Wondered if it's the drill, or manpower or it's simply impossible to drill through a concrete wall?
Comments/advice/suggestions are very welcome & appreciated. Thanks!!
Hello! we're trying to build a TV stand, of which two big cabinets are needed to hang up on the wall. Hubby tried to drill a hole through the concrete wall to hang the cabinet and spent 30mins only to drill through 2-cm deep. 5-cm mininal for each of the total 8 holes we need. We have a 750w power drill.
you need a special drill for concrete. that will do the job. you can buy them at any DIY store.
a stone drill just doesn't work in concrete.
Hi, many thanks for the quick reply. Is there any particular brand you'd recommend? I'd assume places like Jumbo will have them?
Thanks!
Yes, Jumbo has them. The correct term is Bohrhammer , much more powerful than an ordinary Schlagbohrmaschine . In English, both kinds are called hammer drill, in our neck of the woods in the US Midwest anyway, but in German there are two different terms.
Since you aren't going to use that thing 24/7 it needn't be one of the top notch brands, otherwise you'll pay 60 CHF per hole.
You need an SDS hammer drill. Most other domestic electric drills, even those with "hammer" function just don't cut the mustard in the concrete that's used in Swiss (and French) buildings. The brand is not important, unless you're going to be using it daily and want it to last for years,but there's a good range available in any Co-op doitall, Migros, Jumbo or whatever. Just ask for advice, then buy one for half the price of the one they recommend
Edit: just re-read this, and it needs more info - just google SDS for that. It's a system supported by all the major brands and allows a much more intense hammer action, independent of the rotation of the drill bit, to really get through the hard concrete you've experienced.
Usually a hammer drill should do the trick, provided you're using the right kind of drill bit, it has to be a drill bit for concrete, normal stone bits aren't strong enough. You should find the drill bit, "Bohrer" in German, at any DIY store. Also, if you're drilling through concrete, odds are you're going to hit steel at least once or twice, in that case, move the hole a centimetre to the left or right, or up or down, all depending on whether you've hit a vertical or horizontal bar. If it helps, the spacing between bars, vertical or horizontal, is usually 15 or 20 centimetres.
Just so you know what you're dealing with -- our neighbors pulled out one of the walls in their apartment and it's sitting in a skip in front of their house.
You'll notice that there's about 1cm of plaster on the left-hand side, and a good 30cm of cement behind it. This explains why our house is so quiet, and also why a CHF30- drill isn't going to cut it! As others have said, you need a hammer drill and masonry bits.
If you decide to buy a drill (rather than try to borrow one from the neighbours), I suggest you go to Hornbach. This model Mac Allister was purchased there. You might be able to rent one from them as well.
As rob1 mentions below, this type of drill is called an SDS drill (not a hammer drill). You should be asking for this. The other way to see it is via the NO chuck / different drill bits.
The first thing you will notice from the main photo is that there is no "chuck" the part that normally grips the drill bit. These heavy duty drills use another system. You can see that it slides into place and is kept in place with the slots that are on the end of the drill bit (see photo).
So, this means that you need the drill and the drill bit adapted to the drill. You can get both at Hornbach. You can buy a set of drill bits or just the size you need.
I have mounted a flat screen TV on the wall of our bomb shelter with this drill and a 10mm drill bit. It works.
I recently put 4 holes in for track lighting, even with a good hammer drill it took some effort when going straight for the final size.
I found the easist thing to do is go up hole size in stages, if you go for 10mm straight away forget it as it takes ages.
Start at 4mm and work up then its quite easy. Or buy a SDS and do it in 1 hit, though a few drill bits will be cheaper than a sds machine.
Check if you can rent one as an alternative also.
I've got a 'proper' makita SDS drill .. However I can also recommend the cheapo from Ikea, they do a drill with a few SDS type bits included, cordless, in a nice little box for 49chf or there abouts.
It's not fancy but i've drilled a few holes in concrete just fine with it. If you only have 8 holes to do then it should be fine.
Thanks! That's very visual. I"m thinking 'what a mission impossible' to hang that TV stand! My hubby is certainly more determined than me to conquer this 'concrete wall'!
Thanks very much Verbier. I like pictures. It explains so much more than words. I will also check the rental options as suggested.
Yes, us men generally tend to take that position, as the Germans would put it: "Männer lassen sich nicht gern von Material verarschen." In other words, men don't like taking crap from materials.
I just got the latest Hornbach flyer in the mail today. They have a Pattfield SDS drill (900 watts) that can handle drill bits up to 26mm in concrete for CHF 79 .
The drill bit you would need is probably 10mm which will add about CHF 10-12 to that cost.
It seems that Pattfield is a home hobby level of brand that Hornbach sells.
I suggest you buy the drill then keep it or sell it as it will be cheaper/less hassle than renting for the day.
Another problem with boring into concrete is dust. I do a lot of boring (of all kinds...), and I have one of these:
http://www.werkzeugladen24.com/out/p...gbh2-23rea.jpg
Now, if you're only going to bore a few holes, the purchase of such a device is uneconomic, but I'd suggest trying to see whether you can borrow one or something with a vacuum attachment.
I was boring holes in the daughters' place at the weekend, including a deep one in the ceiling over one of the beds - and not a bit of dust escaped the thing to mess up the bed. Great gadget.
Hubby simply tapes an open envelope just below where he's drilling. Catches most of the dust and costs next to nothing!
Looks like it comes with " Beiliegendes Zubehör Zusatzhandgriff, Tiefenanschlag, 3 SDS-Plus Bohrer: 8,10,12 mm, Flachmeißel, Spitzenmeißel, Staubkappe"
I must say it looks good, and a bargain at that price. If only I didn't already have five electric drills...
The CH one is a different colour (grey) and the ad does not mention any drill bits (too bad).
If it is in your budget, I would hire a professional handyman. We had the same issue with trying to put in our lighting - our ceiling is concrete because the heating runs through the floors and apartments are sound proof. We got the right tool and my husband was determined, until he started to drill and a chunk of the ceiling came down. We decided on a professional so we wouldn't have to pay any additional cost if my husband ruined the ceiling. In the end - 2 hours work for 120ch. Well worth it.
You can just use the hoover Remove the attachment, keep it on under the hole as you go along. No mess, no need to destroy an envelope!
As for the power drill, I seriously recommend a Makita. In any case get a power drill that uses the drill heads with the groove - they can't slip inside the machine.