Drilling into dot & dab walls

[DIY Neophyte]

I recently purchased a Makita DHP 453 18V cordless combi drill, and with the drill set to hammer mode, Setting 2 and using a 6mm masonry bit I attempted to drill a hole into one of my flat's dot & dab walls in preparation for hanging a heavy picture. However, once I had drilled through the plasterboard the tip of my masonry bit almost immediately hit the solid wall behind, leading me to believe that there is a very small amount of space between the plasterboard and the solid wall, and not the usual 15mm of space.

I continued trying to drill my hole into the solid wall, but no matter how much force I used I could not make any dent in the solid wall. I had assumed that the solid wall was brickwork, but after doing some Google research I think that it might be reinforced concrete (my home is an ex-council flat, and apparently this type of construction is not uncommon in ex-council flats).

Can anyone advise whether I am correct in thinking that my solid walls are reinforced concrete and if they are, should I be using an SDS hammer drill instead of my cordless combi drill?

Thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

They could just be blockwork that's too much for your drill. An SDS is the way to go. Either a S/H one off Marketplace or the Parkside from Lidl, Titan from Screwfix or the entry level Makita for not much more. Or hire one if you think you'll never use it again.

 

[DIY Neophyte]

Thanks for the advice.

I bought my Makita DHP 453 combi drill specifically as it was meant to work well with all types of material, including brick, so I was disappointed when I couldn't even drill a partial hole into this solid wall...

I looked into your SDS hammer drill recommendations and found this top rated one on Amazon (although I'm now a bit wary of going with Makita again!):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-HR2630-Rotary-Hammer-Drill/dp/B01636IZ0G/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=makita+corded+drill&qid=1594565153&s=diy&sr=1-3

Is this the kind of thing that I need?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Sure, that's the one I have, though I only paid £100 but a few years ago now, it would eat your wall. The difference between an SDS and non SDS is night and day. But really this would be fine: https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb653sds-5-9kg-electric-sds-plus-drill-230-240v/6846h though if you do go down the SDS route you should try it without the hammer action switched on first, it's easy to make a mess of hole drilling when the drill is too powerful. Others may be along with their suggestions, a reverse function can sometimes be handy but you'd need to upgrade from the basic Titan I think.

 

[DIY Neophyte]

Thanks for the further recommendation.

I think I'm going to go with the Makita SDS hammer drill, given that you're able to personally testify to its quality.

Do you think I should be worried about the fact that my brand new combi drill failed to make a dent in my wall? This is the one I have:

DHP453 - Combi Drill LXT®

Product

www.makitauk.com

As I said, I bought this model because it was supposed to be able to handle wood / plasterboard, brick and metal well, so now I'm seriously thinking about returning it after this experience...

 

[Koolpc]

You have to make sure you are using the right drill bit for the job. Masonry bit for brick, block.....

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Thanks for the further recommendation.

I think I'm going to go with the Makita SDS hammer drill, given that you're able to personally testify to its quality.

Do you think I should be worried about the fact that my brand new combi drill failed to make a dent in my wall? This is the one I have:

DHP453 - Combi Drill LXT®

Product

www.makitauk.com

As I said, I bought this model because it was supposed to be able to handle wood / plasterboard, brick and metal well, so now I'm seriously thinking about returning it after this experience...

That's the model at the bottom of the range though, you can buy that base model of drill with no battery or charger for £37, if the brick is soft then it would drill into it no problem so it's not been miss-sold, I would keep it as it will serve you well for drilling into wood or screwing in screws etc. I have two very similar I use for wood drilling and virtually nothing else.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You have to make sure you are using the right drill bit for the job. Masonry bit for brick, block.....

One assumes so .....

 

[DIY Neophyte]

You have to make sure you are using the right drill bit for the job. Masonry bit for brick, block.....

The drill was in hammer mode and on power setting 2, and I was using the 6mm masonry drill bit. I had drilled into my kitchen wall earlier in the day, which was again a dot & dab wall but this time I was drilling directly into one of the dots of plasterboard adhesive and there was brick behind (not concrete). It took more force than I was expecting to drill into the kitchen wall - at first the drill wasn't going through, so I had to put my weight behind it - and so when I came to drill into my living room wall I was expecting to have to use similar force. But this time around the drill just wouldn't go through...

 

[DIY Neophyte]

That's the model at the bottom of the range though, you can buy that base model of drill with no battery or charger for £37, if the brick is soft then it would drill into it no problem so it's not been miss-sold, I would keep it as it will serve you well for drilling into wood or screwing in screws etc. I have two very similar I use for wood drilling and virtually nothing else.

Thanks for all of your advice - really appreciate it

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Think about it, they sell drills ranging from £37 all the way up to many hundreds, why do you think they make drills that can cost hundreds? You can find walls in houses (especially older) that vary from being made of paper to rock hard, even bits of wall next to other bits of wall can vary. I've stuck up shelves on walls where I needed half a dozen different types of fixings to suit the different wall materials.

 

[stevie888]

Try a new bit in your drill would be my first step.

If you go SDS have a look at McAlister from B&Q: I have one which I'm very happy with as it has soft start and variable speed. That said it rarely gets used as my cordless combi does most things I ask of it.

 

[foxhole]

Used to have a Makita , very feeble compared with my current Dewalt cordless , rarely have to use my SDS since I’ve had the Dewalt .