"Sean M" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I am starting to frame parts of my basement this weekend and I have a
question about the method to attach the sole plate to the concrete.
The advice I have received is to drill a rather large hole (3/8 to ½
inch) in the floor and then hammer a wooden dowel in the hole. The top
plate is then hammered into the wooden dowel using 2.5 inch spiral
nails. Everything has to be meticulously measured to ensure you hit
the dowel with the nail. This method seems a bit tricky to me compared
to just drilling a 3/16 inch hole trough the sole plate into the
concrete and driving in a Tapcon.

Can anyone comment on these 2 methods? Is there a danger of weakening
the concrete floor by drilling several 1/2 inch holes into it?

-Sean

I think that dowel method went out in the early sixties when contractors
discovered anchors. I don't think wood is a good idea to put in contact
with moisture. Tapcons or other types of anchors are more suitable. The
contractors that I have worked with finishing basements usually use Hilti or
Ramset type gun powder activated tools to drive hardened nails into the
concrete.