Do you find it tough to drill into concrete with a regular drill? Are you likely to achieve anticipated remarkable results? Well, the answer is a bold yes!!!!
Therefore, you don’t necessarily need an exceptionally designed hammer with hard-edged drill bits to carry out your projects as some would like to believe.
If you have a regular drill, you can make the headways. A regular drill is a great tool that patiently goes through the hard concrete swiftly if used appropriately.
Additionally, as a passionate plumber, I used to engage a hammer drill to do concrete drilling on my site steel-reinforced concrete.
Unfortunately, it malfunctioned. Left with only a regular drill, I was introduced by a friend on how to about drilling the concrete using a regular drill, remarkably the outcome didn’t disappoint.
Consequently, all you need is going about the drilling the smart way with the right skills and steps. Whether you are a newbie or an aficionado in drilling concrete, I take you through the easiest tips on how to Drill Into Concrete with a Regular Drill.
This should save your time, use relatively less energy, realize fine drills and deliver more on your tasks.
Drilling concrete is a handy technique that requires skillfulness to go about the tough concrete. How about a keen look at these tips? Don’t worry, I will take you through it all.
Cautionary Safety Measures
As the debris flushes out flutes, the last thing you need is to put your life at risk. Embrace these measures for smooth tasks:
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- Use appropriate protective gear to secure your eyes while drilling and cleaning out the dust and debris from the hole. A quality set of googles could be preferable in this case.
- Remember, you need also to cover your face, just in case a concrete piece explodes or expels a chip fast off the concrete that might end up hitting your face.
- Consider wearing a dust mask so that you don’t end up breathing in the dust coming off the concrete.
- Don’t forget your hands. Masonry bits can get heated during the drill. Wear heavy gloves.
- The tasks can be equally noisy, its ideal you wear ear protection regardless of the number of holes you are looking forward drilling.
- If you are dealing with an old concrete, it is more ‘stubborn’ to deal with. Be careful not to drill the nail too deep into the concrete to avoid challenges of removing it.
- Avoid instances or the temptation to hammer your flat-head screwdriver since its wide edges and tip could end up creating holes in the concrete that dwindle your anchor.
- Before proceeding with the drilling, use a stud tester that comes with the electrical finder capability to always check for possible spots with wires inside the walls.
- This will guide you to know the appropriate positions on the concrete to avoid drilling or at least help you get prepared on how to go round the stubborn spots.
Essentials to Consider Before Drilling Into Concrete Using Your Regular Drill
Most of your walls, sidewalks, floors, ceiling slabs, and a lot more are made of typical concrete consisting of crushed stone, sand, gravel hardened by long-term drying.
Undoubtedly, concrete bricks, mortar, and many others are also quite tough materials to deal with unless your regular drill is also up to the task.
Therefore, you need to understand the kind of concrete you are to deal with.
Remember, concrete is a combination of many aggregates strong that might pose high resistance to the tip and body of your regular drill.
Additionally, pay attention to these very important aspects;
Preparation
First, if you can afford, you need to buy a reliable quality regular drill; otherwise, you still have the option of renting one but in the long time but in the long-term might turn out to be expensive.
Moreover, your drill should come with a working tested stop function, and auxiliary handle that brings extra comfort, ease of control, and the safety required, especially for long tasks.
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- Remember; don’t compromise for cost at the expense of a quality tool if you want to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in your work.
- Check the speed setting of your drill, depth stop and the ability to enjoy a stable gripping while doing the drilling. Get the right tools you need before you embark on the process.
- Are you new into regular drills? This is the time to familiarize yourself with your tool. I recommend at this stage you read your regular drill manual keenly to understand all the controls of the drill.
- Ultimately, you can get comfortable using your drill through regular practice since again your safety should be core to the projects at hand.
- You don’t want to develop a hearing or eyesight problem? Consider wearing the safety goggles to protect your eyes and ears from the chips that come off fast the hard concrete before starting the drilling.
- Wear your gloves at this point too to avoid instances of hands abrasion and burning yourself from the hot drill bits.
- If you are to stay long in your projects, you can’t go wrong with a respirator to protect you from excessive dust.
Speed
Check whether your drill comes with a superb adjustable speed and hammer functionality.
This will enable you to tailor your speed as you advance through the toughest parts with equivalent strength.
Strength of drill
The tip of your regular drill should be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the concrete and powerfully overcome the hard spots for achievable results.
Drill bits
I love masonry bits on a regular drill since they are specifically dedicated to the harsh tasks and concrete drilling, thanks to their steel craft.
Opt for the drill bit tip made of tungsten carbide brazing for that rough cutting edge.
Once connected to your drill head, it remains firm bumping through the concrete, letting the debris flush out the flutes ruthlessly out of the hole.
Ideally, you can go for drill bits of the recommendable size of about 4.5 mm to about 40.5 mm in diameter for a length of 40-inches.
Avoid cheap drill bits that end up frustrating you since they are not strong enough to face these tasks.
Materials and Tools you need
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- A pencil or marker
- Quality strong regular drill
- Goggles
- Tungsten-carbide masonry bits
- Large masonry nail ( at least three and a half inches long)
- A hammer
- Blower
- Masking tape
- A can of compressed air.
- A respirator
Steps to drilling into concrete using a regular drill
Step 1: Preparing the regular drill
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- Fix onto your regular chunk a quality drill bit and do some tightening. Carbide-tipped masonry bits would be a great acquisition.
- They are dedicated for dense concrete drilling and they provide the tough cutting edge that is appropriate for a concrete drill.
- Let the flute be big enough than the size of the hole, to directly drill out effectively the dust from the hole continuously.
- If your drill has depth setting controls, adjust the depth to a suitable mark.
- Remember, heavy projects would require longer screws or anchors. Check your regular drill specifications for an informed adjustment.
Step 2: Creating a mark
Create a mark on your point of preference on your concrete. You can use a marker pen or pencil. The mark should be visible.
Cross check the exact positions to be marked before you start drilling. Ensure you know the exact drilling depth to go for.
You can use a masking tape around the drill to indicate the depth around your drill on when to stop the drilling.
Step 3: Starting off the drilling
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- Assume the right body position by planting your feet inflexibly on the ground. Keep your shoulders wide apart as you hold securely the regular drill using both hands.
- Make sure you have a stable grip of your drill, with your index finger positioned on the on/off button and your hand rests at the back of your drill.
- This is where to place the tip of your regular drill bit on the mark before the drilling kicks off.
- Proceed to start drilling your concrete at low speed while applying gradually increasingly balanced pressure on the drill until the hole starts taking shape.
- While doing your drilling, for better results, it is recommendable to place the regular drill perpendicularly on the surface of the concrete.
- Just in case you experience possible recoil from the drill action, keep in mind to react with a measure of maintaining your stability.
- Ensure your hand remains stable at all times. This is to avoid instances where the regular drill might slip off your hand and cause you injury or those around you or at worst, damage the tool.
- You definitely want your projects run on schedule without wasting time.
Step 4: Readjustment of the drill and overcoming obstructions
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- Advance and adjust the size of your drill bit to the diameter of your specification. Keep re-drilling at the specified dimension.
- Could you be interested with a large-sized hole? Then it is advisable you start drilling using a small drill bit to help boost the stability of your drill.
- You can increase the speed if you feel more in control while preserving steadiness.
- If you face a spot on the concrete, as the drilling goes on, that is stubborn like air pockets, pebbles, or stones to go through.
- Consider pulling the drill off the hole to adjust the diameter before resuming again, if necessary.
- Avoid the temptation to force the drill further into the concrete when facing obstructions.
- This might damage the bits or at the worst the drill. You also don’t want losing control to mess up with the size of your hole or concrete surface.
- Use a sturdy nail to hammer out such obstructions or break the concrete before proceeding with the drilling. Be careful not to hammer the nail too deep into the concrete. This will make it easy for you to remove it.
- Start drilling again, regularly lifting the drill off the hole to allow the debris clear off the flutes every 15 to 30 seconds. This again will assist you to pull dust out of the hole.
- Furthermore, it is imperative to stop at some point when you realize the drill is overheating to help it cool off before starting again, especially when you are to drill for long.
- The moment you realize a big hole, use a toughened nail and place it inside the hole.
- You can hit a little bit the nail into the hole with a hammer before proceeding again with the drilling until you achieve expected results or realize the required depth of your hole.
Step 5: Winding up the drilling
[su_list icon=”icon: arrow-right” icon_color=”#329d40″]- Ensure you once you are done you blow out the dust to leave a vacuum using a can of compressed air.
- Keep your goggles on throughout the exercise to maintain your eye safety against any concrete dust and shards that might fly into your face and scratch your eyes.
- Avoid keeping children or any other individual around your workstation to avoid possible injuries just in case the drill slips off your hand.
- You can repeat this procedure for all the number of holes that you need.
Final Verdict
To stop the bit from heating up, you can opt to pour water on the spot you are drilling and the bit to cool it off.
Additionally, this will help your drill to regain shape and last you long. The water should not spill into your regular drill motor and cause it to malfunction.
Remember, as a fervent homeowner, a professional mason or engineer. As long as you have a good quality regular drill, learning how to drill into concrete with a regular drill shouldn’t be a daunting task.
Do you want to experience smooth drilling? All you need is practice and skill mastered over time.
I hope this article not only leaves you informed on the dos and don’ts before and during the drilling process but also thereafter. Let the regular drill face off the concrete for incredible results.