Difficulty Drilling Into Exterior Wall

Terry34673 · 30 Nov 2018

There is a section of drainpipe I am struggling to attach to a wall of a house.

The problem is that underneath a layer of render of about half an inch, the wall seems to be extremely hard so I cannot drill far enough in to insert a rawl plugs & screws to keep drainpipe clips in a sturdy position.

I have even tried drilling with a diamond tipped drill bit, but after wasting a lot of time trying, it proved to be a futile exercise. I am puzzled as to what material behind the render is so strong, it looks like some kind of whitish coloured cement/stone like material

Any ideas for a solution to the problem?

Notch7 · 30 Nov 2018

Are you drilling into a lintel?

Terry34673 · 30 Nov 2018

I don't think so because the problem seems to be the same just about any place I try and drill into the wall, and like I said it looks like some kind of whitish coloured cement/stone like material.

Notch7 · 30 Nov 2018

Terry34673 said:
I don't think so because the problem seems to be the same just about any place I try and drill into the wall, and like I said it looks like some kind of whitish coloured cement/stone like material.

Ah ok, that wouldve been my next question.

SDS is prob your solution, if you are using hammer at the moment.

Nige F · 30 Nov 2018

SDS is definitely the solution - "hammer" drills are as much use as a rawlplug tool. Both want chucking away.

footprints · 30 Nov 2018

Yup! SDS you will be amazed how much difference it makes.

FiremanT · 30 Nov 2018

I agree. The problem is probably not the bit,but the drill

footprints · 30 Nov 2018

Early Christmas present!

Terry34673 · 1 Dec 2018

Agreed, my current drill is terrible, and not SDS. It's weird though because some roofers came a year or two ago and part of the job involved repositioning some drainpipe on the same wall, I think they also mentioned they had trouble making holes in the wall. I had a look and the clips they fitted were loose. Other than that the work they did seems ok. I would expect them to have a proper drill. I don't want to spend near £100 on new drill and bit then find out its not the problem.

Notch7 · 1 Dec 2018

Yes, they start from that sort of price

https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb277sds-4kg-corded-sds-plus-drill-230v/99935

You could hire one.....trouble is you then will have spent money you couldve put towards a drill.

footprints · 1 Dec 2018

All I can say is a neighbour was struggling for about an hour to drill into a concrete post. I took my sds out and handed it to him (admitted a top of the range model) I told him it would go in easy. He threw his weight behind it and it went in so fast he nearly fell off the steps!

Careful_Bodger · 1 Dec 2018

not £100.
I got a low-cost Power Craft one (from Aldi, I think?) many years ago for about £25 (it was that long ago....).
I was bashing a 1" hole through a hard concrete block wall with it recently. It still seems fine, though I do try to look after it.
Now I know what SDS is capable of I'd invest in a proper brand when this one dies (or maybe not now I've seen this https://www.aldi.co.uk/1500w-sds-rotary-hammer-drill/p/096740224519400).
I would not bother with a non-SDS type for masonry, even for simple jobs.

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

Difficulty Drilling Into Exterior Wall

Similar threads