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I have a stone fireplace in a cabin that I'd like to mount a television screen on. While I’d love to pay someone a reasonable fee to do so, the cabin is in a location where contractors are few and far between, and those I have spoken with are booking work six months out. I’d prefer to not wait that long.

Here's the fireplace:

enter image description here

Regarding the mounting itself, I’m hoping to line up the holes of the mount at a position where I only have to drill through the grout, but it’s possible I will have to drill through the rock itself. Since this was a fire burning fireplace before it was gas, I believe there will be brick behind the rock/grout.

I'm probably going to actually mount a square of wood to the actual stone part and then screw the mount to this block of wood...that way I can be a little more flexible in where I put holes in the stone/grout.

If I understand what I’ve researched so far, I should be able to drill through this by purchasing a hammer drill with a special bit. After drilling, I should be able to mount it securely using mollies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_(fastener)).

Assuming the above is accurate:

  1. What sort of drill bit do I need for this job?
  2. Since I don’t have a hammer drill, I plan to purchase one. The cheapest I’ve found locally is this Craftsman (https://www.craftsman.com/products/7-amp-1-2-in-hammer-drill). Would this be sufficient to get the job done?
  3. Are any special mollies required, or should I be able to purchase the largest which will fit through the mount’s holes?
  4. Any other concerns I should know about, or suggestions you have?

Thanks so much in advance!!!

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  • I'd recommend buying the TV Mount kit first so you can see which anchors (mollies) come with it. My mount came with several. Since bits are cheap, I'd reccomend getting one or two masonry bits that "lead up" to the size that you need, according to the mount instructions. So if you need a 3/8" hole, start out with a 1/8" bit. This will allow you to line up your holes, and carefully drill tiny pilot holes before having to drill the actual hole, making sure the direction and depth are correct when it's time for the final size.
    – JacobIRR
    Commented Jul 21, 2020 at 20:18
  • Thanks! I already have the mount...I'm reusing it after replacing it on another TV I have. (amazon.com/dp/B00BTVSAHE). I bought it originally to mount in wood and for some reason didn't use the bolts it included. They're now gone, unfortunately. However, according to the manual, it uses 4 8 mm x 65mm lag bolts in combination with 10mm OD x 8mm ID wall anchors (no idea what OD and ID stand for).
    – jbwiv
    Commented Jul 21, 2020 at 22:39
  • Inner dimension vs outer dimension
    – JacobIRR
    Commented Jul 22, 2020 at 12:12

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You'll need some quality masonry drill bits or some diamond core bits depending on the size of the holes you'll be drilling.

The hammer drill you picked out will do the job, just take your time, let the drill do the work.

You do not want to use molly anchors. They are for drywall or plaster hollow walls. Personally, I'd be using lag shields, 3/16", and lag screws. Their length depends on the size wood panel.

Drill into the stone, not the mortar. The mortar will crumble with the anchors.

And for God's sake, wear safety goggles!!!

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  • Thanks Jack! I will! Do I need to do anything to prevent breaking the stone, or should it be fairly straightforward? Any other concerns?
    – jbwiv
    Commented Jul 21, 2020 at 22:40
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    Don't drill too close to the edges of the stones and spray a little bit of water while drilling to cool the bit and keep the dust from flying all over the place.
    – JACK
    Commented Jul 21, 2020 at 22:53

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