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Disclaimer, I don't know much in home improvement and I'm a bit at loss here.

I want to hook 2 patio umbrella holders (pic1) on my balcony. I thought the outside of the wall was a drywall because when hitting it, it sounds hollow. Consequently. I tried to hook it with dry wall anchor. I manage to put the anchor in but when trying to drill the screw into the anchor, the screw and the anchor went through it (pic2 and 3)

My 3 questions are:

  • What is the material that I just went through ?
  • How can I patch it ?
  • Is there a solution to hook the umbrella holder (it will have to withstand potentially heavy wind)

Thanks.

Patio Umbrella Holder hole (closeup view) hole

Fabrice E.
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    Drywall on the outside is unlikely as the normal type can't take getting wet. Those fibres aren't right either. But if it was drywall (and with whatever you have), those anchors would be far from sufficient for a load with a lever arm that gets pushed around in the wind. Where are you located? Different places use different construction methods – Chris H Sep 16 '23 at 17:08
  • I'm located in NYC. After closer inspection, it looks like to be insulation, mesh and a painting on top of it. I've been looking online and I'm thinking of buying an insulating foam spray and try to match the paint of the wall. Is it a good idea? – Fabrice E. Sep 16 '23 at 17:20

1 Answers1

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It looks like you have EIFS (exterior insulation finishing system) which attaches Styrofoam sheets to the exterior stud wall, covers it in a base coat layer of resin impregnated fiberglass, and finally adds a finish coat that is waterproof.

You can patch this with a similar color caulk.

You are going to have a difficult time attaching anything that has a wind load like you anticipate. The base coat and finish coat do not have the structural strength to carry a load like this. They will delaminate from the Styrofoam, leaving a big mess that likely will have to be professionally repaired, and the repair color will likely not match the original due to the UV exposure of the original finish.

Even if you screw through the EIFS and into a stud, if your fitting bears ANY pressure against the EIFS, it will crush. After all, there is just Styrofoam behind the finish.

RetiredATC
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  • You are right, I remember the home inspection mentioning this system. This is very helpful, I will get some caulk and give up on the umbrella holder. Thank you. – Fabrice E. Sep 16 '23 at 17:43
  • I was thinking, if you got some double ended screws that are long enough, you could go through the EIFS to a stud. Then use two nuts to sandwich the mounting bracket so that it stands away from the finish coat. That way the load goes from the bracket, to the screw, and then to the stud. Just do a search on double ended screws and select the size for you. – RetiredATC Sep 16 '23 at 18:56
  • Might it be possible to cut out a block of the EIFS and mount something less crushable—like a PT or even PVC panel—to a stud, and waterproof around the panel? Then fasten the umbrella mount to the panel? – Huesmann Sep 17 '23 at 18:10
  • @Huesmann That might work. – RetiredATC Sep 17 '23 at 19:04
  • Thanks all for the suggestions. This is above my skill level today but really appreciate your help! – Fabrice E. Sep 18 '23 at 13:04