I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the
whole rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's
likely to last decent time and the strain of people using the rail for
support?

Is there a resin product that could do this, or is that being optimistic?

Thanks

Chris

Chris Bartram was thinking very hard :
I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the whole
rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's likely to last
decent time and the strain of people using the rail for support?

Is there a resin product that could do this, or is that being optimistic?

Thanks

Chris

Open the hole up to 1/2 / 3/8 inch and fill it with car body filler.
Before it sets too much, screw in you well greased screw. Once set, you
should be able to take the screw out then fix the towel rail as normal.
If it is breeze, you can probably open the hole out, with nothing more
than a screwdriver. Try to push the filler as deep as you can into the
hole.

On Sun, 17 Jun 2018 18:19:55 +0100, Chris Bartram
wrote:


What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the
whole rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's
likely to last decent time and the strain of people using the rail for
support?

Clean the hole (do not blow in it unless you really want a grey face
and un working eyes). Have a suitable plastic plug to hand. Fill
hole with hot melt glue, press in plug - leave until cold.

"Chris Bartram" wrote in message
news
I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach?

IMO use some body filler in the hole, push the original plug
back in the hole before the filler sets, to fix the crumbly block.

Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the whole rail. Is there any way to
stabilize and pack the holes that's likely to last decent time and the
strain of people using the rail for support?

Yes, body filler.

Is there a resin product that could do this,

Yep, body filler.

or is that being optimistic?

Nope, it'll work fine.

On 17/06/18 18:19, Chris Bartram wrote:
I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the
whole rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's
likely to last decent time and the strain of people using the rail for
support?

Is there a resin product that could do this, or is that being optimistic?

From personal experience with celcon blocks (pretty much as fliddy as
breeze) - resin will work well if you do it by the book:

Drill hole 3" into 4" wall

Blow hole 99% clear (tube right into hole and puff it with a bike pump
or similar - *important, do not skip this step*

Then just use a bit of Fischer vinylester resin or similar, and shove
stud or female resin sleeve in depending on what's preferred.

I have a bathroom basin hanging off 4 studs on a celcon block wall with
the full lever force of no pedestal

On 17/06/18 18:19, Chris Bartram wrote:
I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the
whole rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's
likely to last decent time and the strain of people using the rail for
support?

Is there a resin product that could do this, or is that being optimistic?

Thanks

Chris


PS - I see some other suggestions below. All good ideas, but I will say
you can get small cartridges of proper resin for little over a fiver
these days - so why ponce about when you can do it properly and know it
will work

On Mon, 18 Jun 2018 06:33:48 +1000, cantankerous geezer Rot Speed blabbered,
again:

FLUSH senile **** unread

Darn, is there NO thread that you will NOT **** in, you incontinent senile
geezer?

On Sunday, 17 June 2018 18:19:58 UTC+1, Chris Bartram wrote:

I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the
whole rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's
likely to last decent time and the strain of people using the rail for
support?

Is there a resin product that could do this, or is that being optimistic?

Thanks

Chris

Lots have mentioned resin, but IRL you can do it with ordinary polyfilla. The gotcha is you need a much larger contact area with lightweight blocks, so need to make the hole over an inch across, then fill, let set, drill & plug as normal. And use a deeeep fixing, not just one plug.

Of course there are always other ways too.


NT

I would though urge the person to make sure all dust and loose bits in the
larger hole are cleaned out first. use a stiff brush and if possible a
vacuum of some sort.
Brian

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"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...


"Chris Bartram" wrote in message
news
I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach?

IMO use some body filler in the hole, push the original plug
back in the hole before the filler sets, to fix the crumbly block.

Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the whole rail. Is there any way to
stabilize and pack the holes that's likely to last decent time and the
strain of people using the rail for support?

Yes, body filler.

Is there a resin product that could do this,

Yep, body filler.

or is that being optimistic?

Nope, it'll work fine.

On 18/06/2018 02:19, wrote:
On Sunday, 17 June 2018 18:19:58 UTC+1, Chris Bartram wrote:

I've been tasked by my other half to try to repair a handrail up the
stairs at my mother-in-laws. The house is early 60s, ex-council, and
some(?) internal walls are breeze block. This includes where the rail is
fixed, and over time, the fixing at the top, secured with standard wall
plugs, has worked loose. It's tightened up OK once, but the holes in the
block the fixings are in are getting crumbly, the holes have opened out,
it's not just a quick twist with a screwdriver.

I could probably bodge some bigger plugs in the holes, but I reckon that
would probably fail again.

What's the best approach? Ideally, I'd like to not have to move the
whole rail. Is there any way to stabilize and pack the holes that's
likely to last decent time and the strain of people using the rail for
support?

Is there a resin product that could do this, or is that being optimistic?

Thanks

Chris

Lots have mentioned resin, but IRL you can do it with ordinary polyfilla. The gotcha is you need a much larger contact area with lightweight blocks, so need to make the hole over an inch across, then fill, let set, drill & plug as normal. And use a deeeep fixing, not just one plug.

Of course there are always other ways too.


NT


+1. Lightweight blocks are a very different animal to real Breeze
blocks, or even to medium weight concrete blocks, especially for tensile
loads. You really do need an idea of which type of block you have.

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