I made a HOLE in the plaster

If you have a handy man coming, let him fill the hole, unless you want to practice for your next diy attempt. :LOL:

I'll have to see if it is classed as part of his three hours' work or if he will have to come back again and I get charged twice.

Honestly, all this palaver just because I tried to save a couple of quid in a Sale! Reminds me of the time I tried to change a washer on a tap - on a Sunday, without having put the plug in first, and then, while the water was turned off, decided to eat a greasy chicken drumstick. You can all fill in the gaps, can't you? :eek: :rolleyes:
 
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go on, tell us what sort of electric drill, and bits, you have got.
 
Pictures speak 1000 words ... this is the scary drill I used (someone gave it to me):

DSC08555-1.jpg


And the bit came from this Black & Decker set I bought years ago from Argos. (I used the smallest silver one on the LEFT)
DSC08558-1.jpg



I also have this big even scarier drill which I bought at a boot fair ....

DSC08562-1.jpg
 
On the first drill you show, there is a sliding switch on the top. Push this towards the picture of the little hammer,, and the drill will vibrate while it is drilling. This is better for drilling into brick or concrete walls.

In your set of drill bits, on the left hand side, you have some masonry bits, with the Tungsten Carbide tips.

Next, you need some Plasplugs (I prefer the brown ones, though they are needlessly big for a lot of jobs, they will be plenty strong enough for a curtain rail. You can buy them at the DIY shed in a block of 50 or so. I wouldn't get a plastic box of mixed colours, it is usually more expensive. You can get a few yellow plugs if you want.

On the strips of Plasplugs, you will see it has a guide to the size of drill and screw to use. For a picture rail, I would use screws about 35mm long. This is a length that will go right through the plaster and well into the bricks. Buy galvanized ones. A box of 50 or 100 will be better value than a packet of six.

Also, buy a tube of NoMoreNails or the equivalent. Most DIY sheds and hardware store will have an own-brand for £2 or less. For your job, any cheap brand will do, and you will not use much (screw the top of tightly after use).

I recommend that next, you practice drilling holes in an old brick, or in a wall that does not show (e.g. in the cupboard under the stairs). You will find that a Masonry Bit, with Hammer Action on the drill, will easily go through a brick. If it hits dense reinforced concrete (e.g. a lintel over a window) it will be a lot slower. If it hits steel (e.g. a steel lintel) it will stop, and you will have to switch to an HSS Twist Drill for the steel (those are the plain blue/black drills in on the RHS of you set)

Practice until you can drill a hole that a brown Plasplug will fit into. If it is tight, put a screw a few turns into the plug, and tap the head of the screw lightly with a hammer to push it into the hole. When the Plasplug is just below the surface, undo the screw to take it out.

If the hole is a bit loose, blow and wash all the dust out of the hole, and squirt a bit of no-more-nails into the hole (put the nozzle in deep so ut fill from the back), then push your Plasplug into place, smooth off the surface with a wet finger, and leave to harden overnight.

Being able to drill a hole, put in a Plasplug, and screw in securely is a valuable basic DIY skill. I doubt it will take you as long as half an hour to get the hang of it if you approach it methodically, and start with a practice brick, not standing on a ladder.

Start with your smaller drill. It might not be as quick but you will not be worried about its weight while youi are learning.

Never drill directly above, beneath or to either side of an electrical socket, switch or tap, as there may be a cable or pipe in the wall. Another day we can explain how to check this.

p.s. By the look of "the smallest silver drill on the right" it is the sort that has a little point on the tip. This is specially made for drilling into wood, it holds the drill in the centre to stop it wandering out of place. It will have been ground blunt by using it in brick, and will not have been hard enough to make a useful hole.
 
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That is so kind of you, JohnD, to post what amounts to a lesson in the use of the drill for a frightenrd novice. I will certainly do as you suggest, it makes so much sense. I will also print it and keep it, if you don't mind.
 
please do

also come back and tell us when you've drilled your first dozen holes.

BTW it looks from the rusty chucks as if youy are keeping your drills in a damp shed. It would be nicer to keep them somewhere dry.
 
Im surprised at the advice being given is to fit a batten.
Has its already Fck & more holes for batten could result it ven more of a mess.
I would pack the whole with the 2part rawplug chemical tape filler thingy (cant remember what its called). The re drill plug & fit blind, then remove the blind & make good the mess.
Nothing worse than a batten, especially if its only done at the fixing points.
But if i were round the corner I would come & do for a beer or 2 :LOL:

I advised a batten since it would cover the damaged area (which the op stated they had no paint to colour match), enable a few hit and miss attempts before finding a strong point to screw into (we all know about s o d's law drilling into a mortar joint), and provide easier accurate positioning of the blind's brackets. I took this stance based on my belief that the op would not be able to follow anything too technical (that's the way I read it) including using two part fillers, a caulk gun with forget nails etc.
 
The benefit of a batten is that it allows you much more choice in fitting the brakets for the blind. It's almost impossible to drill accurately positioned holes in plaster and brick even if you're experienced and brackets for blinds usually need a couple of holes drilles within half and inch of each other. I dread putting up anything that requires holes accurately drilled so close.
 
I have no prob with using a batten

but I think the immediate problem was how to drill and plug the wall correctly for a screw.
 
I never realised how complicated making a hole could be!

Dextrous, what's an op? You keep calling me one. Your name sounds like someone from Up Pompeii! :LOL: If you have a brother he could be called Ambi.

JohnD, my drills are kept in the cupboard under the stairs, which I hope isn't damp! The chucks were like that when I got them.
 
Ha ha! Dextrous could also be Sinister.

OP could mean Old Person or Our Pal or several other things but in the context of the web forum it means Original Poster.
 
:D Our Pal, would be a lot nicer than Old Person.

Can any of My Pals tell me, if it had been YOU installing this blind, would you have placed it in the recess, that is, against the window pane - or outside, flush with the wall, which is what I was trying to do?

And, if you would have gone for the recess, do you think it would have been easier or not?
 
:D Our Pal, would be a lot nicer than Old Person.

Can any of My Pals tell me, if it had been YOU installing this blind, would you have placed it in the recess, that is, against the window pane - or outside, flush with the wall, which is what I was trying to do?

And, if you would have gone for the recess, do you think it would have been easier or not?

I'd have put it in the recess and most likely have screwed it into the window frame itself. However, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
 
PS - I chose my name Dextrous since I can mess things up with both hands, separately or working together.
 
I usually put them in the recess, BUT that means (1) you have to cut them to be a close fit (2) you have to be able to drill, preferably into the window frame, if not, into the side walls (which must be very accurate as there is little tolerance on the length) You usually can't easily drill upwards into the lintel because, except in pre-war houses where it might be wood, the lintel is probably reinforced concrete; or steel, or stone
 

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