Handyperson's addendum

Some interesting revelations, gracias a Google:

1) Norm, one of my blessed commenters, recommended Tapcon screws for my brick and concrete walls. They're come in a blue rust-resistant coating, just the thing for a flood-prone house (I've found a lot of rusted screws from knee-level down, thanks to Hurricane Jimena). You still have to drill a pilot hole but you don't need to deal with mollies or wooden plugs. What you do need, according to the Tapcon website video, is to make the pilot hole slightly smaller than the screw so it (duh) has something to grip onto. And you need to clean out the hole really well, using one of those twisty wire brushes and a shop vac. Now all I have to figure out is which heads I want: flat recessed or hex. Probably flat recessed for most of my jobs. And I have to find out if they can be bought in Mexico.

2) Finishing nails don't necessarily come individually in pennyweight sizes. My friend Charlie showed me a pack of them, tidily stuck together like staples for the staplegun. They are called air nails and are for nailguns, though you can use them for manual hammering. I've had a hard time finding finishing nails at the ferreteria, but now I know another sort I can look for. Sin cabeza, por favor.


I know I'm probably the last person on the planet to learn about this stuff. Something new to bore you with. But progress is being made, and fun is being had.