When you need to drill into concrete it requires the right tools and using the right techniques. It is something you can learn to do yourself if you enjoy working with your hands and you have the equipment, but it is also something you can leave to professionals who have the experience and skills already. There are various reasons you might need to drill a hole into concrete, putting up wall shelves, hanging something on a wall and so on. Here is a closer look at how to go about it.
What you need
You will need a power drill for drilling holes in concrete. You can rent one of these but if you want to be able to handle a variety of DIY tasks yourself, you could also invest in your own. There are a lot of brands and prices so to make sure you get something decent you should look for;
- Good power and torque
- It should have a grip where you can handle it firmly
- A good extra is a hammering feature
- A good depth setting
- Varied settings for speed
What to do before you begin to drill
It is a good idea to learn how to use the depth regulator or setting by researching and looking at the supplied instructions. It is the best way to know what depth you need to achieve and how to get it. But when drilling holes in concrete if your drill does not have that setting then you will need to measure and then manually mark along the drill bit with thread or even tape. Use a bold color that is easy to see so you know at all times where you need to stop when you reach it.
You also need to mark on the wall or where you are drilling where you want the hold to be. Then make sure when placing the drill on the mark that you apply enough pressure so that when you start drilling it does not move from that position and give you a hole in the wrong place. Again you can always have someone come and drill the holes for you. Do not press too hard though. If the drill has variable speed options you can do a shallow hole and lower speed. If you cannot adjust the speed you can still achieve that but you just need to use short bursts of drilling. The shallow hole is a starting point to drill the complete hole.
Time to begin drilling
Now you are ready for the process of drilling holes in concrete. Hold the drill firmly and set it to a fast speed and get it going in the shallow hole you started just now. If the power drill is not a strong one you may need to use more pressure but avoid too much as it could damage the bit. If the drill does not have a hammer function then you will want to pull out and then press back in now and then to get it working its way through. You might need to let it cool and then start again if you are struggling or you want to go pretty deep.
