How To Drill A Brick Wall With A Conventional Drill

How to drill a concrete wall correctly Many craftsmen and those who are going to carry out repairs on their own want to know how to drill a concrete wall with an ordinary drill, and whether it is possible at all.

How to properly drill a concrete wall

The process of repairing an apartment includes many works related to the creation of holes in the walls: for this, tools of various designs and capacities can be used. Many craftsmen and those who are going to carry out repairs on their own want to know how to drill a concrete wall with an ordinary drill, and if this is possible at all. For such work, a puncher is usually used, but it is not always suitable for this, besides, if the tool is to be bought, then its cost is much higher than that of a drill.

How to properly drill concrete with a drill?

Typically, such work is performed in the following cases:

Rough finishing of premises;
Installation of built-in furniture and appliances;
Installation of wiring and plumbing when communications are required to be concreted.

When using a victorious nozzle in the course of work, it is required from time to time to use a metal punch, which is selected to the size of the hole being formed. Such a tool allows the drill not to jam when the drill is deeply immersed: the punch is placed in concrete and deepened by hammer blows to make a hole in the wall, destroying the seal.

This process is quite long, an alternative can be the use of diamond bits: a drill equipped with such attachments will not get stuck in concrete.

Working with an impact drill with a diamond core bit

Before drilling a hole in the wall, you need to install the desired nozzle, after making sure that the tool is in good working order and the drill is intact.
It is required to drill the concrete carefully; when using low-power equipment, the duration of the continuous operation of the drill should not be more than 10-12 minutes. If the drilling is delayed, it is necessary to take breaks so that the motor of the device cools down.
After drilling the concrete wall, it became clear, then in addition it is worth considering that for each new hole it is required to process the nozzle. You can moisten the surface with water to facilitate the procedure and save the metal from deformation.

The whole process of work can be viewed at:

Features of the choice of tool

In most cases, it is better to use a perforator for drilling concrete: it has increased power, is designed for punching hard surfaces, and allows you to make holes large in diameter. The use of the tool is impractical in the following cases:

The need to drill the wall to a depth of 10-12 mm;
Work with foam concrete, which crumbles when processed with a perforator;
In work it is required to make no more than 10-15 holes.

Before drilling a wall, it is important to choose the drill itself: it should not be hammerless, since this type is ineffective when drilling concrete, the nozzle and cartridge become unusable almost immediately. The nozzles themselves must be victorious, intended for concrete work, the tip with a carbide coating.

In some cases, a good solution would be to purchase a perforator drill: the device is more expensive than the classic model, but it has a higher power that can be adjusted.

Which attachments to choose?

Before drilling a hole in a concrete wall, you need to select a nozzle of the appropriate design. The following varieties are used for work:

Impact-type serrated crowns for drilling. When working with concrete, it is recommended to use a variety of separate soldering teeth, made from the most durable metal alloys. Many bits are equipped with SDS shanks for installation in keyless drills. The drills are well suited for concrete walls, however, when in contact with metal, they can begin to collapse, therefore, before drilling a reinforced concrete wall, you need to check that there is no reinforcement in the place of work.
Diamond core bits designed for hammerless drilling of holes. Such nozzles are more modern, with their help it is easier to make a hole in a concrete wall. The edge of the crowns has an abrasive structure and special cutouts; during production, it is processed by spraying diamond chips or corundum. Before making a hole in the wall, you just need to select the desired length of the nozzle: in everyday life, varieties with a diameter of up to 100-120 mm are used, in professional work, larger crowns are used. A distinctive feature is the ability to drill without the risk of damaging the fixture with fittings.
KS-bits, which have a cutting edge with crystalline diamond particles. These attachments are used for most solid walls, including drilling into concrete slabs, exterior walls and stone structures.

Before drilling a load-bearing wall or partition, you need to make sure that during the work the wires or cables, if any, are laid inside, will not be touched.

Expert advice

Before deciding how to drill concrete walls and getting started, you should pay attention to the following recommendations:

If the hole diameter exceeds 12 mm and the depth is 10-11 cm, it is better to use a hammer drill or a hybrid device (drill-hammer drill);
If holes are made for plastic dowels, the depth should be 7-10 mm greater than the size of the fastening element, since concrete dust and small particles of stone remain inside;
It is recommended to start work at low speeds so that the nozzle does not move due to increased torque, and the impact mode is turned on when the drill goes 2-4 mm in depth;
The dust generated during the drilling process can be removed with a vacuum cleaner, it is advisable to do this in the process, periodically stopping the drill and cleaning the hole from concrete particles;
It is imperative to observe safety precautions during work: it is required to wear gloves to eliminate the risk of sliding of the handle and safety glasses so that the crumb does not get into the eyes and does not damage the mucous membrane.

Dowel Drill Size Chart

In most cases, a concrete wall is drilled with a perforator, without a drill. If, as part of the repair, you need to make no more than 15-20 holes or the wall is made of foam concrete, using a drill is the best choice, which will save time and money.

Before punching a hole, you need to make sure that there is no wiring in this place, and check whether the nozzle is suitable for such work (the duration and efficiency of the work depends on which drill the drill is equipped with). When deciding how to drill the wall, you should pay attention to the victorious crowns: with such a drill using a drill, you can easily punch a hole up to 10-12 cm deep.

How to decide on a tool?

How To Drill A Brick Wall With A Conventional Drill

For a larger volume of work, a hammer or drill with an impact function and drills with victorious tips are needed. An impact drill combines a rotary motion with a reciprocating motion, which helps it perfectly copes with light concrete, and when asked how to drill a concrete wall, which is a load-bearing one, there is a simple answer, the best assistant will be a hammer drill, the main purpose of which is to punch concrete barriers. There is one more difference:

The hammer drill is designed for drilling holes no more than 12 mm in diameter;
The hammer drill is capable of drilling large holes.

The reinforcement caught in the body of the concrete wall should be drilled with metal drills.

How to drill a concrete wall a possible way out

Sooner or later, most people living in houses with concrete walls need to hang a cabinet, lamp, shelf or painting. At this point, the pressing question arises of how to drill a concrete wall. It is no secret that every home craftsman at least once in his life has encountered this problem, but not everyone knows how to solve it. Many courageously torture the drill and their own strength, but without achieving the desired result, they throw everything until the next attempt to make a hole in the wall. But the drill eventually breaks, and the shelves remain standing somewhere in the corner of the room or gathering dust in the closet. But the options, nevertheless, are, they just need to be known and be able to use them.

What will help a home craftsman?

In domestic conditions, when it is necessary to make 2-3 holes in concrete, you can do with an ordinary drill, without the impact function. To do this, it is necessary, as the victorious drill is immersed in the body of the wall, from time to time to break the concrete with a strong metal pin (punch) that matches the size of the hole diameter. It is used when the drill starts to get stuck in the wall. At this moment, a steel punch is inserted into the hole and they begin to hit it with a hammer or a sledgehammer, trying to crush too dense areas and punch the hole deeper. In this case, the pin is slightly turned. Then the hammerless drill can again come into operation.

All of the above steps are repeated one after another until the hole increases to the required depth. This method is quite laborious and tedious, but quite acceptable for a pair of holes.

Alternatively, when drilling a hole in concrete, you can use universal diamond-coated drills. They are highly effective when working with metal, gravel and concrete. They can be installed only on a conventional electric drill, or on a tool with the vibration function disabled.

What do the professionals advise?

Concrete structures are strong enough and difficult to drill. In addition, drills quite often come across crushed stone, which is part of the concrete mixture, from which wall and ceiling slabs are formed.

Holes in concrete have to be made quite often, especially in the process:

Finishing works;
Furniture installation;
Air conditioner suspension;
Additional electrical wiring device;
Installation of plumbing.

There are two ways to solve the problem of holes in a concrete wall:

An impact drill, or better with a perforator, with a victorious drill;
Diamond drilling.

How are large holes drilled?

Professionals who are constantly faced with the problem of drilling holes in concrete use special equipment, which includes:

Powerful electric motor;
Drilling drive;
Diamond drill bits of different diameters;
A guide post fixed on the base.

Diamond drilling allows you to make holes of large diameter up to 40 cm. The process is fast enough, efficient, without unnecessary dust and noise. Water is automatically supplied to the drilling site, which simultaneously cools the diamond core bit and flushes away the dust.

With diamond drilling, the holes are precise in shape and clear in outline, with a polished inner surface. They can be made in various enclosing structures at any angle to the horizon, and the possibility of cracks or chips in the concrete is completely excluded. Destruction occurs only at the location of the future hole.

Specialized firms are engaged in diamond drilling, so if you need to drill holes in concrete of large diameters, you can invite craftsmen with their own equipment. And it is not necessary to buy a diamond drilling machine specifically for this.

How to drill a brick wall

During repairs, communications or redevelopment, it becomes necessary to produce a different number of holes in the walls. The drilling tool and technique will differ depending on the wall material. Before you drill a brick wall, it is recommended to use some practical advice, since a material as durable as brick sometimes requires a special approach.

Drilling technology

There are three ways to drill a hole in a brick wall: manual, electromechanical and automatic.

However, before starting work, it is necessary to study the location of the electrical wiring, since accidentally hitting the wiring line will not only damage it, but can also shock a person. Most often, electrical wiring is located vertically or diagonally relative to sockets and switches. In case of existing doubts, it is worth using a special device to detect hidden wiring wires. A portable metal detector will help you find aluminum or copper wires that are no deeper than 1 cm.

Hand drilling technology

In the absence of an electric tool, the holes can be drilled using a bolt. For this, places are preliminarily marked by drilling with a punch. After that, the bolt, which is applied to the wall at an angle of 90 degrees, is hit with a hammer. Every three strikes, the bolt is turned, and the remains of bricks are removed from the pipe. Thus, the hole is knocked out until it reaches the required depth.

Required tools and their selection

The wrong choice of tool and type of drill will not only not allow you to get the desired result, but can also damage the equipment. Two types of equipment are used for drilling bricks: a hammer drill or an impact drill. The correct choice of a drill, first of all, lies in its power. The minimum power of this tool should be no less than 600 watts, and the minimum number of revolutions from 2500 rpm. It is better if the mechanism has a reverse rotation of the drill and the ability to smoothly adjust the power. Drilling holes in brick should be done with a hammer drill, since walls made of this material are very resistant to static loads, and are only subject to impact with a dynamic load. If you drill with a conventional drill, the process will be long and ineffective, since the edge of the drill will not be able to catch on the internal structure of the brick. This may cause the tool to overheat and break the drill.

In addition to using electrical equipment, there is the possibility of using a hand tool, the so-called bolt. It is a pipe with teeth at the end, through which a hole is punched by the application of human physical strength.

In addition, you will need the following tools:

Drills or drills

For drilling holes in a brick wall to be effective, it is necessary to use drills with a specific diameter, made of carbide material. Their difference from the usual ones is the presence of a diamond or victorious cutting edge. With a hole depth of up to 15 cm, drills with a diameter of 0.6 or 0.8 cm can be used.The maximum hole diameter that a brick drilled with drills can have is 1.5 cm.

Victory drill for brick walls

If you need to drill a through hole of a much larger diameter, it is better to use a drill that is mounted on a hammer drill and an impact drill. The size of the drill depends on the depth of the hole. If you need to drill a hole in the wall 60 cm wide or more, to speed up the process and make it more efficient, it is recommended to use drills of the same diameter, but different lengths at different stages of drilling, for example, start with a drill 15 cm long, and at the final stage 50 cm long.

The maximum drill hole diameter can be up to 2.8cm.

Perforator crowns

For mounting boxes for sockets, switches, you need to create a niche. In this case, perforator crowns are used, which are made of durable steel and allow to obtain holes of large diameter. Drilling with crowns is performed without the use of an impact function, and their choice depends on the diameter and number of teeth.

Perforator crown

Dowels for fasteners
Dowel screwdriver
Protective glasses
Cooling water tank
Core tool for marking when drilling with a drill.
A hammer
Victory glass
Metal detector

Electromechanical process

Mechanical drilling is done with a hammer drill or hammer drill, the process is the same.

First you need to decide on the type (through, blind), depth and diameter of the hole. This is necessary for the correct drill or drill bit. If you find it difficult to maintain the same distance between the holes, you can use a template. The stencil is made of plywood, chipboard, plastic and other materials at hand. To use it, you need to fix sandpaper on one side with double-sided tape or glue, then lean it against the wall and drill.

After the type and diameter of the future hole has been determined, a core marking should be applied. The drilling process will be easier if it is done in the seam between the bricks. Core cuts are made in order to fix the drill and facilitate its entry. When drilling with a drill, the tool must be held perpendicular to the wall, pressing gently on it so as not to break the drill or drill. From time to time the drill needs to be removed for cooling in a container with cold water.

If necessary, drill a hole with a diameter greater than 18 cm, use a drill with diamond core bits. If these are not available, you can use conventional diameter drills. For this:

The place of the future hole is outlined, its contour is outlined with a pencil.
Drilling is carried out on the outside of the line, the number of holes depends on the diameter of the contour. The diameter of the drill itself should be 0.8-1.0 cm, the pitch of the holes along the contour should be 1.0 cm.To perform the work more accurately, you can use drills of even smaller diameter, but then the process will take longer.
With a chisel and hammer, a sample is taken from the drilled contour.

If you need to drill through a thick wall, you can do this in two steps: first, the drilling process, as described above, is performed on one side of the wall. Then, the center of the resulting hole is drilled through. After that, on the other side of the wall around the intended through center, the marking of the required diameter is performed, the process is repeated.

Automatic process

With the help of professional, expensive equipment, diamond drilling is performed. In this case, it is desirable to have special skills and qualifications. With the help of such a tool, the drilling process is fast, accurate, practically silent, it can be carried out at different angles to a depth of 40 cm, while a smooth hole is formed, without chips or cracks. This method does not create a lot of dust and dirt, since the tool is equipped with a nozzle for cooling the drill and removing dust.

Brick drill: how to choose and use?

Preparing inventory
Preparing to drill a brick wall
Brick wall drilling process
Selection of suitable self-tapping screws for drilling

When a person is faced with the need to take a drill in hand, he understands that he will have a hard and dusty job. And if you have to work with a wall, especially a brick one, then the first step is to choose the right drill bit for brick, so as not to spoil the tool during repairs and successfully drill a wall made of brick.

Brick wall drilling process

For high-quality drilling, you need a powerful hammer drill, but if you don’t have one, you can get by with a conventional drill. Drilling a brick wall does not require special knowledge, however, extreme care and adherence to some recommendations will help avoid trouble when working with the tool. The drill must be kept strictly straight, otherwise there is a chance to break the drill bit by brick and leave an uneven dent in the wall. When the drill is turned on, it is important to wear protective goggles, which will prevent dust and fragments of brick from getting into the eyes. Also, when drilling, you need to smoothly and without sudden efforts to press on the drill, providing a uniform load on the surface.

Drilling requires a lot of energy. At high speed speeds, a huge frictional force arises, which heats up the drill strongly, so it must be cooled with cold water as often as possible. Often, when drilling, you can stumble upon a burnt brick, which will not be easy to drill. To understand when such a brick was found, you need to look at the color of its dust, usually it is black.

It happens that a hole in a brick wall needs to be made with a considerable diameter. This diameter can serve as a ventilation outlet. For such a procedure, it is unlikely that it will be possible to drill a hole with a large diameter with a conventional drill, therefore, a powerful perforator and a crown containing a diamond coating are needed.

First you need to mark the diameter on the wall, and draw a circle on the marked section of the wall. If, for example, a pipe with a diameter of 100 mm, then the hole for the drill must be marked at least 120 mm in order to maintain a margin in case of a twist of the drill in the other direction. After that, in the figure, you need to mark the points for drilling with a distance every couple of centimeters. Then you need to select the appropriate thickness of the drill so that it goes through the brick wall entirely.

At the drilling stage, you need to drill the marked points. The drill must go right through the wall while remaining on the other side of the wall. After this, a lot of dust will turn out, therefore it is recommended to cover foreign objects with a cloth and put on protection, in order to avoid abundant ingress of dust. Upon completion, you should have a large number of drilled points in the circle.

Preparing to drill a brick wall

Before you get started and start drilling the wall, you need to make sure that the wall is not obstructed by electrical wiring or water pipes. A metal detector can help in this: by pointing the device at the wall, you can detect an obstacle in time and thereby determine a safe point for drilling.

Preparing inventory

To drill through a brick wall, you need an impact drill. If drilling is hammerless, then drilling will take a long time; the drill will also become very hot and, as a result, its service life will be greatly reduced. Such a tool must have high power and high rpm. It depends on them how easily and quickly it will be possible to drill a hole in the wall. Than 2000 rpm is considered an acceptable value and the higher the number, the better this will affect the drilling speed.

Selection of suitable self-tapping screws for drilling

Self-tapping screws refer to fasteners in the form of a rod, having a screw-in thread, a pointed end and a head. The thread holds the shank of the screw in the wall, thereby providing fixation and immobility. According to the classification, self-tapping screws for drilling are divided into the following types.

Universal, suitable for any mounts, the most common.
Self-tapping screws for reinforcing metal sheets without dowels. Before screwing in the self-tapping screw, drilling is mandatory.
Self-tapping screws without dowels for fastening soft metal and wood, plastic.
Self-tapping screws in the form of a Christmas tree, capable of strengthening a concrete or brick wall, going along with the dowels, by driving inward.
Nagels self-tapping screws without dowels are needed to strengthen a brick wall or a concrete wall.

In order to choose the right self-tapping screws for drilling, it is important to consider what metal or alloy they are made of. The scope of application of these products depends on the material of manufacture.

Stainless steel. A huge plus is moisture protection. The presence of metals such as chrome and nickel prevents these screws from rusting.
Carbon steel. Compared to the previous type, this metal is not protected from moisture, but it is more durable.
Brass self-tapping screws for drilling it is a relatively expensive but high quality material. You can work with them in both salty and acidic environments. Brass is resistant to corrosion, but such an alloy is soft and deforms under heavy load.

If you choose self-tapping screws for drilling in concrete with a dowel, you need to take into account that the capsule is previously hammered into it, and the screw itself is already screwed into it. The mechanism is made in such a way that the sharp ends of the capsule pierce the wall as the self-tapping screw is screwed into the hole, expanding the area of the fastener for a more durable fastening.

Such a fastening system, where a plastic sleeve expands the fastening area, is used in the following cases:

Increased load on self-tapping screws;
More rigid fixation for aerated concrete;
The need to eliminate vibrations to prevent the screws from loosening.

In the absence of a dowel, for self-tapping screws you will also need to drill a small hole, it is also better to calculate in advance the length of the screw to be passable. Otherwise, the self-tapping screw will either not reach the required depth, or drown in the wall. Reinstallation can only damage the fragile hole in the concrete.

There are also so-called Bosch tours. The advantage of such a screw is the variable thread that has notches. It is noted for good adhesion to a concrete wall. Such self-tapping screws can be screwed in with an ordinary drill, they do not require excessive efforts. TourBoschurup is applicable for cellular and hollow concrete blocks.

The color of the screws is also important. In relation to color, self-drilling screws are as follows.

Silver self-tapping screws are suitable for any climatic conditions. Prevents corrosion. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
The yellow ones are covered with a protective zinc coating with an admixture of copper. Applicable only for interior work.
Black ones contain an oxide film. Such self-tapping screws are not suitable in rooms with a high percentage of humidity, for example, in saunas and greenhouses, it is undesirable to use such fasteners.

When tightening self-tapping screws with a conventional drill, it is important to choose a drill, taking into account the following recommendations:

The drill should be a couple of millimeters smaller than the self-tapping screw;
When using a hammer tool, it is better to purchase a drill that has grooves on the clamping part of the drill;
When drilling, you can use a universal brick drill bit for a drill.

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