# Wood to Concrete without Drilling



## MattStata

Hi everyone.  I'm a complete beginner, both to this forum and to any sort of construction.  I'm trying to do something that I thought would be simple but is actually turning out to be rather difficult.  I'm trying to set up a bit of a garden on my balcony (I'm in an apartment complex) and I wanted to make 2 large trellises for things that need to climb.  I bought two 4x8 sheets of wood lattice, as the balcony is 8 feet from floor to ceiling.  I also bought 4' long pieces of 1.5"x1.5" pressure treated wood.  I was going to use construction adhesive to attach these pieces of wood to the corners where the floor and the wall meet, and where the ceiling and the wall meet, and then attach the lattice upright to those pieces of wood.  I can't use any other method of attaching the wood because A) I don't have a concrete drill, and B) I'm not allowed to make holes in the walls.  So, anyway, I figured this would work, but there are some problems.  The wood that was going to be glued to the concrete is a bit twisted, not enough to really be noticeable but enough to prevent it from getting very good contact with the conrete to form a seal for the glue.  Second, even though the adhesive I bought says it bonds within several minutes, when I try to do the upper piece it falls down several minutes after I let go, no matter how long I seem to hold it firmly in place to let it bond.  This is probably because of what I said a moment ago, about not getting a very good seal.  So, I'm going to try to find more perfectly straight wood to use, which should solve the problem for the bottom piece, but as for the top piece - any ideas of a simple way I could brace it while it sets, to prevent it from falling down?  Or any other ideas?  Any help would be great, thanks!


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## CraigFL

How about cutting the 4' pieces to 1' pieces, or even 6" to 8" pieces so that they will stay until the glue sets?


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## MattStata

That's not a bad idea!  Thanks!  I think I'll still need to try to find some wood that doesn't have the subtle twist to it though, in order to get a proper seal.  But yeah, that's a great idea for getting around the need for a brace.  Thanks!


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## Blackbyrd2

Actually, if you cut the twisted piece into shorter lengths, the twist will not be as evident, although you will see some rough spots where the pieces line up, as each one flattens part of the twist out.


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## glennjanie

Hey Matt:
I have years of experience with glues. If you could find Contec PL 400 I don't think you will have any problems. Back in the 60s and 70s we built over 1,000 houses using PL 400 and never had a glue failure.
Glenn


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## bklamert

try getting a caulk gun and buy a couple tubes of general construction adhesive. it is made for stuff like that.
oh, and dont be shy with the adhesive.


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## Superpack

Try this, place the 2x2 where it will go and make a pencil mark up both sides of the board, next place a bead of construction adhesive along the edge of the board and using a scrap piece of wood spread it out so it covers the entire length and width. Next run a bead down the wall between the lines you made and spread this out too being careful to remain within your lines. Next place the 2x2 to the wall so the two glued surfaces touch and press firmly into place. Next pull the 2x2 clean off the wall, this will create "Strings" where the pieces were separated. Keep them apart for about 2 minutes or until the adhesive feels "Tacky" then place the board back onto the wall pressing it into place. Next after the board stays put I would use a GOOD caulk such as "Quad" and run a bead along both sides pressing it into place. This MAY help, I've never tried to do what you are trying but as I said this may help. This is the same technique that is supposed to be used when attaching a tub surround, though I rarely see it done this way.

Regards,


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## travelover

Has anyone looked at the date that this was originally posted?


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## CraigFL

I think it's called "necro-posting"....


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## travelover

I hope we are not that desperate for postings. Kinda like television reruns.


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## TxBuilder

Sometimes the relevancy of a post isn't determined by the date it was posted but the content of said post.


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