How to Drill Into Concrete in 5 Easy Steps

THE WINNERS

2.Drill Guide Holes

Now that you’ve marked the right spot, you can start preparing to drill. If you need help choosing the best drill bit to drill into concrete with, be sure to read the full article. I’ll go over this to detail in a bit farther down.

In some cases, you may need to start with guide holes. Guide holes are 1/8 to 1/4-inch deep holes used to make drilling easier for larger drill bits. If you need to drill a wide hole, it’s best to use drill guides.

Use a drill bit smaller than the desired hole size to drill ¼-inch deep guide holes in the spot you marked in Step 1. Then change the drill bit to right-size. Drill into the guide hole to the correct length.

For concrete slabs that are extremely resistant to your drill, start with smaller drill bits and reach the full depth rather than only making a ¼-inch guide hole. Then change to a larger drill bit to widen the hole, until you reach your desired width.

Don’t forget!

Pull the drill out periodically to remove the dust. Keep in mind that drilling into concrete will make the area extremely dusty. You can cover furniture and other fixtures with plastic or cloth to avoid getting concrete dust in them. You can clean up the dust by cleaning the dust with a powerful vacuum and a wet rag.

3.Install wall anchor

If you need to screw a fixture to the wall, you will probably need a wall anchor. Wall anchors are plastic devices that fit inside drilled holes to ‘anchor’ screws to the wall. Wall anchors widen when a screw is fitted, which locks it in the hole.

To install a wall anchor, first ensure that the hole is free of dust or debris. You can use compressed air to force debris and dust out of the hole. Once you have the debris and dust out of the way, you can push a wall anchor inside the hole. The wall anchor and the hole needs to be a secure fit – secure enough that you need a little bit of force to get the wall anchor in.

4.Install the wall fixture

Concrete holes can hold a lot of weight. You can install fixtures that hold heavy items such as books and home entertainment systems. Whether you drilled a hole to install a bookshelf or a flat screen TV bracket, you would need to properly test your work before putting any serious weight on it. Try pulling on brackets and screws with a significant force to test the stability of the wall anchor. Check for any play on the screws. Each screw needs to be securely fit, without any hint of vertical or lateral movement.

By following these steps, you can be a pro at do-it-yourself concrete wall drilling. Mastering this skill adds a notch to your D.I.Y belt. Contractors typically charge between $70-100 for the similar task.

Think of all the money you’d be saving!

Choosing The Right Drill Bit

Keep in mind that there are different drill bit types for different kinds of tasks. For this project, you need a masonry drill bit, a drill bit specially designed for drilling into stone and concrete materials.

Drill bits are special tools attached to the drill head to make specific types of holes. Different types of drill bits are created for specific drilling tasks. Discard worn drill bits and choose the right kind of drill bit for the task. Choosing the right kind of drill bit would make any drilling task a lot easier.  See our list of the best drill bits to narrow down your choices.

When choosing drill bits, you need to know two things – size, and surface.

Surface – special kinds of drill bits are created for the surface you want to drill on. For concrete, you would need a masonry drill bit, which are extremely hard metal drill bits, typically with a tungsten carbide-coated tip. Masonry drill bits would let you drill through concrete with ease.

Size – the right size of drill bits would let you drill the perfect holes. If you are planning to attach screws to the hole, simply match the diameter or thickness of the screw with the drill bit. Keep in mind that the holes created by drill bits have a bigger diameter than the drill bit itself. Choose a drill bit that is a size smaller than the screw. You can always make the hole bigger with a bigger drill bit if the screw would not fit.

Wait, Are You Going To Get In Trouble For Drilling?

Before you go on a drilling spree, you should know that…

Drilling in rental properties might be prohibited. Many rental properties would not allow drilling on their concrete walls. If you plan on drilling concrete walls while in a rental property, you should contact your landlord or property owner first. Drilling into concrete walls may lead to the forfeiture of your deposit.

Can’t drill?

You may consider:

There are alternatives to drilling. If you choose to drill holes in your wall, the holes would remain there until you decide to repaint your walls and cover up the holes with plaster. Before deciding on drilling as your option, consider other options such as high-grade adhesive hooks. For light loads such as picture frames, wall clocks, and paintings, these adhesive hooks should do the job just right.

If you CAN drill, but you’re on a budget –

Consider renting a hammer drill. You would not want to spend heavily on a tool that you’d only use once, right? Equipment rental is a popular option for those who want to do one-off tasks. Some hardware shops offer equipment rental for a fraction of the cost of buying a new one. Better yet, borrow from a friend or neighbor and save yourself from all the hassle!

Sounds simple enough, right?