House, design, renovation, decor.  Courtyard and garden.  With your own hands

House, design, renovation, decor. Courtyard and garden. With your own hands

» How and what is the best way to break through a concrete wall. How to properly drill a concrete wall: professional advice

How and what is the best way to break through a concrete wall. How to properly drill a concrete wall: professional advice

When preparing for renovations in the house, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to drill the walls. For example, to fix a profile for drywall sheets. At this stage, there are usually some difficulties, since in many houses the walls are made of concrete. In addition to its high strength, the material can be combined with reinforcement, which makes the work doubly difficult. To drill concrete wall with an ordinary drill, you need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of the workflow in advance.

Drilling load-bearing walls and concrete partitions is not an easy task. To complete the intended work quickly and efficiently, you need to know some secrets and tricks... And also it does not hurt to listen to the opinion experienced craftsmen who advise:

How to choose a tool

Most often, a perforator is used for drilling concrete. It has several advantages over a conventional drill.

These include:

Despite the listed advantages, such a tool is not always suitable for work. In some situations, its use is simply impractical.

A punch will not work in the following cases:

  • when shallow holes (10–12 mm) are needed in the wall;
  • when working with a foam block (otherwise the material will crumble);
  • if the required number of holes does not exceed 15 pieces.

Based on this, we can conclude that for home use a conventional drill is more suitable. To purchase such a tool for drilling walls, you need to consider a number of important points.

The drill must meet the following requirements:

  1. It should be percussive, since this type is most effective when drilling concrete walls. In a hammerless drill, bits and chuck will fail too quickly.
  2. It is better to buy nozzles for it pobeditovye, intended for work on concrete. And the tip is coated with durable alloys.

You can also choose a hammer drill. True, such a tool is more expensive than a conventional model. But on the other hand, it has increased power, which can be adjusted at your discretion.

Which nozzles are better

To be able to drill a concrete wall with a drill, you must first select the appropriate nozzles. They must match the design exactly.

The following types are suitable for work:

Before using any attachments, it is necessary to check the wall for cables and wires, as well as fittings (if there is a device for determining the metal). This will help protect the wall from major damage, and the tool from breakage.

First, you need to prepare a drill, attachments and other related items. Then, in the process of work, you will not have to be distracted and waste time looking for the right things.

Drilling is often necessary in cases where it is required:

  • rough finish;
  • laying of wiring;
  • plumbing installation;
  • concreting of communications.

In this case, the concrete wall (if drilled correctly) should remain without severe damage and large chips.

When working with a drill with a victorious bit, sometimes you need to use a metal punch. It is selected in accordance with the size of the hole. This tool enables the drill to not jam when the drill is buried. To do this, the punch is driven into concrete and hammered into pieces in order to split a solid obstacle into pieces. This process can take quite a long time, so it is better to use a diamond core bit. In addition, a drill with such a nozzle will never get stuck in concrete.

Drilling sequence:

  1. Examine the tools carefully. The drill must be in good condition and the drill must be intact.
  2. Begin to carefully drill a hole in the concrete with a drill, stopping the continuous operation of the tool after 10 minutes from the start of the action.
  3. The process can be continued only after the motor has cooled down.
  4. Before drilling the next hole, it is necessary to moisten the nozzle with water. This will protect the metal from bending.

Using such simple methods, you can drill a concrete wall without a hammer drill.

Sometimes there are times when the drill gets stuck in the wall. It is not advisable to use force in this case, otherwise it will break off, and the edge of the nozzle will remain in the concrete. To free the drill, you first need to disconnect it from the drill, then put on a crown of a smaller diameter and get out the stuck part.

To perform drilling on your own and at the same time to avoid various injuries and unpleasant incidents, you need to follow safety precautions and follow the recommendations of specialists.

Concrete is a durable and reliable material. Many, if not most, buildings are constructed from monolithic or precast concrete. As a rule, holes for laying utility lines, pipelines, as well as recesses for installing electrical and low-current fittings are provided during the molding process. concrete structures... But their location often does not suit the owner of the premises, and they have to drill holes in new points. We will try to figure out how best to do this.

Choosing a tool

Initially, you should determine which tool is better and more efficient to drill a concrete wall. In a global sense, the choice is small - an impact drill or a hammer drill. But there can be many nuances, since the power tool can be of different power and functionality, there are also many attachments for it. Therefore, you should define goals and objectives, and then decide what tool you might need. So:

  • In order to screw a small screw into the wall for a picture, a lot of effort is not needed. In this case, you can drill a concrete wall with a conventional drill equipped with a drill with a victorious tip.
  • When a small amount of work is expected, and the diameter of the punched holes does not exceed 12 mm, then an impact drill should be chosen.
  • The hammer drill is used to drill holes of large diameters in concrete, as well as any size, but in significant quantities.

The advantage of a hammer drill over a drill, even with an impact function, is not only more power and endurance. This tool uses not only drills of various sizes and qualities as a working bit, but also drill bits. This is the main device than you can drill a hole in concrete for a pipe.

Professional installers, punching large-diameter holes in concrete, use special units, which include:

  • high power electric motor;
  • sturdy bracket with guide structure;
  • drilling drive;
  • drill bits with diamond working area.

Such equipment allows you to make a hole or recess in a concrete wall with a diameter of up to 40 cm.

Which will win more effectively or the diamond?

When you need to make only a few holes for the construction dowel, and there is no perforator at hand, then using a conventional drill with a victorious drill is quite realistic. Also, this option is best suited if the work surface is concrete, but made of cellular material. The puncher will destroy it. But when working with a victorious drill, remember that it is short-lived and requires periodic replacement. In addition, such a drill can be "drilled" in concrete. Then he needs to be helped by hand with a punch and a hammer.

Drilling a concrete wall with an impact drill equipped with a diamond drill is much more effective. Diamond drills are slightly more expensive than victorious ones, but they also last longer. And further important point... In contrast to the victorious drill, the diamond drill punches holes not only in concrete and stone, but also in ceramic tiles, porcelain stoneware and metal. When working with a diamond tool, it is not scary to stumble upon a reinforcing cage in the wall. It is better to purchase drills as a set, which includes drills of various diameters. It is more profitable than buying them one by one.

When a hole with a diameter of 35 to 120 mm is drilled in the wall, diamond bits are used as a cutting device. They are carbide-tipped steel rings on a diamond-coated work area. For domestic purposes, crowns with a diameter of 6.8 cm are usually used; holes of this diameter are needed to install electrical outlets and switches.

How to properly drill concrete

Hole punching work, like any other, requires preparation. In addition to tools and accessories, you should stock up on water to cool drills and crowns. Before drilling concrete with a drill or hammer drill, inspect the wall for:

  • hidden heating pipelines, water supply;
  • electrical wires, cables.

The search is carried out with a metal detector, identify the identified communications along their entire length. It is better to turn off the electrical wiring on the work surface. Further:

  • Mark the locations of future aisles. If holes of large diameter are assumed, then the designation is made along the contour and axes.
  • The depth of the hole for the construction dowel is made 8-10mm longer than its length.
  • For a more accurate result, the concrete must be drilled correctly. This means that the start of drilling should be done at low engine speed.
  • After a small depression is obtained, the revolutions are increased and the instrument is switched to the impact mode.
  • If possible, provide a water supply to the drilling site. In the absence of such an option, periodically moisten the drill with water in a previously prepared container.
  • If drilling with a drill is carried out in one position of the tool, then when drilling with a crown, the perforator must be slightly wiggled. This way, waste will be easily removed from the resulting hole and the crown will not jam.

The most difficult obstacle that has to be overcome when drilling a concrete wall is the reinforcement cage. The diamond bit cuts steel rods of small diameter on its own. When drilling with a hammer drill, metal drills should be used to counter the reinforcement.

Wear protective goggles and a respirator. It is convenient to vacuum the resulting dust. After every 15 minutes of drilling, give the tool a break for about the same amount of time. To continue working, moisten the drill with water.

Holes in concrete are necessary for conducting, installing communications. The works are distinguished by an abundance of dust, noise, high labor costs, and require high-quality power tools. To drill a hole in this material, it should be borne in mind that each hole in the structural frame of the building reduces its strength, is fraught with damage to the inside engineering systems(mainly electrical wiring, ventilation ducts), traumatic.

Through holes with poor tool quality cause shedding of adjacent wall sections at the exit of the drill / bit from their back side... Additional finishing is required, the terms of work are increasing.

Safety precautions for making holes in concrete

The structural frame of a building made of reinforced concrete is a durable non-uniform material. Inside it is metal reinforcement, gravel or crushed stone of various fractions. Therefore, drilling a hole without observing safety standards means exposing yourself and those around you to the risk of injury. Experts recommend compliance with the following requirements when drilling / drilling reinforced concrete structures:

  • use of protective equipment - workwear in combination with goggles / mask, petal respirator, helmet;
  • installation of fences: during through drilling, when the worker does not see the opposite side of the wall, there is a risk of pieces collapsing on passers-by or his colleagues;
  • the use of reliable scaffolds: without them, work at a height of more than one and a half meters is prohibited, since the stability of the operator is not ensured; when using ladders, it is necessary to strengthen them with stops.

To drill a hole in concrete, it is necessary to change the speed of the drill, hammer drill, special diamond machine smoothly, use only a two-handed tool. The presence of plaster dramatically increases the risk of destruction of internal communications. Therefore, before you drill a hole in supporting structure buildings, you need to make sure they are absent.

Drilling with a hammer drill in percussion mode is allowed only when a drill or drill is used as a working body. If a crown is immersed in concrete, no impact rotation is applied. The tool is able to drill a hole, cut high-quality internal reinforcement, stones.

Unlike a conventional drill, which destroys crushed stone inclusions by impact, it is not able to drill through the reinforcement. To drill a solid wall, you need to study the location of the seams. It is in them that internal wiring is often hidden. power cable, gas, sewer pipes.

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DIY technology for making holes in concrete

In the process of construction, finishing of buildings, there is a need to manufacture blind or through holes of different diameters. Blind holes are created for fasteners, their diameter is limited to 2-16 mm. Wherein important factor is the compliance with the declared diameter. Otherwise, in the broken holes, plastic dowels for self-tapping screws and nails will loosen over time, reducing the fixing strength of wall cabinets, curtains, pipelines, and decorative elements.

For drilling blind holes of large diameter or through penetration of reinforced concrete walls, crowns are used to enter communications. They represent a cylinder, one side of which is attached with a shank to the chuck of a drill, perforator, the second has victory or diamond bits welded to it. A winder drill is installed in the middle of the structure to provide direction.

Drilling with a drill or drill leads to the destruction of the entire volume of concrete at the point of contact of the tool with construction material... If there is reinforcement inside the reinforced concrete structure, it is impossible to pass it with a drill, the hole is moved to the side.

Drilling holes in concrete with a crown differs from the previous method:

  • concrete collapses only along the perimeter of the hole;
  • a concrete cylinder remains inside the crown.

Therefore, after reaching required depth blind hole, the inner concrete cylinder remains connected to the wall by the rear end. To remove it from the hole, destructive methods are used: a chisel with a hammer or a perforator. During through-drilling, concrete cylinders are removed from the tool by light blows with a mallet on the body

Drilling holes in concrete is done with the following tools:

  • spiral impact drill - more often used for blind holes, the diameter of the carbide tip inserts is always larger than the spiral body of the tool, the shank is round, not intended for working in concrete with a perforator with SDS chucks;
  • spiral drill - instead of a pobedit, a zirconium or tungsten tip (spraying) is used, the shank with grooves is suitable only for SDS cartridges (Max, + modifications), dust-free, low-noise drilling is ensured;
  • The diamond core bit is a large diameter tool exclusively for high speed rotary drilling.

In the marking of the impact drill, the caliber is indicated, not the diameter. This is the distance between the protruding edges of the solder / insert. Holes are drilled with this tool in the following modes:

  • 800-1200 turns for diameters within 4 mm;
  • 300-500 turns for diameters 5-13 mm.

Even the presence of a red marking on the tip of this instrument does not guarantee that the tip material will match the metal declared by the manufacturer. Cheap substandard at the first use adds up to an incomprehensible configuration, becomes unsuitable for work.

Zirconium, tungsten burs are suitable for the following operating modes:

  • 60-100 revolutions with a diameter of 42-76 mm;
  • 150-400 turns for diameters 4-60 mm.

The length of the drill can reach 1 m, a small amount of dust when working with this tool allows you not to take furniture out of the room. The concrete to be destroyed "flows" from the hole in a trickle along the spiral channels, collects on a lined film, paper.

Professionals make blind holes for large-diameter socket boxes in a few seconds. Home master, who does not have regular practice of working with such a tool, most often runs the risk of damaging the crown at the slightest distortion. Working modes when using crowns are 2,000-3,000 revolutions for any diameter. The advantage of the crown is the high-quality cutting of reinforcement of any diameter, granite, basalt crushed stone inside the concrete at high speeds cutting.

  • segmented tubular drill - difficult to operate, used by specialists in areas with a high probability of the presence of thick reinforcement;
  • a crown drill with a centralizer - a carbide modification, inside which a drill is located in the center, facilitating the setting of the direction, reducing the sensitivity to pressure, distortions of the working body; these options are not suitable for cutting reinforcement.

The latest modifications of the crowns are operated at 600-1200 revolutions; when in contact with the reinforcement, the teeth crumble instantly. Therefore, before drilling, the walls are carefully examined with a special tool for the presence of an armored belt.

A perforator is intended for drilling concrete, but in its absence, in many cases, a hand-held electric drill will cope with the work. You can achieve success if you choose the right drill or crown. To figure out how to drill a concrete wall with an ordinary drill, you need to know a clear algorithm of actions, take into account a number important nuances drilling.

It is reasonable to start drilling concrete if the electric drill is equipped with a hammer function. Using a drill with a hammerless tool is pointless. The drill will simply overheat and the motor will burn out. Can be drilled with a non-impact tool big hole diamond core bit if the power of the electric motor allows.

For simple drilling percussion method of small holes will need an additional tool:

  • A set of drill bits for concrete of different diameters. They can be distinguished by special soldering on the end of the hard alloy. The element is a small plate with sharpened edges at an angle of 60 °. The screw part and the cylindrical shank are made from common tool steel.
  • Punch. The tool is made in the form of a rod with an end sharpened along the peak. The punch helps break the concrete by hitting it with a hammer.

Concrete drill bits have one thing weakness... On contact with the reinforcement, the solder breaks out. If the immersion of the drill into the concrete has stopped, and a characteristic whistle has appeared, the hole is tapped with a breakdown. In the presence of reinforcement, shift the drilling site to the side.

When it is required to cut a large hole for the socket with a drill, a crown is used instead of a drill. When choosing a nozzle, look at the shank. Its shape must be suitable for clamping in the chuck. The drill will work with either a Hex or SDS shank.

Concrete drilling is carried out with three types of bits:

  • Carbide tips have a serrated cutting edge. Bits are used only for percussion drilling. If the drill does not function as a drummer, then the solders overheat and fall off the bowl. The crowns are afraid of contact with the reinforcement. To preserve the cutters, they try to drill the wall with a drill before drilling. An additional step will help to find out if there are reinforcement in this section.
  • Drilling a concrete wall with a hammer drill is carried out with a diamond crown. The attachments are not afraid of contact with the fittings. For domestic use, air-cooled crowns are produced. They are recognized by the presence of holes in the cutting edge. Wet drill bits are not used. Diamond spraying can be hard, soft or medium hard, which is indicated by the marking of the nozzle with the letters "T", "M", "C". With a drill, KS crowns are usually used. The design of the nozzle provides slots for air cooling... The dusting of the cutting edge is made of medium-hard diamond grit.

For drills, crowns made of carbide materials are sold, where instead of soldering, there is a spraying of tungsten carbide chips. The nozzle can be used to accurately drill a tiled wall. It is reasonable to use crowns if the power of the drill exceeds 1 kW.

Drilling a wall with a drill

The hammer drilling process requires maximum effort. It will take more time than when working with a hammer drill due to the lower power of the tool. Drills periodically give time to rest. The whole procedure for making a hole with a drill consists of the following steps:

  • The place of the future hole is marked on the wall. A punch is placed on the mark, hit sharply 2-3 times with a hammer.
  • After impacts, a small crater forms in the concrete. A soldered drill is inserted inside the groove, the hammer mode is turned on on the drills, and they begin to drill. When the hand feels overheating of the electric motor, the tool is given time to rest.
  • The drill may stop deepening for two reasons: solid fractions of concrete or reinforcement have fallen into it. Drilling is stopped. A punch is inserted inside the funnel, sharp blows are applied with a hammer. When the solids are destroyed, continue drilling. If the reinforcement hits, it is better to move the hole to the side. If this option is not suitable, the rods are handled with a diamond crown or a metal drill.

Actions continue until the desired hole depth is reached.

The nuances of correct drilling in concrete

In order for concrete drilling to be successful, a number of important nuances are taken into account:

  • Punching holes with a diameter of more than 12 mm and a depth of 100 mm is best done with a hybrid power drill-hammer drill.
  • For plastic dowels, the depth of the hole is made 7 mm more than the length of the fastener. The stock will be clogged with concrete dust when the dowel is inserted.
  • Work begins at medium rotations of the drill without percussion mode. The speed is increased when the drill is 4 mm deep. At the same time, the drummer mode is turned on. Such a measure is necessary to prevent the drill from moving along the wall from strong vibrations.
  • The drilling process is accompanied by a lot of dust. If you turn on the vacuum cleaner, flying concrete particles will be sucked in immediately and will not clog the room.
  • While clamping the drill in the chuck, check that the shank fits all the way.
  • Work with a low-power drill for a maximum of 15 minutes. 10 minutes is enough for rest. Before starting work, the drill is dipped in water. A little trick to reduce wear on the cutting solder.
  • When punching a through hole at high RPM, a piece of concrete may chip off the back of the wall. Reducing rpm helps to avoid damage.

If the drill is stuck in concrete, do not try to remove it with hammer blows or loosening with pliers. The shank will break off from such actions, and the screw part will remain inside the wall. It will be possible to remove the stuck element only if holes are drilled around it with a small diameter drill.

Sometimes when doing finishing works it becomes necessary to make holes in the wall, for example, to fix a metal profile when installing drywall. If the wall is concrete, then this procedure can cause certain difficulties, since this material has high strength, has an inhomogeneous structure and contains metal reinforcement. Next, we will consider in what ways you can solve this problem.

Required tool

Due to the nature of concrete, you will need a special tool to drill it.:

  • (hammer drill) - provides rotary-translational movement of the drill.
  • Drills for concrete for hammer drills made of carbide. Their shank and screw part are made of tool steel, and the cutting working area is a carbide metal plate, sharpened at 60 degrees, which is soldered into the groove of the cutting part of the tool.
  • (needed when drilling with a conventional drill).

It must be said that it is possible to cope with the task at hand with a tool without a strike function. Below we will take a closer look at how to drill a concrete wall with a drill.

Drilling procedure with a hammer drill

The procedure for drilling a wall using a punch and a special drill is quite simple:

  • The concrete drill should be switched to hammer drilling mode and the operation should be started. The drill should be positioned strictly at a 90 degree angle to the wall, unless the drilling is specifically done at a specific angle.

  • After a while, the drill must be soaked in cold water and continue working.
  • If the tool rested on something solid and stopped going deep, then you will have to try to drill the wall in a different place.
  • After it is reached desired depth immersion, you should pull out the drill without turning off the drill. To clean the hole from dust, it is necessary to deepen and pull out the drill a few more times.

This completes the procedure.

Advice!
The hammer drill can be used not only for drilling hard materials.
There are special attachments that turn this instrument into a mixer.
Thanks to them, the drill - mixer for concrete does an excellent job of stirring the mortar.

Drilling with a drill

Many home craftsmen doubt whether it is possible to drill concrete with a drill? Of course, this procedure will take much longer than when working with a hammer drill, however, it is quite possible to make a hole.

To perform this operation, you will need a special punch. This tool is a bar with a pointed, hard end. It is used to break the surface in the drilling area.

The instructions for doing this work are as follows:

  • First of all, to the place where the future hole will be located, you need to attach a punch and hit it several times with a hammer.
  • Then, a drill is inserted into the resulting funnel and a hole is drilled. As with the hammer drill, care must be taken to ensure that the tool does not overheat.
  • If the drill stops deepening, you must again use the punch and insert it into the hole and hit it hard with a hammer several times.
  • In this way, drilling is carried out until the desired hole depth is reached.

Advice!
Often there is a need to cut concrete, in which case a grinder is used.
However, it should be borne in mind that cutting of reinforced concrete with diamond wheels is performed.

As a result, although an ordinary drill for concrete is not suitable, in the absence of a perforator, it can also be used to drill a reinforced concrete wall.

In the photo - working with a punch

Advice!
The drill can be used not only for making holes, but also for some other purposes.
For example, on our portal you can find out how to make a vibrator for concrete with your own hands from a drill.

This technology implies the use of special equipment, which is a set of the following elements:

  • Electric motor;
  • Rack, which is fixed to the base;
  • Drill bits.

With this design, water is supplied directly to the drill to cool the tool. Therefore, there is no need to interrupt the process. In addition, water washes away dust, so that it does not have time to get into the surrounding space. Often, such an installation includes a water vacuum cleaner, which allows you to remove the mixture of water and dust from the surface.

Of course, it makes sense to use diamond drilling of holes in concrete only for industrial purposes, where it is necessary to make a large number of holes, especially of large diameter. For domestic purposes, the equipment is unlikely to come in handy.

In addition, the price of the kit, like any other professional tool, is quite high. Therefore, if it is necessary, for example, to fix a shelf on the wall, it is more expedient to use a puncher. (See also the article.)

Conclusion

With a reasonable approach, it will not be difficult to make a hole in concrete. The most important thing is to use the right equipment for this and follow a specific procedure. In addition, of course, safety precautions must be followed so that the work does not end in injury.

From the video in this article, you can find out Additional information on this topic.