How to Install Holds in a Climbing Wall

Climbing holds are usually made from hardened resin, wood or sometimes concrete. They're designed to mimic the crags, lumps and ledges found on the face of a natural cliff. Many indoor climbing centers regularly change their arrangements of hand holds to create different climbing routes of varying difficulty. If you already have a climbing wall installed, adding new holds is pretty straightforward. However, installing holds in a new wall requires creating the holes in the wall for the hold bolts.

• 1

  Push a bolt through the hole in the middle of a hold. Measure the length of the bolt that sticks out from the flat side of the hold.

• 2

  Measure the thickness of your climbing wall. Make sure that the length of your bolt is at least as long as the wall is wide. For example, if your wall is 2 inches thick, choose a bolt that sticks out from the base of the hold more than 2 inches.

• 3

  Drill a hole in the climbing wall in the place you want to install a hold. Use a drill bit as wide as the body of a t-nut, usually around 7/16 of an inch.

• 4

  Fill the hole with a small squeeze of wood glue to help set the nut. Push a t-nut into the hole through the back side of the climbing wall.

• 5

  Hammer the t-nut into place until it's snug against the wood. Press the hold against the wall on the climbing side, with the flat face down. Line up the hole in the hold with the hole in the wall.

• 6

  Position the hold in the way you prefer. Insert the bolt, and screw it into place. Tighten with a screwdriver.