Drilling into external wall just gives white powder. Doesn't sound solid?

[fredted40x]

trying to hang a heavy punching bag onto the wall so need strong anchors.

The problem is the external walls don't sound solid when you hit them, and when you drill in you get some white material tha soft like mortar. I've made a a couple of holes and it's the same all the way along. These are 12x60 holes.

Very much a novice. What's this stuff and where's the brick.

One wall in The bedroom that has upstairs stairs behind sounds solid, not the others though.

Ta

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You probably have dry-lined walls and the power is from the plaster/plasterboard. These walls are often of a hollow construction, though it maybe possible to find a stud to fix to or if walls have been dot n dabbed, it could be possible to anchor into the solid wall behind it, but if that is the case if would first drill into wall and fill the area/void around the board and solid wall with dry-wall adhesive for a solid secure fix.

 

[stevethejoiner]

You probably have dry-lined walls and the power is from the plaster/plasterboard. These walls are often of a hollow construction, though it maybe possible to find a stud to fix to or if walls have been dot n dabbed, it could be possible to anchor into the solid wall behind it, but if that is the case if would first drill into wall and fill the area/void around the board and solid wall with dry-wall adhesive for a solid secure fix.

I second that, sounds exactly what you have, especially being upstairs. And one other piece of advise, as you say "I am very much a novice", dont drill above or below or anywhere near electrical socket outlets. It sounds obvious, but if you are fixing something at head height you may not notice a plug socket just above the skirting and you could drill into the cable dropping down inside the wall right where you are drilling.

 

[foxhole]

The white powder will be the plasterboard adhesive of dot and dab walls, you need to ignore the first 50mm and drill at least 100mm to get a firm fixing, if the bracket has a flat base mark this out on the wall and cut out the plasterboard [but reduce size by 10mm all round], clean away any adhesive ,replace with ply to same depth as original and fix this securely to wall then you can fix you plate to that.The plate will hide the fixing timber as you have it overlapping by 10mm.

 

[fredted40x]

Thanks!
Never heard of this before. Old place had proper brick.

Sounds like it is possible but could make one huge mess with me at the end of the drill.

May have to rethink and go into the solid wall. Bit of room rearranging.
Thanks again.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Thanks!
Never heard of this before. Old place had proper brick.

These systems of wall constructions have been about quite sometime in the UK, 45 years plus and also very popular in North America.