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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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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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