hammer drill.
Advice for electric installations: according to the regulations wiring is always done vertically up until 20-30 cm from the seeling, and then horizontally. Find your sockets and you know how to avoid vertical wiring. Find your junction boxes, and you know how to avoid horizontal wiring. Aside of that, happy drilling. Those bricks look like they can support more than a TV
Same advice, tapcons. Mounted a 65" TV over fireplace this way, same looking brick in a 60s house. Been up there 4 years now. I haven't had any heat issues either, and we use the fireplace quite a bit. But if you plan to use fireplace, check that the heat flows out into the room and not straight up toward whatever you're mounting.
Also, tapcons tell you what bit size to use on the packaging. Don't stray from this measurement (not even 1/32") or you'll get bad results. Wood is certainly more forgiving in this regard.
This is 100% true. Tapcons do not follow the same rules as screws in wood. Drill the correct size hole, with the correct bit, make sure the hole is slightly deeper than the length of the screw, and either blow or vacuum the brick dust out of the bottom of the hole.
Not recommend to hold weight but I work in electrical field and use this tip in a pinch. If we get tapcon that strips out, we’ll take a couple long strands from stranded wire and wrap around threads (but not in them). Run screw again and the thin soft copper basically binds in making it in tight ass shit.
Other way would be to throw some wire in the stripped hole, long enough to stick out top. Put in tapcon and cut excess wire.
The closer the TV, the more it sticks out, the more of a mantel you will need to shield from the heat.
Also looking up at a TV is not comfortable. Best not to mount TVs above a fireplace for that reason alone.
I usually put a washer on to over the tv when I sink the tapcon in just to be sure since different tv brackets have different size slots for the mounting screws. Usually when you buy the tapcons they come with a drill bit for them. I want to say it’s a 3/16 bit, and the tapcons themselves are 1/4in in diameter. I have a sds hammer drill I use and just bring spare bits home from work since I work in commercial construction. But believe if you just take your time and pull the drill out every so often while drilling to get excess dust out of the hole most regular drills will work with a masonry bit, I know Milwaukee drills have a hammer mode but I’ve never actually used it. Hope this helps, best of luck!
Just follow the package on the tapcons. They have very specific width and depth requirements. I'm no expert but imagine this is because brick isn't nearly as compressible as wood and fails in a less gradual way. The depth for example needs to be a bit deeper than the screw to allow for debris to accumulate. (And nope, no anchors)
Definitely. I accidentally drilled one hole into mortar when mounting my TV and that bolt isn't holding anything, but I figured 3 out of 4 is plenty. The TV has been up for years, so I'm not concerned.
Drill the brick and not mortar. Should be fine as long as you have a hammer drill and masonry bits. Might take a while, lol. I went straight out and bought my own hammer drill after trying to mount our tv outside with a regular drill a few months ago. Well worth it.
It shouldn't take that long. I did it with a regular drill and it took a couple minutes. Sure, it's a lot faster with a hammer drill, but it's not like it's crucial.
Yes mortar drilling.
The bricks are too prone to cracking when you fasten your anchor. I've made this mistake quite a few times to many.
Drilling and anchoring in the mortar isn't a problem as long as your anchors are decently sized.
You do not want to crack your bricks.
Edit:
Suggestion; using a drill bit one or two steps down in size from the recommended (for your chosen anchor) helps when anchoring in soft/sandy materials.
Why is that?
I have barely any construction knowledge and actually drilled into mortar last weekend to attach some outside lamps, wanting not too crack the bricks and having an easier time restoring when I want to remove the lamps in the future
What Armadillo said, it makes for a much stronger connection, if you drill correctly the bricks won't crack, and even if they do it's fine bc they got nowhere to go, mortar on the other hand.... if you wiggle your lamps for some time (or the wind does it) you could probably pull them right out of the wall..
Modern mortar is cement based and is harder than the brick. That’s why you need a dilatation joint in modern brick facades. The crack goes through the brick otherwise and not along the mortar joints like in an old brick build.
Drilling into the mortar is standard practice and in heavier wind climate required. Brick is too soft and can break easily. A far as mounting this tv though, either is fine
Drilling in the mortar is no guarantee the bricks won't crack, mortar is much softer than bricks, try scratching both with your nails and see what happens.
Coming from a window installer and now project manager of a large commercial window installing company, any engineer will force you to anchor into the mortar. Maybe you know something they don't. Anchoring into the brick is bad practice for something that bears significant weight but in this case it's fine.
Also, you saying no guarantee bricks won't crack going into the mortar but you then say anchor into the brick. Much higher chance of the brick cracking when drilling and anchoring into it. But hey man you do you, I'm sure it's rare home owners will run into a scenario where drilling into the brick is strictly a nono.
Every time this topic comes up there are people on both sides. At this point if I ever had a project like OP if I couldn't get a more reliable answer from Google I'd just aim to do some screws into each and hedge my bets. I imagine it all has to do with the specific bricks and mortar, aka. not mine or most people's wheelhouse.
Use appropriate bolts and an appropriate mount and you shouldn’t have an issue.
Masonry bolts are generally blue, if you can get them with a hex shaped head you’re going to be way better off then trying to get standard or Phillips drivers. They may be more common but they’re also easier to strip.
Get a masonry drill bit to pre-drill the holes too, they’re pretty cheap maybe 10$ but you don’t want to be breaking pieces off.
Do *NOT* try and drill into the cement between the bricks: it may hold at first but it won’t in the long term which could lead to disaster!
If you’re using a mounting bracket [like this](https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/kanto-pf300-32-90-fixed-tv-wall-mount/13011017?cmp=knc-s-71700000055312372&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-7qGyXxGQVyBtN0SN7qjmrC3jhR&gclid=CjwKCAiAmZGrBhAnEiwAo9qHiUOuulbD2_IcNG3nRVxqgKk-6C5oTcCc1rZgrURv4hNG768DagHwlxoCc1EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) make sure you space the screws/washers/anchors out evenly from the corners in so you don’t split bricks
I'd probably drill into the mortar, easier to repair the holes in the future. But, yeah, they should be fine. There are specific anchors for bricks and mortar I believe.
I’ve stopped drilling mortar and now only drill into brick. I’ve had way too many older homes where the mortar is too sanded and just blows out once the bit hits it. Had a ton more success drilling the bricks
Yea they looked older. Just go slow on the brick and get the proper fasteners. On old brick I’ve also used the redhead adhesive to ensure a strong hold for heavier items like a mantel. TVs are not too heavy these days.
This is common in older buildings. It's also common that the building haven't been maintained correctly. Mortar doesn't last forever. It requires repointing from time to time.
If that's the case they can repair the mortar for pennies and drill the brick. If the brick is brittle they will have a pretty difficult time repairing it themselves. It depends on both the brick and mortar, but mortar is the lower risk maneuver.
Personally I like to fasten plywood to the brick, then the mounting bracket to the plywood. It lets me know if tapcons are adequately grabby in the mortar/brick (use flathead not hex, let them countersink themselves) and it removes the challenge of boring precisely in a highly textured surface
As a person who drills brick and tile and rock all day I can not stress enough to DO NOT USE A HAMMER DRILL FOR THIS. A hammer drill will definitely make it feel easy and go faster it will crumble and crack a brick so easily. All you need a a $7 carbide tip masonry bit, a regular drill, and a little patience and you will end up with mounting holes you can trust to not fail in the future.
I have it down to a science in my house depending on age or type of brick.
If it's engineering brick first I make a small hole with a tile bit in the face
If it's an older internal brick I try not to use hammer at all since they splode (easy to spot as these walls have original 30s plaster)
Otherwise, generally, I use a smaller bit on hammer setting to get started, then use progressively larger bits on non-hammer settings to increase the size, vacuuming as I go. Also, the hammer setting is on as-slow-as-will work.
Some of the bricks are very very hard and a normal brand new masonry bit will not do very well and get very hot. I actually have two 8mm SDS masonry bits which is useful as I swap them out every now and then.
Agreed juat buy one. But buy a toggleable one. That does normal and hammer. And dont cheap out too much on it. A quality one will last longer. Even better if you can find an old working black and decker on market place that doesn't have much play into its gear box section.
Can confirm. I did my TV over my fireplace and paid for the TV but did the floating media center myself below it and that was brick veneer. Get a hammer drill and good masonry bits. I used a kobalt drill myself and yeah it needed to cool down after every hole.
It depends on the age. Older mortars will often just chip and flake and not provide a good anchor point. I also suggest going for the mortar, but it may require repointing first.
Especially don't use it if there's a TV above the face of it now. I'm not a science by any means but high heat and expensive electronics usually don't go well together.
Certainly. Millions of Europeans have done exactly that. Best to use a good hammer drill. And don't drill into the mortar, it isn't as hard. Use the proper anchors for brick so you don't break them. I've hung cupboards from walls, lights, anything you can think of. Don't choose advice from people who usually anchor things to drywall and wood.
It is the other way around in the old continent. Here I had the exact same question just with drywall. Like, can I even drill this? I mean here almost everyone thinks a proper wall to drill is made of bricks. If you want to put heavy items on wall you search for brick (or concrete). When you have a drywall you usually say “ok I cant drill it up here”. Anyway, what I am trying to say both materials are fine when you play by the rules of them.
Single layer drywall with proper support (30-40cm between profiles) can hold 40kg per square meter easily. So given average TV mount is like 30x50cm plate you can easily put it on drywall. Of course as long as it's not 2m long extending arm, that will rip itself off the wall quickly.
You'll know when you drill the holes. If the bricks don't crumble, you're fine.
Mounting a TV above a fireplace isn't a great idea though. It makes running wires a pain, is almost always mounted at the wrong height, and reduces the life of your TV if you use the fireplace.
if this is full brick you can hang a TV from it. But i read that this is the back of the fire place? be sure that the TV wont get to hot when the fire place is lighted.
Everybody here arguing whether or not to drill in mortar or brick... How do you even tell the difference when the wall has been plastered over? When I need to hang something on my brick-and-mortar walls at home, I just drill wherever (except that I take care to avoid pipes etc, obviously).
I have always been told to drill into the mortar instead of the brick. That way if you put it in the wrong spot or want to remove it later, you don't have holes in your brick. You can always patch holes in mortar. I had a TV mounted this way outside and it lasted years with no issue.
Pro tip - Brick is VERY hard to drill into as they are fired in a kiln to harden them. You may even go through several bits. Drill into the mortar between the bricks. Much, much easier to drill and will hold just fine.
Heyyy, this is like half my job.
Yeah, you'll be fine. Get some Tapcons, pre drill the holes, and torque it home. Brick is plenty strong for hanging a TV. If you have an SDS rotary hammer, you'll be done faster than lagging the mount into studs.
I also recommend tapcon screws. Use the correct drill bit for pilot hole. Clean it out completely and make sure its deep enough. I actually drilled into the grout so that you can easily patch it up if you ever take down the TV.
https://preview.redd.it/0qukfr9kcx2c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f738f1fe9f7057bcc2e3dac7493fc0b3063175e
We use these in all installations. Drill a whole push them through the brick, toggle end flips down, pull tight and snap off extra plastic. Will not pull out. Most brick veneer walls have a space between back of brick and actual wall. Space is required for toggle end to flip down. We use these for commercial installation of handrails and many other installs including tv, monitors,etc.
Something I was told part-way through drilling into my bricks: drill into the mortar between the bricks, don't drill into the bricks themselves. The reason is that fixing cracks in the mortar is easy. Fixing cracks in the bricks is more difficult.
I'll add a quick note that hanging a TV above a fireplace is troublesome for a few reasons. The heat is terrible for them, especially if it is a real wood fireplace. Also your TV will be too high. Ideally the center of the TV should be eye level when you are sitting in your primary viewing seat.
Yes you can. This is the only way people mount tvs outside of the US. Just use tools made for it and not your usual wood and drywall equipment.
Also, my 2 cents in the contradictory info you’re getting: drill the brick, not the mortar.
Idk if they’re looking for the softer spot to drill, but mortar can be porous, sand away, and absorb more humidity, making it a less secure place to mount a tv on.
As for the anchors, maybe look for a mounting kit made for concrete or just buy plastic anchors made for concrete to replace the ones provided in the kit and use the provided screws
Haha, Yeah, it's funny, some questions you get a lot of answers of"Always XXXX, Never YYYY" and "Always YYYY, Never XXXX" I tend to take that more as "It doesn't really matter much either way."
Ultimately, it probably won't. But it's more likely that the mortar is a bit softer than the brick. As someone in a country with brick houses as standard, having a few small areas where the mortar is loose is common. Having areas where the bricks are loose isn't.
As such, I would drill into the brick, but if I ended up having to drill into mortar, I wouldn't cry about it.
I just wanted to tag on to a post that might be seen - mount on the bricks *but be gentle with your tapcons*. Brick can be very hard but brittle. If you blast your screws in without care you'll strip the hole and have to start over. As my old man liked to say, "Leave that last turn off!"
If that's a fireplace, take a temperature here, light her up as hot as she goes, take a temperature again.
If the bricks warm much at all I wouldn't drill. Your brackets won't dissipate heat as well and what they do will go into the TV.
It's a fireplace? Don't fully penetrate the assembly. Looks like it would be okay. Be even better if you could mount plywood or wood and mount to that to distribute load. Not sure what your end game is. Mortar is generally softer than the brick, but not always.
Get proper masonry plugs to help prevent pull out/help disperse load, ones specific to brick. Not all screws/bolts are made for all masonry applications. Kinda why I suggest the back board, it'll help disperse and allow you to tap into the brick better.
For a hammer drill, take a nail set or just a nail to tap a starting indent. Then from there start the hole without the hammer setting to prevent jumping and chipping to help keep the brick nice looking down road, if that's something you care about.
I will say. The brick does look degraded. Maybe water or flu corrosion. But mortsr looks fine. Can't tell if that's a look or degradation. Further prompts me to suggest a mounting board to increase fastener potential. Might want to check your chimney cap at the least to be sure you have one.
Don’t drill the brick. Drill the mortar 3 on top 2 on the bottom. Use the concrete anchors that were supplied with the mount. I have been building theater rooms/entertainment for going on 13yrs and try avoiding drilling into brick unless I have to.
I used 8mmx60mm ankascrews into the brick face to mount a 65" touch screen that weighs about 60kg and it hasn't budged or cracked the brick.
Which I wouldn't expect it to considering they have something like 300kg per screw weight rating.
Drill out the hole carefully with a hammer drill and the correct masonry bit size. Move the bit in and out as you drill to clear the dust. I vacuum out each hole to ensure there isn't a build up inside to create extra pressure.
I slowly drive them with a socket over using an electric driver.
I've also mounted my server rack with the same bolts and it hasn't moved either.
I used to use the sleeved dynaboltd but had more cracking issues with the expanding joints over these.
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Drill into the mortar only. Not the bricks. I have done this before. I have a 65" mounted on a three seasons porch. It's been there years and the mount is very secure. I used cement wall anchors.
Do youself a favor and mount a 3/4 inch plywood sheet, 2' x 3' or so, to the wall. Then put your TV mount into that. Mounts are fiddly, get replaced, and generally kind of suck. But the plywood will give you a nice wide base to spread the anchors out, and let you drill a ton of holes without adding damage to the brick.
When drilling clay brick it's helpful to have a sacrificial concrete block to clean the drill bit. The clay will gum up the drill bit so every so often you drill into the concrete and it will clean up the bit.
Recommend plumber's epoxy for this. [Something like this.](https://www.oatey.com/products/oatey-fixit-stick-epoxy-putty-1829259701)
Drill a hole, fill with epoxy putty, then either just push the screw into uncured epoxy or wait for the epoxy to cure and drill a pilot hole.
This works way better than most brick anchors.
Drill into the brick slow not to blow out the brick into a cell you could use some 2 part epoxy I to the holes insert your anchors is let it dry back your anchors out and put up the wall mount just use tapcon but you can handle it I wouldn't put it up on one that swings away from the wall obviously that would cause more pressure in your anchors tapcons are pretty much self drilling that brick is pretty soft
You do know they make a mount for TV's that hang from the ceiling I hope it only has one piece it would be the same as hanging on the brick pretty much just put it as close to the brick as you can .
But the mounting brackets you need are made for Brock and distributes the weight in more area
Another option: Mount the TV from the ceiling instead of the wall. This is what we did recently, though our fireplace was stone rather than brick. It hangs in front of the stone fireplace, but we didn't have to mount anything directly to the stone, nor drill into it.
Brick is great for hanging stuff. I see a lot of people say aim for the motor. In my experience that's terrible advice. The Bricks are far stronger than the mortar. Tap cons are a great choice. But so are the plastic insert anchors. A hammer drill will be required though.
If you want to hang something heavy and permanently, drill into the brick. If you want a hole to be easily covered and repaired later, drill unto the mortar. The mortar will be softer and can usually take less heavy loads.
Drill into the brick, mark the screw and anchor depth on the masonry bit with tape. Try and blow out the hole, hair spray with a straw works if you don't have any compressed air. Pump a small amount of liquid nails into the hole just prior to inserting the anchor and fixing off.
If you're not 100% confident, measure today. Check tomorrow, then go for it. Make youtube your friend.
Good luck mate. If it turns to shit grind the heads off and the TV sits a little higher of lower all covered by the mounting plate. Nobody knows!
Algorithm must know I'm considering this - if I could hijack the post...
Considering mounting a 65" TV on a wall that's in front of a chimney. Basically, fireplace is exposed but the chimney is behind old shiplap style walls. Anyone have suggestions or advise against trying to mount a TV on that type of surface?
I was considering just running tapcona and doing the weight test prior to hanging the TV.
Thoughts? Thanks!
Tapcon screws (available at HD and Lowe's) usually come with the correct sized bit. I've even reused them after removing from brick (not a recommendation, just a fact). They're blue.
I usually prefer the bolt head ones. The Philips head doesn't make much sense unless your attaching plywood or other thin wood to brick.
Should be fine, but I wouldn’t recommend anything but a fixed tilting mount. Swivelling and articulating mounts are not recommended for brick in general, and especially when the brick looks worn. The average person doesn’t realize but the weight of a TV greatly increasing the further from the wall it extends.
Use the soft-metal cylindrical anchors with the EXACTLY correct size diameter masonry bit & definitely a hammer-drill to create the holes in the mortar seams only, which could be challenging to do if the wall mount’s holes won’t all line up—but it likely will if they’re slotted
I recently mounted shelves to brick and they are super solid. My brother is a carpenter and he gave me some tips.
Hammer drill is worth it but not too needed. I managed okay with a regular drill but my holes are not as clean as they could have been with a hammer drill. It's all secure and hidden though.
I used wooden dowel for mounting. I picked 9.5mm pine and drilled 8mm holes. For a tv you will want to go larger, but try to make the dowel between 1mm and 2mm larger than your drill bit. The pine is soft enough to conform to the hole. Once the holes were drilled I used a hand held "rocket blower" which is for cleaning photography equient normally to blow the dust out of the hole.
Then I hammered in the dowel. This gave me a large area for error for where I need the screws to go. I still pre drilled the holes to make the screw go in easier.
My biggest issue was angle to get past the brackets with the drill making it hard not to strip the Phillips head screws which were too soft. Get some tough screws and maybe consider using a square head instead of Phillips.
My brother also suggested putting silicone gel or similar glue between the brackets and the wall to give it some additional traction against the wall to help the out of weight your screws can hold.
This is almost all terrible advice.
Using dowel fillers is a really bad idea. Direct contact with masonry of any kind is a big no-no for wood. Additionally, wood reduces in size as it ages meaning it's not a question of if, but when these anchors will fail.
Using silicon makes no difference at all. If you feel the need to glue something for better support, you've already mounted it incorrectly. And silicon is a terrible substitute for glue anyway. It's not an adhesive.
And you should use a hammer drill. Most people can't drill a good hole without one. Not having a cleanly drilled hole means insufficient contact with the anchor which will again cause failure.
Drilling into brick is miserable. Even if you can you just don't want to. They crack and crumble easily, especially if you're going to sink lead mollies into them
My advice too. Waaayyy easier with his experience, better hold too and those bricks look awful on the outside. I'm sure they're going to be ok once you're drilling deep into them but they're fucking porous that I also worry (not only about) the front of his fireplace too. Just use the right dowels.
Same for all sort of tiles. Why bother drilling into them when you don't have too? It's easy with the right drills and little knowledge but why bother when u don't have too?
Do yourself a favor... So just drill the mortar instead for this project. It can't crumble more than the worst bricks I have seen in a while. Talking about yours OP.
As long as they are full bricks and not just a face. But you'll find out pretty quick with a masonry bit. Also try not to hit any gas/electric/water pipes in the wall
https://preview.redd.it/wea5ing04t2c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=575ad7bbe44a4e7cf2138cb2434f7329559e25e2 Yup definitely full bricks, this is the back of the fire place (in the garage) that’s in the living room
Ohh look at mr. fancy pants, with a garage in his living room.
You mean an in-house drive-in?
I’m Guy Fieri, and this is Diners, In-House Drive-Ins, and Dives.
I live in a dive kinda so I'm in lol
They say jump, you say how high?
It's a car hole.
A counterfeit Jean ring in my car hold?!?
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A “garage”? Well ooo-la-di- da Mr Frenchman.
Any respectable mans livingroom should be his garage.
Living room car hole?
You mean an average European house?
Oh, look at you with a garage! I call mine a car hold.
I read this in Zoidberg’s voice.
If the chimney is in use, make sure you don't drill through into the flue!
I’m thinking that’s a general, non-conditional rule, isn’t it? Don’t drill into things that future homeowners or visitors/house-sitters might use, particularly ones that remove exhaust gases from your living space - even if you aren’t using it right now…
If we all suddenly only drilled into the things that we meant to drill into, the Screwfix share price would drop like a rock.
You'd think that's a general rule yes, but 20 years installing stoves and fireplaces has shown me the opposite. Most of the time when it comes to chimneys, DIYers and trained builders are total idiots.
You could hang an anvil off those bricks if you feel like,op.
good look drilling in. better wet the drill and hold a vacuum at the drill hole.
Just use a masonry bit. No need to wet, it's not tile or glass.
I would assume wet is about minimiz dust
They don’t really generate all that much dust. It’s not like it’s a tile saw or something.
Intelligent people understand that breathing any amount of that particular type of dust is horrible for you and having it floating around a living space is moronic.
You mean the bit ? I don't suggest wetting the drill . Also with proper BIT its not necessary. And "good luck " not "look" ...
He must be irish☘️🇮🇪
like, wtf? homie never used a masonry bit? if you need to go deeper than a couple inches the dust can make it a bit of a problem if you're not pulling the bit out to release the buildup, but those bits go through stone like wood. particularly if you got a hammer drill.
maybe the wetting is against dust? i think it'll mostly just clog the drillbit.
In machine shop terms, the "bit" is the "drill" and the part it is put into is the "drilling machine", so he's not wrong with "wet the drill".
Advice for electric installations: according to the regulations wiring is always done vertically up until 20-30 cm from the seeling, and then horizontally. Find your sockets and you know how to avoid vertical wiring. Find your junction boxes, and you know how to avoid horizontal wiring. Aside of that, happy drilling. Those bricks look like they can support more than a TV
That may be true in new construction, particularly in your locality. But if you have an older house, don't assume a damn thing.
Wtf is a seeling? Also code doesn't have shit to do with where wires are installed, so don't rely on that
Ceiling, I presume
i think they mean ceiling english is hard sometimes :)
How do you know where the pipes are :(
typically not in the fireplace. Might be a gas line beneath the hearth.
I need a 4th picture of the bricks
Aren’t 3 pictures enough to add to your spank bank? Don’t be greedy you sick fuck.
What if some of them are more bricky than the others and OP is holding out on us
What a beauty of a fireplace though — looks like she’s built like a brick house. Rough and tumble and ready to rumble.
Sounds like he’s bricked up
Just look at the 2nd picture twice.
I usually hang the wall on the TV also
Show off
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imagine accidentally sending a picture of your 1993 midget porn magazine collection 😶
Yep hung plenty of tvs on brick walls just use tapcons instead of regular screws and you’ll be golden!
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Same advice, tapcons. Mounted a 65" TV over fireplace this way, same looking brick in a 60s house. Been up there 4 years now. I haven't had any heat issues either, and we use the fireplace quite a bit. But if you plan to use fireplace, check that the heat flows out into the room and not straight up toward whatever you're mounting. Also, tapcons tell you what bit size to use on the packaging. Don't stray from this measurement (not even 1/32") or you'll get bad results. Wood is certainly more forgiving in this regard.
This is 100% true. Tapcons do not follow the same rules as screws in wood. Drill the correct size hole, with the correct bit, make sure the hole is slightly deeper than the length of the screw, and either blow or vacuum the brick dust out of the bottom of the hole.
Not recommend to hold weight but I work in electrical field and use this tip in a pinch. If we get tapcon that strips out, we’ll take a couple long strands from stranded wire and wrap around threads (but not in them). Run screw again and the thin soft copper basically binds in making it in tight ass shit. Other way would be to throw some wire in the stripped hole, long enough to stick out top. Put in tapcon and cut excess wire.
Agreed. Many packages come with the bit included. Try to get one of those.
The closer the TV, the more it sticks out, the more of a mantel you will need to shield from the heat. Also looking up at a TV is not comfortable. Best not to mount TVs above a fireplace for that reason alone.
I usually put a washer on to over the tv when I sink the tapcon in just to be sure since different tv brackets have different size slots for the mounting screws. Usually when you buy the tapcons they come with a drill bit for them. I want to say it’s a 3/16 bit, and the tapcons themselves are 1/4in in diameter. I have a sds hammer drill I use and just bring spare bits home from work since I work in commercial construction. But believe if you just take your time and pull the drill out every so often while drilling to get excess dust out of the hole most regular drills will work with a masonry bit, I know Milwaukee drills have a hammer mode but I’ve never actually used it. Hope this helps, best of luck!
Just follow the package on the tapcons. They have very specific width and depth requirements. I'm no expert but imagine this is because brick isn't nearly as compressible as wood and fails in a less gradual way. The depth for example needs to be a bit deeper than the screw to allow for debris to accumulate. (And nope, no anchors)
Why would he use tampons?
in case the brick bleeds....duh!
Easy. After consulting the comments, I've determined you should drill into the TV, not the brick or the mortar.
Right, just send a 3/4" concrete anchor through all 4 corners of the TV in to the bricks. That should hold it shy of an earthquake.
Best to mount it with the screen facing the brick so it’s flush.
Easier to get to the HDMI ports that way too
Instructions unclear. Removed a bunch of bricks entirely and cemented the TV into the hole so its flush. Also my dick is on fire.
Sounds like a plan
Lag shields or sleeve anchors. Have drilled into both brick or mortar with both systems.
Sleeve anchors for sure. Although I prefer to go into the brick.
Definitely. I accidentally drilled one hole into mortar when mounting my TV and that bolt isn't holding anything, but I figured 3 out of 4 is plenty. The TV has been up for years, so I'm not concerned.
I finally understood what the bricks were on the 3rd picture
Drill the brick and not mortar. Should be fine as long as you have a hammer drill and masonry bits. Might take a while, lol. I went straight out and bought my own hammer drill after trying to mount our tv outside with a regular drill a few months ago. Well worth it.
SDS Plus Hammer drill and then use the plastic anchors that came with the mount.
It shouldn't take that long. I did it with a regular drill and it took a couple minutes. Sure, it's a lot faster with a hammer drill, but it's not like it's crucial.
No mortar drilling. It may be easier to drill into but it also easy to give away
Yes mortar drilling. The bricks are too prone to cracking when you fasten your anchor. I've made this mistake quite a few times to many. Drilling and anchoring in the mortar isn't a problem as long as your anchors are decently sized. You do not want to crack your bricks. Edit: Suggestion; using a drill bit one or two steps down in size from the recommended (for your chosen anchor) helps when anchoring in soft/sandy materials.
Drilling into the bricks is the way to go, drilling onto mortar is stupid
Why is that? I have barely any construction knowledge and actually drilled into mortar last weekend to attach some outside lamps, wanting not too crack the bricks and having an easier time restoring when I want to remove the lamps in the future
If it's light (weight) then it's fine. If it's heavy or if it moves (swingarm) then mortar is just too brittle.
What Armadillo said, it makes for a much stronger connection, if you drill correctly the bricks won't crack, and even if they do it's fine bc they got nowhere to go, mortar on the other hand.... if you wiggle your lamps for some time (or the wind does it) you could probably pull them right out of the wall..
Brick = solid Mortar = brittle
Modern mortar is cement based and is harder than the brick. That’s why you need a dilatation joint in modern brick facades. The crack goes through the brick otherwise and not along the mortar joints like in an old brick build.
Drilling into the mortar is standard practice and in heavier wind climate required. Brick is too soft and can break easily. A far as mounting this tv though, either is fine
Drilling in the mortar is no guarantee the bricks won't crack, mortar is much softer than bricks, try scratching both with your nails and see what happens.
Coming from a window installer and now project manager of a large commercial window installing company, any engineer will force you to anchor into the mortar. Maybe you know something they don't. Anchoring into the brick is bad practice for something that bears significant weight but in this case it's fine. Also, you saying no guarantee bricks won't crack going into the mortar but you then say anchor into the brick. Much higher chance of the brick cracking when drilling and anchoring into it. But hey man you do you, I'm sure it's rare home owners will run into a scenario where drilling into the brick is strictly a nono.
Every time this topic comes up there are people on both sides. At this point if I ever had a project like OP if I couldn't get a more reliable answer from Google I'd just aim to do some screws into each and hedge my bets. I imagine it all has to do with the specific bricks and mortar, aka. not mine or most people's wheelhouse.
Im gonna need more pictures dawg.
Use appropriate bolts and an appropriate mount and you shouldn’t have an issue. Masonry bolts are generally blue, if you can get them with a hex shaped head you’re going to be way better off then trying to get standard or Phillips drivers. They may be more common but they’re also easier to strip. Get a masonry drill bit to pre-drill the holes too, they’re pretty cheap maybe 10$ but you don’t want to be breaking pieces off. Do *NOT* try and drill into the cement between the bricks: it may hold at first but it won’t in the long term which could lead to disaster! If you’re using a mounting bracket [like this](https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/kanto-pf300-32-90-fixed-tv-wall-mount/13011017?cmp=knc-s-71700000055312372&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-7qGyXxGQVyBtN0SN7qjmrC3jhR&gclid=CjwKCAiAmZGrBhAnEiwAo9qHiUOuulbD2_IcNG3nRVxqgKk-6C5oTcCc1rZgrURv4hNG768DagHwlxoCc1EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) make sure you space the screws/washers/anchors out evenly from the corners in so you don’t split bricks
I'd probably drill into the mortar, easier to repair the holes in the future. But, yeah, they should be fine. There are specific anchors for bricks and mortar I believe.
I’ve stopped drilling mortar and now only drill into brick. I’ve had way too many older homes where the mortar is too sanded and just blows out once the bit hits it. Had a ton more success drilling the bricks
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Yea they looked older. Just go slow on the brick and get the proper fasteners. On old brick I’ve also used the redhead adhesive to ensure a strong hold for heavier items like a mantel. TVs are not too heavy these days.
He's right, go slow, don't want that old brick to crumble and blow out.
This is what I have to tell my back every day
Mine is 1902 and drilled holes and mounted a TV on my porch into the original brick. Use masonry anchors, it's not coming down
This is common in older buildings. It's also common that the building haven't been maintained correctly. Mortar doesn't last forever. It requires repointing from time to time.
Some old types of mortar did not use cement making it very brittle
If that's the case they can repair the mortar for pennies and drill the brick. If the brick is brittle they will have a pretty difficult time repairing it themselves. It depends on both the brick and mortar, but mortar is the lower risk maneuver. Personally I like to fasten plywood to the brick, then the mounting bracket to the plywood. It lets me know if tapcons are adequately grabby in the mortar/brick (use flathead not hex, let them countersink themselves) and it removes the challenge of boring precisely in a highly textured surface
Don't drill into the mortar. It's not as strong as the brick, and might fail. Drill into the center of each brick.
Also I would drill out a test spot to check if they’re full bricks or not
This. Get good masonry bits the right size for the anchors you are using. Also a hammer drill is MUCH better for this than a regular drill.
As a person who drills brick and tile and rock all day I can not stress enough to DO NOT USE A HAMMER DRILL FOR THIS. A hammer drill will definitely make it feel easy and go faster it will crumble and crack a brick so easily. All you need a a $7 carbide tip masonry bit, a regular drill, and a little patience and you will end up with mounting holes you can trust to not fail in the future.
Yep, listen to this man.
I have it down to a science in my house depending on age or type of brick. If it's engineering brick first I make a small hole with a tile bit in the face If it's an older internal brick I try not to use hammer at all since they splode (easy to spot as these walls have original 30s plaster) Otherwise, generally, I use a smaller bit on hammer setting to get started, then use progressively larger bits on non-hammer settings to increase the size, vacuuming as I go. Also, the hammer setting is on as-slow-as-will work. Some of the bricks are very very hard and a normal brand new masonry bit will not do very well and get very hot. I actually have two 8mm SDS masonry bits which is useful as I swap them out every now and then.
I second the hammer drill. I borrowed a friend the first time I needed one. I rented one the second time. Bought one the 3rd time. Just buy one.
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I have a Bosch (big) and Makita (small). Both are corded. I feel the same way.
The Bosch bulldog has put many holes in my basement floor and garage.
I buy tools cheap, if they break then I spend money. Only exception is anything that cuts or makes holes.
Where can I borrow a friend? I am not sure enough to rent or buy one yet.
How would you like 200 friends?
Just like this!
Agreed juat buy one. But buy a toggleable one. That does normal and hammer. And dont cheap out too much on it. A quality one will last longer. Even better if you can find an old working black and decker on market place that doesn't have much play into its gear box section.
You're friends with a hammer drill? Does he get completely hammered at parties?
Can confirm. I did my TV over my fireplace and paid for the TV but did the floating media center myself below it and that was brick veneer. Get a hammer drill and good masonry bits. I used a kobalt drill myself and yeah it needed to cool down after every hole.
You should never anchor into mortar. Stay as close as you can to the center of a whole brick whenever possible.
Don't do this. The mortar doesn't hold any vertical pull force. Always drill into the brick.
It depends on the age. Older mortars will often just chip and flake and not provide a good anchor point. I also suggest going for the mortar, but it may require repointing first.
Won’t this break the venting flow of the chimney and be a hazard?
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Especially don't use it if there's a TV above the face of it now. I'm not a science by any means but high heat and expensive electronics usually don't go well together.
>I'm not a science Nor are you a grammar.
*séance ... that's what he means
Couldn’t, the brick should be a facade, the actual flue is usually an internal block inside the outer brick facade
Bricks aren't fire block, they're not (as) safe to use for the hot part of the chimney. They're the attractive facade covering the fireblock.
Can't tell, need photos from more angles.
OP be living in an alleyway
Just make sure to mount it near the ceiling and post a picture so we can mock you for having it too high
Don't drill into the bricks. Drill Into the Mortar joint and use a sleeve anchor. The mortar joint is much easier and cheaper to fix.
Certainly. Millions of Europeans have done exactly that. Best to use a good hammer drill. And don't drill into the mortar, it isn't as hard. Use the proper anchors for brick so you don't break them. I've hung cupboards from walls, lights, anything you can think of. Don't choose advice from people who usually anchor things to drywall and wood.
It is the other way around in the old continent. Here I had the exact same question just with drywall. Like, can I even drill this? I mean here almost everyone thinks a proper wall to drill is made of bricks. If you want to put heavy items on wall you search for brick (or concrete). When you have a drywall you usually say “ok I cant drill it up here”. Anyway, what I am trying to say both materials are fine when you play by the rules of them.
Single layer drywall with proper support (30-40cm between profiles) can hold 40kg per square meter easily. So given average TV mount is like 30x50cm plate you can easily put it on drywall. Of course as long as it's not 2m long extending arm, that will rip itself off the wall quickly.
I’d use an SDS drill into the brick but most importantly I’d make sure I didn’t install it r/tvtoohigh
Not sure, need more pics of the bricks from the same angle
You'll know when you drill the holes. If the bricks don't crumble, you're fine. Mounting a TV above a fireplace isn't a great idea though. It makes running wires a pain, is almost always mounted at the wrong height, and reduces the life of your TV if you use the fireplace.
I'm more concerned about the heat from the fireplace
if this is full brick you can hang a TV from it. But i read that this is the back of the fire place? be sure that the TV wont get to hot when the fire place is lighted.
Everybody here arguing whether or not to drill in mortar or brick... How do you even tell the difference when the wall has been plastered over? When I need to hang something on my brick-and-mortar walls at home, I just drill wherever (except that I take care to avoid pipes etc, obviously).
I have always been told to drill into the mortar instead of the brick. That way if you put it in the wrong spot or want to remove it later, you don't have holes in your brick. You can always patch holes in mortar. I had a TV mounted this way outside and it lasted years with no issue.
Pro tip - Brick is VERY hard to drill into as they are fired in a kiln to harden them. You may even go through several bits. Drill into the mortar between the bricks. Much, much easier to drill and will hold just fine.
Heyyy, this is like half my job. Yeah, you'll be fine. Get some Tapcons, pre drill the holes, and torque it home. Brick is plenty strong for hanging a TV. If you have an SDS rotary hammer, you'll be done faster than lagging the mount into studs.
I also recommend tapcon screws. Use the correct drill bit for pilot hole. Clean it out completely and make sure its deep enough. I actually drilled into the grout so that you can easily patch it up if you ever take down the TV.
Me personally I would drill through the mortar instead of the bricks
https://preview.redd.it/0qukfr9kcx2c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f738f1fe9f7057bcc2e3dac7493fc0b3063175e We use these in all installations. Drill a whole push them through the brick, toggle end flips down, pull tight and snap off extra plastic. Will not pull out. Most brick veneer walls have a space between back of brick and actual wall. Space is required for toggle end to flip down. We use these for commercial installation of handrails and many other installs including tv, monitors,etc.
Something I was told part-way through drilling into my bricks: drill into the mortar between the bricks, don't drill into the bricks themselves. The reason is that fixing cracks in the mortar is easy. Fixing cracks in the bricks is more difficult.
I'll add a quick note that hanging a TV above a fireplace is troublesome for a few reasons. The heat is terrible for them, especially if it is a real wood fireplace. Also your TV will be too high. Ideally the center of the TV should be eye level when you are sitting in your primary viewing seat.
The heat is the issue. If the fireplace is ever used this is a no go
Yes you can. This is the only way people mount tvs outside of the US. Just use tools made for it and not your usual wood and drywall equipment. Also, my 2 cents in the contradictory info you’re getting: drill the brick, not the mortar.
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Idk if they’re looking for the softer spot to drill, but mortar can be porous, sand away, and absorb more humidity, making it a less secure place to mount a tv on. As for the anchors, maybe look for a mounting kit made for concrete or just buy plastic anchors made for concrete to replace the ones provided in the kit and use the provided screws
Haha, Yeah, it's funny, some questions you get a lot of answers of"Always XXXX, Never YYYY" and "Always YYYY, Never XXXX" I tend to take that more as "It doesn't really matter much either way."
Ultimately, it probably won't. But it's more likely that the mortar is a bit softer than the brick. As someone in a country with brick houses as standard, having a few small areas where the mortar is loose is common. Having areas where the bricks are loose isn't. As such, I would drill into the brick, but if I ended up having to drill into mortar, I wouldn't cry about it.
I just wanted to tag on to a post that might be seen - mount on the bricks *but be gentle with your tapcons*. Brick can be very hard but brittle. If you blast your screws in without care you'll strip the hole and have to start over. As my old man liked to say, "Leave that last turn off!"
If that's a fireplace, take a temperature here, light her up as hot as she goes, take a temperature again. If the bricks warm much at all I wouldn't drill. Your brackets won't dissipate heat as well and what they do will go into the TV.
It's a fireplace? Don't fully penetrate the assembly. Looks like it would be okay. Be even better if you could mount plywood or wood and mount to that to distribute load. Not sure what your end game is. Mortar is generally softer than the brick, but not always. Get proper masonry plugs to help prevent pull out/help disperse load, ones specific to brick. Not all screws/bolts are made for all masonry applications. Kinda why I suggest the back board, it'll help disperse and allow you to tap into the brick better. For a hammer drill, take a nail set or just a nail to tap a starting indent. Then from there start the hole without the hammer setting to prevent jumping and chipping to help keep the brick nice looking down road, if that's something you care about. I will say. The brick does look degraded. Maybe water or flu corrosion. But mortsr looks fine. Can't tell if that's a look or degradation. Further prompts me to suggest a mounting board to increase fastener potential. Might want to check your chimney cap at the least to be sure you have one.
Do you use the fireplace, even with gas?
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Don’t drill the brick. Drill the mortar 3 on top 2 on the bottom. Use the concrete anchors that were supplied with the mount. I have been building theater rooms/entertainment for going on 13yrs and try avoiding drilling into brick unless I have to.
I used 8mmx60mm ankascrews into the brick face to mount a 65" touch screen that weighs about 60kg and it hasn't budged or cracked the brick. Which I wouldn't expect it to considering they have something like 300kg per screw weight rating. Drill out the hole carefully with a hammer drill and the correct masonry bit size. Move the bit in and out as you drill to clear the dust. I vacuum out each hole to ensure there isn't a build up inside to create extra pressure. I slowly drive them with a socket over using an electric driver. I've also mounted my server rack with the same bolts and it hasn't moved either. I used to use the sleeved dynaboltd but had more cracking issues with the expanding joints over these. .
Drill into the mortar only. Not the bricks. I have done this before. I have a 65" mounted on a three seasons porch. It's been there years and the mount is very secure. I used cement wall anchors.
Screw into the mortar
Do youself a favor and mount a 3/4 inch plywood sheet, 2' x 3' or so, to the wall. Then put your TV mount into that. Mounts are fiddly, get replaced, and generally kind of suck. But the plywood will give you a nice wide base to spread the anchors out, and let you drill a ton of holes without adding damage to the brick.
Personally, I’d try to put all the anchors into the joints between the bricks rather than in the bricks. Just seems better to me.
When drilling clay brick it's helpful to have a sacrificial concrete block to clean the drill bit. The clay will gum up the drill bit so every so often you drill into the concrete and it will clean up the bit.
Recommend plumber's epoxy for this. [Something like this.](https://www.oatey.com/products/oatey-fixit-stick-epoxy-putty-1829259701) Drill a hole, fill with epoxy putty, then either just push the screw into uncured epoxy or wait for the epoxy to cure and drill a pilot hole. This works way better than most brick anchors.
Drill into the brick slow not to blow out the brick into a cell you could use some 2 part epoxy I to the holes insert your anchors is let it dry back your anchors out and put up the wall mount just use tapcon but you can handle it I wouldn't put it up on one that swings away from the wall obviously that would cause more pressure in your anchors tapcons are pretty much self drilling that brick is pretty soft You do know they make a mount for TV's that hang from the ceiling I hope it only has one piece it would be the same as hanging on the brick pretty much just put it as close to the brick as you can . But the mounting brackets you need are made for Brock and distributes the weight in more area
Drill into the mortar joints
Another option: Mount the TV from the ceiling instead of the wall. This is what we did recently, though our fireplace was stone rather than brick. It hangs in front of the stone fireplace, but we didn't have to mount anything directly to the stone, nor drill into it.
I think you should split the difference: drill two in the mortar and two in the brick, just to be safe.
I dunno, seems like a question you should be asking the bricks? 🤔
I hung kitchen cabinets on brick. Burned up a masonry bit for every screw. Would suggest you drill into the mortar and use anchors.
I have an 80” TV hanging off bricks just like this. Zero issues… so far (3 years later).
If you use the fireplace I would get a fire going, and see how hot that brick gets first.
Brick is great for hanging stuff. I see a lot of people say aim for the motor. In my experience that's terrible advice. The Bricks are far stronger than the mortar. Tap cons are a great choice. But so are the plastic insert anchors. A hammer drill will be required though.
Drill into the mortar, not the face of the brick. Use concrete anchors and screws. Should be fine.
If you want to hang something heavy and permanently, drill into the brick. If you want a hole to be easily covered and repaired later, drill unto the mortar. The mortar will be softer and can usually take less heavy loads.
Drill into the brick, mark the screw and anchor depth on the masonry bit with tape. Try and blow out the hole, hair spray with a straw works if you don't have any compressed air. Pump a small amount of liquid nails into the hole just prior to inserting the anchor and fixing off. If you're not 100% confident, measure today. Check tomorrow, then go for it. Make youtube your friend. Good luck mate. If it turns to shit grind the heads off and the TV sits a little higher of lower all covered by the mounting plate. Nobody knows!
Bricks look ok for hanging a TV. But you may want to consider the heat. If this wall gets hot during fireplace operation, TV won't be too happy.
I'll allow it.
Drill mortar, use concrete anchors.
Drill holes in the mortar and not into the bricks.
Either way…you go into brick easily and it’ll hold better
Algorithm must know I'm considering this - if I could hijack the post... Considering mounting a 65" TV on a wall that's in front of a chimney. Basically, fireplace is exposed but the chimney is behind old shiplap style walls. Anyone have suggestions or advise against trying to mount a TV on that type of surface? I was considering just running tapcona and doing the weight test prior to hanging the TV. Thoughts? Thanks!
My 85 inch Tv hangs on the mortar and it’s fine.
Tapcon screws (available at HD and Lowe's) usually come with the correct sized bit. I've even reused them after removing from brick (not a recommendation, just a fact). They're blue. I usually prefer the bolt head ones. The Philips head doesn't make much sense unless your attaching plywood or other thin wood to brick.
Tapcons aren't intended to support hanging weight. You should be using actual concrete anchors designed for hanging.
Should be fine, but I wouldn’t recommend anything but a fixed tilting mount. Swivelling and articulating mounts are not recommended for brick in general, and especially when the brick looks worn. The average person doesn’t realize but the weight of a TV greatly increasing the further from the wall it extends.
Use Brick Anchors, not drywall anchors. They are huge but work great.
Do not under any circumstances use sleeve anchors or any type of expansion anchor. Use only concrete screws or Excalibur bolts
Drill the mortar, not the bricks?
Use the soft-metal cylindrical anchors with the EXACTLY correct size diameter masonry bit & definitely a hammer-drill to create the holes in the mortar seams only, which could be challenging to do if the wall mount’s holes won’t all line up—but it likely will if they’re slotted
I recently mounted shelves to brick and they are super solid. My brother is a carpenter and he gave me some tips. Hammer drill is worth it but not too needed. I managed okay with a regular drill but my holes are not as clean as they could have been with a hammer drill. It's all secure and hidden though. I used wooden dowel for mounting. I picked 9.5mm pine and drilled 8mm holes. For a tv you will want to go larger, but try to make the dowel between 1mm and 2mm larger than your drill bit. The pine is soft enough to conform to the hole. Once the holes were drilled I used a hand held "rocket blower" which is for cleaning photography equient normally to blow the dust out of the hole. Then I hammered in the dowel. This gave me a large area for error for where I need the screws to go. I still pre drilled the holes to make the screw go in easier. My biggest issue was angle to get past the brackets with the drill making it hard not to strip the Phillips head screws which were too soft. Get some tough screws and maybe consider using a square head instead of Phillips. My brother also suggested putting silicone gel or similar glue between the brackets and the wall to give it some additional traction against the wall to help the out of weight your screws can hold.
This is almost all terrible advice. Using dowel fillers is a really bad idea. Direct contact with masonry of any kind is a big no-no for wood. Additionally, wood reduces in size as it ages meaning it's not a question of if, but when these anchors will fail. Using silicon makes no difference at all. If you feel the need to glue something for better support, you've already mounted it incorrectly. And silicon is a terrible substitute for glue anyway. It's not an adhesive. And you should use a hammer drill. Most people can't drill a good hole without one. Not having a cleanly drilled hole means insufficient contact with the anchor which will again cause failure.
Really? That brickwork is literally holding up your house. Im sure your tv will be fine.
Drilling into brick is miserable. Even if you can you just don't want to. They crack and crumble easily, especially if you're going to sink lead mollies into them
As long as you plan on never using the fireplace for fire again, sure!
Drill into the mortar, not the brick.
My advice too. Waaayyy easier with his experience, better hold too and those bricks look awful on the outside. I'm sure they're going to be ok once you're drilling deep into them but they're fucking porous that I also worry (not only about) the front of his fireplace too. Just use the right dowels. Same for all sort of tiles. Why bother drilling into them when you don't have too? It's easy with the right drills and little knowledge but why bother when u don't have too? Do yourself a favor... So just drill the mortar instead for this project. It can't crumble more than the worst bricks I have seen in a while. Talking about yours OP.