What drill for cement walls?

[ventodimare]

Hello,

I'm putting up a lot of shelves systems around the house. The walls are all in cement and my Ryobi is not able to make holes. It's fitted with an impact function but I suspect that the vattage is a far cry from what I need with my walls.

I've looked up in the internet and people recommend a corded impact drill.

Can you suggest brands, models I can look up?

Thank you

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @ventodimare,

You weren't trying to drill through a concrete wall with an Impact driver were you?

The tool you need when you are looking to drill into concrete is a rotary hammer drill.

Check out my link below:

Ozito Rotary Hammer Drill 

When you use a Rotary hammer drill, it turns as well as forces the drill through the material, where as an Impact drill only impacts and rotates.

These are two totally different tools and have really different applications.

The drill I've linked to should get you through all of your shelving mounts.

Bear in mind that if you want strong fixings, go for something like Dyna-bolts, not a whole heap of Rawl-plugs and screws.

If you require more help with this job, by all means let me know, I'm only too happy to help.

Cheers,

Mike T.

[Jason]

Hi @ventodimare,

Great to see you receive some helpful advice from Mike. 

You should find these guides helpful - How to choose the right drill for the job and How do you choose a cordless drill?

One of our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. experts in @EricL will be back on the site later today and I'm sure he would be happy to recommend some products for you to consider. Do you have a budget in mind?

Jason

[MitchellMc]

Hi @ventodimare,

Any chance you can show us the drill you're using? As @MikeTNZ has mentioned, an impact drill will struggle and requires a very specific drill bit to work on masonry. Switching to a hammer drill will work, but once again, you'll need masonry drill bits.

Are these concrete walls? You could be hitting the steel reinforcement bars, which is an issue in itself. I'm keen to check out your current drill and the drill bits you're using. 

Mitchell

[ventodimare]

Thank you everyone for helping a newbie. It's very appreciated.

Yes my walls are cement. 

I've uploaded the drill I have. The drill bit You see in the pic was recommended to me by the clerk of hw store. Clerk told me the bit is for cement walls.

Thank you!

  

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Hi @ventodimare,

If that model number reads R18DDP2 then that drill doesn't appear to have a hammer function which is required for drilling into masonry. It looks like you have a standard masonry bit designed for cement, but this bit is for use in a drill with a hammer function. You could use your current drill for masonry, but you'd need to use a multi-material bit. These bits can be fairly slow going in cement, and typically a hammer drill will drill holes at a much faster speed.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @ventodimare,

One other thing to remember, when drilling into a concrete wall, don't go too deep, there is no need to do this and it could compromise the wall structure itself.

The easiest way to prevent this from happening, is to take your fixing, hold it against the drill bit and wrap a couple of rounds of PVC tape around the bit, when the tape is against the wall, you have drilled deep enough.

Also, when you first touch the bit to the concrete wall and start the drill, if you go full speed at the start, the drill bit will wander all over the place.

Start with a very gentle touch on the trigger until the bit digs into the concrete, then you can start to drill at full speed, also make sure the hole you are

drilling is perpendicular (90 degrees) with the wall.

[ventodimare]

Hi @MikeTNZ 

thank you for the tip around the drill speed!!!. I was struggling with the bit wondering around the target but then I did as you suggested and it's much better now. 

The 90 degrees is a little bit of a problem. I saw in YouTube some people using a piece of wood and putting it close to the drill bit to ensure 90 degrees. I've made one but I need to use both hands to hold the drill so I don't have a way to keep the piece of wood nearby the drill bit  

[ventodimare]

Hello @MitchellMc 

thank you very much for helping out. Oh dear! That's why it wasn't working. My drill is not a hammer drill !!!!!!

I've read the article recommended by @Jason (thanks!!) and he mentioned that Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP Brushless Compact Hammer Drill is a good one for cement walls. 

Can I use the battery that comes with the drill I have now (Ryobi R18DDP2) with the above drill?

Any other drill you'd recommend?

Thanks!!

[EricL]

Hello @ventodimare

The Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP Brushless Compact Hammer Drill is perfect for your needs. It has a brushless motor and is designed to drill into hard materials such as brick and concrete. Because it is part of the ONE+ system the battery you are using will work with this drill. Please remember to switch to hammer mode so that you can drill into concrete. 

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your shelves installed.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric