How can I drill through a concrete wall with a conventional drill. What is the best way to drill concrete? What to do when the volume of work is large

Each of us has repeatedly faced with the need to mount various objects on the walls that bring variety to the interior, create coziness, or simply remind of the pleasant moments of life. Most often, you have to mount lamps and sconces, paintings and photographs, mirrors and shelves on a concrete surface, install an air conditioner, or a TV. If in the case of a small painting or photograph you can get by with driving a nail into the wall, then when the question is about more massive and heavy objects, the question of drilling holes arises. In order to avoid misunderstandings when working with concrete, for example, breakage of the drill, blunting it, it is worthwhile to properly prepare the partition, choose a quality tool and choose the right drill.

Choosing a tool and working with it

When choosing a tool to drill a hole, you should understand that your work depends on it. A good drill accurately drills a concrete wall or other desired material, simplifies the drilling process, while a bad drill will require a lot of time, may not cope with the task, or complicate it. What you need to pay attention to when choosing a drill:

• Is it possible to change the drilling speed? - this point is important, because the correction of the speed mode will ensure accurate operation of the drill, helping it not to damage the surface.
• Is it possible to hammer drill and adjust the depth? – impact drilling can be applied to problem areas, softening them.
• Is it possible to hold the drill with both hands? - a drill is not an easy tool and therefore models that are equipped with handles should be preferred.
• Is the power of the tool sufficient for your work?

Having decided on a drill, before starting work, you need to get the hang of holding it. To do this, take the drill in one hand, like a pistol, place the other hand on the handle of the tool (if it is not intended by the design, the hand is placed near the cartridge). It is necessary to hold the drill in your hands strictly horizontally so that the hole does not turn out with distortions and at the wrong angle. Before turning on the drill, wait until it reaches ambient temperature. Sudden temperature changes can cause condensation to form. If you decide to take a break during work, unplug the tool from the mains.

Surface preparation

Before you start drilling, you need to make sure that there are no wiring, pipes, electrical cables in the selected floor area. A metal detector will help to cope with this task, as it reacts to non-ferrous metals, iron and steel.

By ignoring this condition, you can stumble upon rebar, damage the drill, or cables / pipes that were hidden in the ceiling. If this section satisfies all of the above requirements, then a point is marked on the wall, and after that a small depression is made in it at a slow speed using a drill. It is also worth remembering that the surface of the concrete wall is looser than subsequent layers.

Drill selection

This point can rightfully be considered the main one, since the quality of work and the safety of the drill itself, as well as the accuracy of work, depend on a properly selected drill. Today, there are a huge variety of drills on the market: for working on wood, metal, concrete. The latter are distinguished by a triangular tip. For a concrete surface, it is best to use a carbide drill, for example, Pobedit. This type of drill grinds the material without tearing it, which is ideal for concrete floors.

If in the process of drilling the wall the drill does not go forward, colliding with a dense area, it is recommended to use a punch. After inserting the punch into the hole, it is beaten with a hammer until it begins to move forward and softens the problem area. After that, you can continue drilling.

It should be noted that without a punch, a perforator can easily cope with such difficulties, however, they make holes that exceed 13 mm in diameter. If you want to use universal drills when drilling, you need to remember that they require cooling, vibration is turned off and are only suitable for a conventional drill.

A little about the device of the drill and the installation of the drill

A classic drill consists of a power cable, a button, a capacitor wire, a reverser, brushes and springs, an armature, a stator, a gearbox and a chuck, bearings, a key and fastening screws. A correctly inserted drill improves the quality of drilling, and is able to secure it.

The first thing to check when starting work with a drill is that there are no contaminants on the drill itself. A rag will be a great helper in cleaning drills. If the drill is loose, then there is a risk that it will fly out and injure the master. Accordingly, it is necessary to immerse the drill as much as possible in the cartridge (up to the stop!).

In no case do not try to "lengthen" the drill by partially immersing it in the chuck!

It is important to ensure that the drill in the tool is fixed strictly along the axis. In case of non-compliance with this rule, drilling in concrete will be performed poorly, the shape of the hole may be unpredictable, and the elementary effect of the beat of the drill will become the cause of all these misunderstandings.

It is impossible to provide for all holes and niches in the walls during the construction of the premises. Therefore, after the construction of the monolith, it is necessary to drill it.

The most common structural material is concrete. The technique of making holes in this material is different from the processing of wood, brick and metal.

Drilling concrete - pitfalls

• Concrete generates a lot of dust during processing. It's bad for the respiratory system moreover, abrasive particles get clogged in the ventilation holes of the tool. Cooling is difficult, and dust trapped inside contributes to accelerated wear. It is necessary to use devices for trapping suspended matter. There are special nozzles for a vacuum cleaner, sometimes it’s enough just to substitute a container.
• The structure of concrete does not form chips, so the removal of material from a deep hole is difficult. In order not to overload the drill, it is necessary to periodically (every 3-5 cm of the passage) clean the pit with a vacuum cleaner. When working in a hole clogged with slurry, you can break the drill.
• The abrasive constituents of concrete contribute to strong frictional heating. The metal of the drill is “released”, loses its hardness and quickly wears off. Therefore, it is desirable to provide liquid cooling, or at least take breaks during prolonged drilling.
• Power tools for drilling concrete (drills, hammers) have a considerable weight. It is difficult to control the horizontal level. Therefore, for such work, it is recommended to equip the tool body with a small bubble level.
• Concrete is a heterogeneous material. In the thickness of the wall there are hard stones, steel reinforcement. When hitting such an obstacle, the drill tends to leave the trajectory. If you come across a rebar- you should choose a different place for the hole or go through the area with a drill for metal. Then again continue to work with the previous nozzle.
• The walls are usually thick. The drill may not be long enough. If you are making a through hole, you can go through it from two sides. If possible, make an accurate marking, or determine the drilling point on the other side using a magnet and a compass.

Sooner or later, most people living in houses with concrete walls need to hang a cabinet, a lamp, a shelf or a picture. At this point, the burning question of how to drill through a concrete wall comes up. It's no secret that every home master has encountered this problem at least once in his life, but not everyone knows how to solve it. Many courageously torture the drill and their own strength, but, not achieving the desired result, they give up 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 pantry. But there are still options - you just need to know them and be able to use them.

Concrete structures are strong enough and difficult to drill. In addition, quite often, drills stumble upon crushed stone, which is part of the concrete mix, from which wall and ceiling slabs are molded.

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

• finishing works;
• furniture installations;
• air conditioner hangers;
• additional electrical wiring device;
• plumbing installation.

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

• impact drill, and preferably a puncher, with a drill bit;
• diamond drilling.

It is worth noting that it will not work to make a hole in a concrete wall with ordinary drills, therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to purchase drills with specially soldered plates made of high-strength pobedit alloy, which do an excellent job with concrete and brick. But for soft materials, it is not recommended to use them, since the Pobedite drills do not cut them, but crumble them.

What will help the home master?

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

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

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

It is necessary to work with a drill very carefully, otherwise it will fail too quickly. The advice that professionals give is to avoid overheating the drill, it should be wetted with cold water from time to time.

How to decide on a tool?

For more work, you need a hammer drill or drill with a percussion function, and drills with victorious tips. An impact drill combines rotational with reciprocating motion, which helps it cope well with lightweight concrete, and there is a simple answer to the question of how to drill a concrete wall, which is a load-bearing one - a hammer drill will be the best assistant, the main purpose of which is punching concrete fences. There is one more difference:

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

Drilling the reinforcement caught in the body of a concrete wall should be drilled for metal.

What are big holes drilled with?

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;
• 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 bit and washes away dust.

Our modern housing is increasingly being built from monolithic reinforced concrete slabs, which have increased strength. When arranging such houses, drilling concrete walls causes certain difficulties, and almost every home master has encountered them, probably giving up this idea. In this lesson, we will answer the following questions in detail, namely: how to drill a concrete wall correctly how to prepare the surface for drilling and what tools and fixtures will be needed for this.

Preparing to Drill a Wall

Before you start drilling a concrete wall, make sure that there are no plumbing pipes or steam heating pipes nearby. You can check this with a metal detector. This is a special device that reacts to such types of metal as iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals. This device will also help to detect conductive electrical cables located near the drilling site.

Since a concrete wall is a monolith of metal rods and crushed rock, fastened together with sand and cement, you will need special drills made of hard alloys to drill holes. For these purposes, suitable drill bits or universal, which have a diamond coating. Reinforcement caught in the wall is drilled with metal drills.

How to drill a concrete wall with a drill

Usually, a drill for drilling holes in a concrete wall is used if you need to drill 2-3 pieces of small diameter, for example, to hang a picture, a small cabinet or a shelf. If the drill does not have a percussion function, then in addition to the drill, you will also need a hammer and a metal pin (punch) that matches the diameter of the hole. As the drill sinks into the concrete wall, from time to time it is necessary to insert the punch into the hole and hit it with a hammer to punch too dense areas, not forgetting to turn it a little. Having crushed a dense area with a punch, the process of drilling a concrete wall with a drill can be continued further until you get a hole of the required depth.

This rather laborious process can be made much easier and faster if you use an impact drill when drilling holes, but it is better to use it for such work.

How to drill a concrete wall with a hammer drill

Since the main purpose of the hammer drill is shock work when processing hard materials, using it when drilling a concrete wall will be most welcome. With the help of an electro-pneumatic mechanism, the hammer drill makes progressive percussive movements and creates deep and accurate holes. A hammer drill differs from a percussion drill in that its main principle is not drilling, but impact. Thus, the process of how to drill a concrete wall with a perforator is much faster and better.

Before you start drilling a concrete wall, mark the location of the intended hole with a pencil and select a drill of the required diameter. Next, with a punch or by setting the tool in the "drilling only" mode, make a small recess. After that, setting the “drilling with impact” mode on the puncher, a hole is made to the required depth. At the end of the work, the drill is removed. It is also advisable to remove concrete dust from the hole with a vacuum cleaner.

To drill a concrete wall quickly and efficiently, you can use the following tips:

• a drill is used when it is necessary to drill several shallow holes with a diameter of up to 13 mm, for deeper and wider ones, a puncher or special equipment is used;
• when drilling holes for a plastic dowel, make the depth of the hole 8-10 mm greater than the length of the dowel, because after drilling, dust from crushed material remains in the recess;
• in order for the drilling to be accurate and the drill not to jump over the surface, it is necessary to switch the equipment to the “drilling” mode before starting work, without giving the drill a high speed. Further, as a small recess is obtained, you can add speed and switch the tool to the impact mode;
• so that the drill does not break from overheating, it must be moistened with cold water;
• when drilling holes, be sure to wear safety glasses to prevent crumbs from getting into your eyes;
• the resulting dust can be collected with a vacuum cleaner by holding it close to the hole while drilling.

Now you know that the holes are deep and neat. The video below will clearly show you how to drill a concrete wall with a hammer drill.

Most residential high-rise buildings are built from concrete structures. Living in a room, making repairs, you have to make holes to solve various problems. The problem arises - with what and how to drill concrete?

There are several execution options:

• chisel the wall by hand, followed by grouting the remaining space;
• use mechanical devices and cutting tools.

The first way is gone. Holes in the concrete structure are drilled using a special tool.

Drilling tool

You can drill a concrete wall correctly:

• electric drill in drilling mode;
• drill in shock mode;

The source of energy is a stationary power grid or a gas generator (in the absence of a connection to the power supply). Variety - devices with an autonomous power source, battery devices.

Need for drilling

The need to work with a concrete surface arises:

• the need to attach furniture to the wall (kitchen cabinets):
• hanging mirrors, paintings, art installations;
• installation of floor plinth;
• fixing a metal profile or wooden slats for plasterboard, plywood sheathing;
• installation of a socket and other works.

Hammer drill

A percussion device is a modification of a conventional drill that works only in drilling mode. Added a reciprocating motion function that creates a kick effect. The drill is transmitted torque and at the same time displacement along the axis with high frequency and low amplitude.

The edge of the cutting part, in contact with concrete, causes the formation of microcracks. The latter increase under the influence of the rotational movement of the drill. There is a destruction of the monolith, the formation of concrete shavings (dust), - the process of creating a hole is carried out.

Perforator

Represents the shock manual machine for receiving openings, grooves, dredging. The main difference from the principle of operation of a drill is that the tool does not drill, but drills (hollows, punches) a cavity in a solid material. That is, the process resembles surface treatment with a mechanical chisel.

A perforator is a highly specialized tool designed to perform operations on hard and durable building materials based on:

• cement (concrete);
• clay (brick);
• gypsum (plaster, castings);
• rocks (marble, limestone, etc.)

Compared to a drill, it has more power and energy consumption. Allows to form deep (up to one meter) holes. The diameter reaches 30~50cm.

Kind of electric tool

Holes in concrete can be drilled with a battery-powered screwdriver. The power must be at least 750Vt, the power supply voltage is 14~18 V. The professional series provides the function of hammer drilling. But, due to the limited battery capacity, the amount of work performed is significantly less than with an impact electric drill or a hammer drill.

Cutting tool for concrete

The formation of holes in concrete structures is carried out with a specialized cutting tool:

• drill for concrete;
• crown.

Drill

A drill is a cutting device for making holes.

• cylindrical shank;
• working part with spiral grooves for chip removal;
• cutting part.

The specificity of the drill for concrete is the presence of carbide soldering. The strength properties of the latter make it possible to withstand shock loads that destroy concrete.

The insert looks like a small rectangular plate placed across the cylindrical end of the tool.

The maximum diameter obtained with a concrete drill bit does not exceed 12 mm. The minimum is 4 mm. Drilling depth is limited to 30~100mm.

Boers (species)

The difference between a drill and a drill is the method of attachment. The tool has a shank made according to the SDS (SDS+) locking system, etc. The spiral grooves are smaller and arranged with a smaller pitch. Special hardened tool steel is used for manufacturing.

The drill is equipped with a two- or four-sided cutting plate. The maximum diameter of the hole formed by the drill reaches 40 mm. Depth - up to 800~900 mm.

A variety of drills for concrete:

• through passage, - drilling holes of various diameters;
• flat, - used to form a shallow hole;
• spiral, - for deep passages;
• screw, - deep drilling, the presence of spiral grooves for sludge removal;
• breaking, - used for operations with overall products.

A subspecies of the drill is a crown for concrete.

Crown

It is a tubular

• removable or monolithic shank with a fixation system in the puncher;
• guide drill;
• a working cylinder that determines the diameter of the hole being made;
• carbide soldering on the end part, a variety - diamond spraying.

Crown for concrete is performed:

• hole in concrete for a socket;
• under the pipe
• bundle of cables, etc.

Stages of work

The technical process of drilling in concrete consists of several stages:

• Preparatory.
• Concrete processing.

Preparatory activities

In addition to marking for drilling points, it is necessary to identify hidden metal parts (fittings, mortgages), water supply or heating pipes, and electrical wiring.

In practice, the question arises - why does a specialized drill not drill concrete?

Hitting the metal is fraught with burning of the cutting part and breakage of the drill. The cutting edge design is designed and sharpened to break the brittle substance that is concrete. The metal is viscous, ductile and has mechanical strength. Therefore, with the impact of metal on metal, the carbide soldering will become blunt and heat up. The result is the destruction of the cutting tool.

If a drill hits metal parts at the drilling point, the drill or drill must be replaced with a tool with the same diameter, but intended for steel processing.

ATTENTION! Embedded parts must not be drilled! These are power elements that fasten the panels to each other. Processing of reinforcement is allowed in internal partitions.

You can determine the location of electrical wiring, fittings or pipelines using:

• Metal detector. Locates metal parts or dead wiring up to a depth of 5~15cm.
• Combined device. Detects metal and electrical wiring, de-energized or energized. Limited to search depth not exceeding 5~7 cm.
• Metal detector. Designed to determine the location of fittings, metal rods, including pipes.

ADVICE. The presence of a trace of plaster in the form of a strip on the surface of the wall will help to find the laid electrical cable.

NOTE. In practice, when carrying out repair work, beginners ask themselves the question - how many days after pouring can concrete be drilled? Answer: 80~95% of its strength is reached after three weeks. But, you can drill a concrete wall with a drill after ten days. At the same time, it should be taken into account that it is advisable to apply the load to the installed elements on the 15th ~ 20th day.

Features of the drill

A drill is the most affordable tool at home. But it has a significant drawback - it is almost impossible to drill concrete. In practice, the formation of a hole Ø 6~8mm to a depth of 40~50mm can take two to three hours.

The process can be accelerated by using an additional device - a punch. This is a metal rod made of durable steel with a hardened tip and a viscous butt pad.

Application principle:

• Reaming is carried out with a concrete drill. When significant efforts occur, the “drill rested”, the drill is turned off.
• By means of a punch and a hammer, a series of impacts is made on the bottom of the hole. Microcracks are formed in the local zone.
• Further destruction is completed by re-drilling. If resistance occurs, the punch is again launched. The process is repeated until the desired result is obtained.

ADVICE. In the absence of a punch, you can try to drill concrete, simulating a shock effect - to give the drill a short reciprocating motion. Thus, a hole with a diameter of up to 6 mm and a depth of up to 30~40 mm is obtained.

The use of an impact drill makes it easier to create a recess in concrete. The combination of impact destruction and rotational, for shearing microlayers, increases productivity.

ADVICE. Start work at low speed. This will fix the drill at the marking point, creating a recess for further reaming.

But, to increase productivity - to increase the depth, diameter of drilling and the number of holes, the design feature of the percussion-rotary device interferes. Such actions are possible when using a perforator.

Work as a puncher

Household tool samples have two modes of operation - “drilling” and “drilling with impact”. The jackhammer function has been added to the professional series.

It allowed:

• create recesses;
• lay strobes;
• cut off protrusions, knock down tiles;
• dismantle brick and concrete partitions.

Working with a hammer drill resembles the functioning of an impact drill, but there are nuances. The tool is more powerful, the impact mode turns on almost immediately. This often causes the drill to move away from the stakeout point. Therefore, the process starts in drilling mode. Upon the formation of the recess, the perforator is transferred to the shock-rotary movement.

ADVICE. Periodic lubrication of the shank helps to extend the life of the drill.

Intensive work causes heating of the cutting tool. The tip may change color to blue. Further operation, without cooling, will lead to the destruction of the drill. This fact applies to conventional and impact drills. Periodic stop for 10~20 minutes helps to cool the power tool and torch.

ADVICE. Wetting with water will help speed up the cooling of the drill on concrete. But the metal temperature should not exceed 200~250°C. This will be determined by a drop of water applied next to the cutting part - the moisture will foam, a hissing sound will be heard. A change in color to a blue tint is evidence of an increase in temperature to 300–350°C. In this case, oil or gradual cooling in air is used.

1. The drill must be securely fixed - it must be inserted into the socket until it stops.
2. It is advisable to drill 3~5 mm deeper than the length of the dowel or plug. In this case, a longer screw or self-tapping screw is used - there will be more expansion and reliable fixation in the wall.
3. The depth of drilling is determined by the stop on the power tool or the mark in the form of electrical tape on the drill.
4. It is not recommended to plunge the drill before the end of the grooves - this contributes to the occurrence of excessive torsional forces and faster failure.
5. Use on soft material (wood) leads to breakage of the drill in the shank area.
6. The concrete ceiling is drilled like a wall. A cone cup attached to the drill will help to avoid dust scattering.

Large diameter holes

The creation of recesses with a diameter of more than 40 mm is carried out with a crown on concrete. Such dimensions are required for laying sewer pipes, installing boxes for an outlet or switch. Which crown to use is determined by the tasks.

Creating large diameters with crowns is almost the same as using a drill. The initial mode is drilling with the transition to percussion-rotary. Low speeds are applied, especially at the moment of touching the annular part of the concrete surface.

The ring tool is used to form diameters up to 100 mm. Large sizes require a specialized device - this is diamond drilling.

diamond drilling

Electrical installation or hydraulic drive is used. The main cutting tool is a crown with diamond chips (core drill). An automatic supply of water (emulsion) to the cutting zone for cooling and removal of cuttings is provided.

Advantages of diamond drilling:

• Creating holes with precise dimensions and preserving the edges from destruction.
• High performance.
• Quiet process.
• The crown cuts through concrete, brick, metal without changing the cutting part.
• The reaming diameter is limited by the parameters of the bit and the power of the equipment.

The main disadvantage is the high cost of the process. Therefore, this type of drilling is used on an industrial scale. For everyday tasks, traditional methods are sufficient - working with a puncher or drill using a diamond drill.

How to drill a concrete wall, ceiling - a decision on the choice of tool and cutting fixture. For small volumes (one or two recesses), a conventional drill is suitable. Installation of kitchen cabinets, installation of a floor plinth will require a tool with an impact function. Large-scale repairs - it is advisable to use a puncher.

How to drill a concrete wall, with which drill - the choice of solution is up to the contractor. It is determined by the type of work to be done, the volume and technical capabilities.