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I would like to hang a blackboard (it could weigh 160 - 190lbs) on an interior wall made of hollow terracotta brick like this.
In the case of solid bricks I see there are a number of solutions readily available, but I'm not sure how to proceed in the case of hollow bricks.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
There is a class of anchors called "hollow wall anchors". Most of the time these are used for sheetrock or plaster walls so people don't think about them when it comes to brick, but many of them will work in hollow bricks. There are many types and should be available at any home store.
The challenge will be making sure you hit a "hole" in the brick. There are different anchors for hollow bricks and for solid bricks, so it probably make sense to have both on hand. If you drill a hole and hit a solid portion of brick, use the solid anchor. If you hit a hole, use the hollow anchor.
When hanging a large item like a blackboard, you may be able to adjust your hole spacing to make sure you always hit a hollow area.
You have several options. How is the blackboard designed to mount to the wall? Do you drill through the frame, does it have brackets on the back that slip over the screw heads? I have attached a photo of several options. All involve drilling into the hollow bricks. You'll need a masonry bit and most likely a hammer drill. My favorite of these are the Tapcon screws. They are super easy and strong. You drill a hole with the correct size bit and then screw the screw/bolt into the hole. If your board just has a couple of places on the back in which to hang it, you should consider mounting a strip of wood to the wall first. Say your blackboard is 8 feet long. Take a 1x2 or 1x4 that is slightly less than 8 feet and hang it on the wall with Tapcon screws. Then you can use any type of screw and hang the black blackboard on the wood strip. Hang another wood strip towards the bottom of the board also if you don't want the board to tilt down a little. Sometimes that slight tilt actually is easier to see.
