Have you ever tried making a hole in your brick but failed?
Are you new to drilling and don’t know how to go about it?
If this two big questions best reflect your point of concern then stop worrying. This article is dedicated to helping you out in your drilling job, ensuring that you perform it with great simplicity.
I specially made this article to give you more information on how to drill a hole in the brick. Drilling through bricks is not the simplest job that anyone can just do it. It requires skills and good performing materials. This means that you must be prepared before you start.
I understand that lack of drilling skills could be a headache, especially when you are just by yourself. However, after going through the guide, you will not have trouble drilling holes in bricks.
What You Need
Advance preparation is the key the success of your intended drilling job. There are certainly important tools that you must have to avoid damaging your wall. These tools include:
Drill
Bricks are not the softest materials to just drill through them easily, they are made strong and that’s probably why we use them to build walls. For, this reason you need a strong machine to counter its strength and for this case, a drill machine is a perfect tool to use.
However, having a drill is not enough, you must possess the skills on how to handle it because they could be dangerous if not used carefully.
Masonry Bit
Drill work in hand with a masonry bit. This is among the essential tools that you need to have in place when planning to drill.
However bits come in different sizes, so depending on the workload ahead and the size of the hole you desire, in terms of width and length size, you should choose one that best fits the job.
However, during the drilling process, it is possible to run into difficulties such as the drill bending, turning blunt or even breaking. For this reason, you should always have spares in place to avoid such distractions to completion of your job.
Bucket of cool water
With the application of great force on a hard surface, the drilling bits will encounter friction due to resistance from the brick which produces heat making the bit turn hot.
You, therefore, need a bucket of water on your working site for easy accessibility whenever the need to cool the drill bits arises.
Plumber putty
When done with the drilling process, you will need to seal the hole to avoid substances such as liquid getting into that hole. Hence, you need to have enough putty on the site.
Drilling A Brick Wall Guide
The first thing before you starting drilling is to choose a good location. Always choose a place that is free from any cracks even if they are the smallest since they could lead to wall damage.
Once your location is in place, with your drill in good condition you are fit to get the job done!
Step 1: Plan the hole
Before you begin to drill the hole, it is important that you know the size of the hole that you need to produce. Normally, you use a bolt to hold something in place inside the hole.
For this reason, measure the width and the length of the bolt that you will be using or any other securing device. This measurement will provide you with the size and length of the drill bit that you need to get the job perfectly done.
I recommend that you drill a hole that is a bit larger than the securing object used. If you need a large hole, then start drilling using a smaller bit to make a small pilot hole.
Step 2: Selecting the best drilling bit
Now that you have in mind the size and length of drilling bit needed and ensuring that your drill has large power capacity, insert the bit into your drill.
If your drilling machine does not have enough power to drill through a brick wall then you should consider hiring one.
Step 3: Marking the wall
How else could you know where to drill the hole without marking it? Marking the place to drill ensures maximum precision is attained.
Marking also gives you an opportunity to ensure that the place you intend to drill is free from any electric lines, plumbing or any other structure on your wall that should not be tampered with.
A tip to easy drilling is drilling through the cement mortar unlike drilling directly through the brick since the brick could be more compact and it also prevents the bricks from shattering.
Step 4: Put on safety gear
Before you start drilling, you need to wear the appropriate safety gear and any other safety clothing that is necessary.
This wear includes googles which protect your eyes, gloves to protect your hands and mask to filter the dirty air. You should always ensure your personal safety is not compromised.
You should also ensure that you have read and understood the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the drilling machine and seek out for clarity where you don’t understand.
Step 5: Drill hole
The process of drilling the hole largely depends on the size of your intended hole.
If you need a large hole, then you will begin to drill with a small drilling bit to get a small pilot hole at the exact place you had marked.
If what you need is a small to medium size hole, then use an appropriate bit size and drill carefully.
Step 6: Cool the bit
Considering the fact that bricks could be very compact, drilling through them is not that easy. With high power drilling capacity against a hard surface, it is impossible to avoid friction.
This friction is responsible for turn the drill bit hot. For this reason, you need to keep a bucket of water near your working place; this enables you to cool the bit from time to time.
When cooling the drill bit, you can either pour water over the bit or alternatively dip them into the water. However, if you choose to dip the bit, then you should do so with utmost care to avoid getting the whole drill wet.
Step 7: Checking the bit
When drilling, ensure that the bit is working properly and portraying no bents or signs of being blunt.
On some occasions, your drill might become stuck in the wall. If this occurs, do not freak out, try to reverse the bit to pull it out carefully and if this is working then you might need to dig through the masonry to retrieve the bit.
However, digging through the masonry is not the best way as it may damage the brick. This is why it is important to keep checking the bit to ensure that is is in good condition to avoid such costly mistakes happening.
Step 8: Seal the hole
Now that you have successfully drilled through the brick, which I hope so, insert the item through the wall and seal the opening with the suitable sealing device.
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnOak0eT_0k” controls=”no” showinfo=”no” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” https=”yes”]Conclusion
On certain occasions, you may encounter confronting situations that require you to drill through the brick in order to get an object pass through it.
For instance, when setting up certain connections that use a cable or just pipes at times it is impossible to avoid going through the brick and for this reason you are going to need to make a way through the brick.
If you have no clue on how to go about it or what you need to have could be disturbing. However, drilling through a brick could be quite simple if you have the tools necessary plus the skills needed.
This is why this guide on how to drill a hole in brick is so helpful to anyone interested in undertaking such a task. With the well laid down simple to use the guide, you will never go wrong in drilling through bricks.
If it’s your first time drilling through bricks, then you definitely need to go through this guide first to avoid running into mistakes which could prevent you from completing your task or even running into accidents.
Drilling exercise could be dangerous if not done correctly both to your wall and your personal safety when working. Always ensure that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions on using the tools that you will be using.
Whenever you drill a hole into masonry or brick walls, it is important to ensure that you perform the process with care to get it right the first time. If you will be making mistakes, then you may end up with holes that need to be filled in.
Drilling through brick walls could be this simple, with a good work plan and availability of necessary tools, your drilling job is guaranteed success.