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Advice on attaching 2X4 to concrete basement walls/floor

33K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  morningwood 
#1 ·
I am going to build a reloading bench in my basement similar to the one shown in this picture. My basement is not finished, and with gym and storage there, I'm not likely to finish it in the near future (2 kids away at school, too :rolleyes: )



A reloading bench needs to be very solid because of the forces the press creates. So this will be a heavy bastard, the bench itself will be 4 thicknesses of 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed, 20" wide by 8' long.

I have a question about attaching it to the basement walls. J P Frog told me it is a real bitch to drill cement for anchors. So it would be easiest to just screw a single, horizontal 2X4 to the wall to attach the bench to, and one to the floor to attach the black pipe to.

I'd like the shelves you see in that picture, though, and I was thinking of putting 4 vertical 2X4's on the wall and screwing the horizontal bench top 2X4support to those. Then I could put shelf brackets on them. That involves a lot more drilling in the concrete, though, so I don't know that I want to do that. I could always build a free-standing shelf unit to go on top of the bench and just put milk crates on their sides underneath for storage.

So, four vertical 2X4's with the support screwed to that? Or just screw the support to the wall and be done with it? It really is a question of how hard is it to drill that cement. I'm a lazy bastard. A very lazy bastard.

Thanks for the advice.
 
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#17 ·
Money!

Thats what I used to secure my 2 x 3's and 2 x 4's. They have shells with different strengths in case you have older concrete or a hard spots that give you a difficult time sending the nail all the way in. Made the job quick and easy.

What eva you do DO NOT shoot them at a bare wall from a knot hole across the room, those suckers ricochet back at you FAST!
 
#4 ·
Cordless hammer drill, some Tapcon screws, or Hilti anchors, or get a ramset powder fired nails. The Tapcons work great for me and come in a variety of sizes.
 
#5 ·
Second the Tapcons. I was framing out my entire basement and was attaching the the footer into the floor. Most sets of Tapcon screws come with a cement drill bit to drill a pilot hole. The only thing I did in addition was to get a tube of cement sealer (caulk) and put a bit in the holes before I put the screws in.
 
#6 ·
When I framed my basement, I used something similar to this. You simply load the nail into the barrel of the gun, load the 22 cartridge, close and lock the unit, and thump the head of it with a hammer.
 
#9 ·
This has turned into a how to attach it thread. That's OK, I appreciate the advice, but I wanted advice on the decision of whether to just mount one, eight-foot long 2X4 horizontally for the wall anchor for the bench top, or using 4-5 vertical 2X4's attached to the wall and screwing the horizontal bench top support to those.

I'm leaning toward just the one board on the wall, and simply building a free-standing shelving unit to set on the top. But shelf brackets are adjustable (a positive), and while I'd have more labor with the verticals, using shelf brackets is less labor than building a shelf unit.

As for attaching, I don't trust the nail guns. They work for drywall installation. But J P Frog and I have already discussed this. He's familiar with reloading. I want this thing to be securely a part of the house, to withstand years of stressing forces on the bench top. I don't trust the nail guns for that. There's no stressing movement in drywall.

I like the Hilti's, but I had never heard of the screws before. Do they actually work? I'm leaning toward over-stability, which I think dictates the hiltis for the floor board, and right above/below the horizontal 2X4 support. Now that I think about it that may be the way to go. Verticals with one Hilti above and below where I'll screw the horizontal into them, but the nails would be fine for the rest of the vertical 2X4s?

Thoughts? Thanks for the advice on the attachment part.

JC
 
#10 ·
T...I wanted advice on the decision of whether to just mount one, eight-foot long 2X4 horizontally for the wall anchor for the bench top, or using 4-5 vertical 2X4's attached to the wall and screwing the horizontal bench top support to those.
I'd do the full wall (top and bottom (pressure treated plate), vertical studs) as more support options mean less problems later.

As for attaching, I don't trust the nail guns.
Agreed. I swung a hammer and I liked it, dammit.

Verticals with one Hilti above and below where I'll screw the horizontal into them, but the nails would be fine for the rest of the vertical 2X4s?
It's a good approach. You'll find it rock solid.
 
#11 ·
Thanks, Trann. And the rest of you guys.

I'm going to do the vertical 2X4 things, it's only a few more holes. And I like the idea of putting adjustable shelf standards and brackets on the verticals--more flexible storage later on.

Here's a picture of what I'll do. The circles are where I'll drill the wall and put those Hilti fasteners on the uprights. The X is where I'll glue/screw the horizontal support for the benchtop to the uprights. Outboard of the Hilti fasteners, I should be OK using the nail gun tool, as the torque forces on the benchtop support will be isolated between the two rows of Hilti fasteners. Am I thinking right about that? I mean, there shouldn't be much stress on the uprights from working the presses on the table top outboard of the two rows of Hiltis, I would think.

I'll use Hilti fasteners in the floor on the 2X4 support for the iron pipe legs. Oak facing on the front and sides of the 4-thickness plywood benchtop, and I've got a rock-solid reloading bench!

 
#13 ·
I just built the walls on the floor, a little taller than the space and sledged them into place... As long as its along the concrete wall (as opposed to free floating in the middle of a room) and you nail it to the joists above, that fucker won't move... I've got a built-in bookshelf that I used this method for. No problems whatsoever.
 
#14 ·
Not building a wall, Wedge, but that's a nice tip for someone who is!

About leaks, I had not thought about that. I have a certified flood-proof basement as I was dry during the 100-year flood in eastern PA a few years back.

How thick are those basement walls? Should I put some sort of silicone caulk in with the anchor? Scary thoughts. Thanks for pointing it out.

JC
 
#15 ·
OK, a neighbor of mine is an avid woodworker, built his own deck (beautiful!), and remodeled a few rooms in his house. He has a table saw, radial arm saw, drill press, and a great workshop.

So, I'm back to the horizontal support and he and I will build a nice workbench hutch to put on top of the bench for storage. So, back to concrete fastening.

I will not use the screws, as I want to be very, very secure. There are two products I've found that look good, but I don't know why I'd choose one over the other. Maybe it makes no difference and I can flip a coin. But if you have an opinion. please let me know.

This has to be much stronger than putting up verticals for building a wall. My reloading presses are about 12-14 pounds, and I can generate quite a bit of force when resizing brass cases, especially if I ever realize my dream and get my .50 Barrett rifle. :thumb:



One is called a "wedge anchor" and the other is a "drop in" anchor.

wedge video link

drop in video link

The bench top that will rest on this support is going to be a full four thicknesses of plywood (3"!) glued and screwed, dimensions 8' X 22". I'm thinking I can get by with 5 of these anchors on the horizontal support? About every 18 inches? Or should I use more?

I'll use the same things on the strip in the floor for the iron pipe. Here's a photo of what I'm trying to build to refresh your memory. No more design input, this has been purpose built for ammunition reloading and is exactly what I want. I'm just looking for concrete fastener advice now. Thanks!

 
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