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Epoxy anchor is essentially a metal alloy rod set onto epoxy. A hole is drilled and cleaned, then epoxy is put into the hole and the rod is inserted into the hole and left until epoxy sets.

Using epoxy anchors looks not that convenient - they require thorough cleaning of the hole, thorough preparation of epoxy, plus if I need to only set a couple of them I'll have to either clean the epoxy applicator or throw away its nose.

Why would I use epoxy anchors instead of usual expansion (metal or plastic) anchors? In which scenarios around a house are they preferable?

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Epoxy is required in home building. Especially when attaching a wooden stud to an adjacent concrete wall. Architects and Engineers will usually specify a rod depth and that they are set with epoxy into the wall. The epoxy can be rolled onto the rod extensively and then placed into the hole. You usually allow the rod to set with the epoxy for 24 hours before attaching any hardware to the rods such as 2x4 pressure treated plates with 2 inch washer and nut. You can buy All-Thread rod that you simply cut to length. If you are concerned about the dust, then use an air compressor to blow out the hole prior to inserting the rod. When I added on a room to my house, it was specified that the rods must be epoxied into the hole. I used Loctite Metal/Concrete Epoxy.

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  • Why not use usual expansion anchors in this scenario?
    – sharptooth
    Commented Nov 25, 2010 at 13:46
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    @sharptooth : if the code requires it, there's really not much of an option. If you're asking from an experimental point of view, epoxy should transfer less vibration, but I don't know if that's really an issue.
    – Joe
    Commented Nov 25, 2010 at 13:53
  • @sharptooth: In my experience, epoxy is stronger.
    – Engineer2021
    Commented Nov 26, 2010 at 2:13
  • One major reason for epoxy being required rather than expanding anchors is that concrete, being a porous material, is generally considered a damp environment. Expanding anchors are liable to corrode to the point of failure eventually, but epoxy is pretty much immune to dampness. Also, more immediately relevant, what Joe said — if code requires epoxy, you use epoxy.
    – Askeli
    Commented Apr 1, 2021 at 16:48
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Expansion anchors may split concrete if used too close to the edge.

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