Problems Drilling Into Concrete Walls

See the illustration above.

Problems drilling into concrete walls.

Drilling into concrete can prove to be disaster if you don t know what you re doing and don t have the right tools. All of these scenarios. Masking tape measure and mark the spot on the concrete where you want to drill a hole. Check to be sure there is no infrastructure behind the concrete that might be damaged in the drilling.

In this situation use a strong masonry nail to try to break through the blockage. Don t forget that masonry nails have to be tapped rather than hammered. The main dangers of drilling into a wall are hitting an electrical wire water pipe or gas pipe explains issabel williams a crew member with fantastic handyman uk. Too shallow and the screw won t go in.

Use a can of compressed air like what you d use to clean. Clean the drill and bit as you go. Remove any blockages. Drilling into reinforced concrete first determine the wall thickness by drilling a test hole and ensure that it is not a thin concrete wall 8cm thick it is best to keep the drilling depth 1 2 cm shallower than the wall s thickness to prevent spalling splintering or chipping on the inner wall.

But it s not always easy to judge how deep you re drilling. Pull the drill bit out of the hole from time to time to knock away any dust build up. On the other hand if you re just drilling a small 1 4 dia. Or so x an inch or two deep into a 4 inch thick concrete wall that makes up the side of a bedroom in a hi rise condo or something you ll be okay.

Holes for concrete screws should be at least 1 4 in. Some common mistake an average person makes can include trying to drill into concrete with a regular bit in a regular drill or even a concrete drill bit in a regular drill. If you come across something that you can t drill through like rebar you ll need to remove it.