Hanging a Wall Trellis on Stucco
Wall trellises are a fantastic way to add a touch of grace and character to the outside walls of your home. Climbing plants thrive with the presence of the vertical structure provided by a trellis, and when attached to a wall, these vertical pieces of art allow for greenery and the artistic nature of the trellis to adorn the wall.
However, while these wall trellises add a great amount of beauty to the home, installation can sometimes be a little tricky, in recent blog posts we covered hanging these trellises on drywall/wood click here and on masonry click here. In this post we’ll try to provide some tips on stucco siding to help you get your wall on track.
Stucco is essentially a concrete mix that forms a rock solid exterior on your house, it is typically mixed with several other materials to form a texture and color that is much more appealing to the eye than a wall made of concrete cinder blocks. However, stucco siding is not like your typical all concrete wall, it usually exists as a siding. This means that a sheet of stucco is created from a somewhat thin layer of stucco mix and then attached to a wall that contains insulation and either wooden or metal studs along the length of the wall. This unique construction means that a stucco wall will use principles from exterior siding regarding wooden/metal studs and masonry.
Before we begin, know that this process while not being the same beast anchoring into masonry can be, it can be a little trickier. For this reason we advise that you hire a professional to attach your wall trellis if you have little to no experience in DIY home tasks or construction, or even if you are just not quite confident in being able to do so. DIY tasks can be fun and rewarding to the homeowner, but improper attempts to attach a heavy metal wall trellis may result in significant damage to the wall, and falling wall items may cause serious harm to others.
Drill or Hammer Drill
1 to 2 Masonry Drill Bits
Wall Brackets
Stud Finder
Lag Bolts
Wrench or Socket
Eye Protection
Mask
Pipe Cleaner or Canned Air
Wall Trellis
You May Need:
Wall Anchors
Hammer or Rubber Mallet
Planning to Install H Potter Trellises with Wall Brackets
H Potter sells wall brackets that can be used for the majority of wall trellises. These brackets include an L-shaped shelf on which to set the trellis and standard lag bolts to fix the trellis to the wall. Find the right location for your brackets, we suggest that you place two brackets at the bottom of the trellis, where the flat surface will rest well on the brackets (this is the perfect place to anchor your brackets into wall studs). Find other flat surfaces on the trellis that can rest on the brackets to ensure that installation goes as smoothly as possible. It is paramount that while mounting something as heavy as a metal wall trellis, you should have at least one point of contact within a stud, which is the strongest section of the wall.
While the outer layer of stucco seems stable enough to hold the weight of a trellis, it is a somewhat thin layer of siding and likely will not have the integrity to hold the entire weight of the trellis on its own. Your first step should be to find the location of the studs that are in the wall. This process is certainly going to be a little tricky, as the stucco on the outside of the wall can obscure the stud finder tool. If you are unable to find a stud on the exterior of the wall, finding the interior side of the wall and finding the stud is another possibility. This allows you to find the stud on the interior and determine its location relative to the exterior. While you don’t have to anchor all your brackets into a wall stud, it will be worth having at least one point of contact and using wall anchors for any remaining screws that are not anchored into a wall stud.
Once you have found where the studs are located in your wall, you should decide where you will drill your pilot holes. Mark the planned out spot with something that will easily wash off the wall. Eye protection is a must and a mask may be worn if you are sensitive to stucco particles, so make sure you are properly protected before drilling your pilot holes. Stucco is a hard surface, but not quite as solid as masonry, so you may or may not need a hammer drill depending on the thickness or composition of your wall. You will however, need a masonry drill bit to get through the outer layer of stucco and reach the wooden or metal wall studs that are underneath. When you have made contact with a wooden stud there will most likely be some wood particles in the drill bit. Clear the hole of any extra material using canned air or a pipe cleaner.
Once you have drilled through the stucco, you may need to insert wall anchors in any pilot holes that are not in a wall stud. To do so, place wall anchors in the pre-drilled hole and using a hammer or rubber mallet, lightly tap the anchor into the hole. You will then be able to secure brackets to the wall using screws or lag bolts.
Now that your pilot holes are prepped, insert the lag bolts or screws to attach brackets. Make sure that your fasteners are long enough to reach through the stucco and anchor in the wall stud. Tighten the brackets to the wall and make sure that everything is in the right place and tightly secured.
With the help of another adult, pick up the trellis and carefully place it on the firmly secured wall brackets. Congratulations, you have spruced up your stucco wall and can begin gardening with the help of your metal wall trellis!