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  • I need to drill some holes in my stone walls….drill bit advice
  • rhid
    Full Member

    Hello,

    I need to drill into a stome wall in my house to hang a door, can someone recommend some drill bits which would be up to the job?

    The wall is plastered so I cannot tell whats stone and whats not so I need something tough to get through whatever rock my house is made of so i can continue on my ill advised DIY attempt.

    I have a hammer drill which should be ok……

    Any help and tips would be much appreciated!

    dabble
    Free Member

    SDS chuck or normal?
    I reckon you need to get some masonry bits from your local hardware shop, first check the size hole needed for the screws/ plugs your going to be using. Most masonry bits will go through plaster, brick , stone or concrete easy enough and your hammer drill will do the rest.

    rhid
    Full Member

    Its a normal chuck, I do have a 5mm masonary bit but I have never had much success with it but I wasn’t using a hammer drill til now. Is it a good idea to start small (ie 3mm hole) then move up to the 5mm one?

    Any tips to avoid making an enormous mess if the plaster work or it is a bit unaviodable and something I will need to sort out afterwards?

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    nealglover
    Free Member

    Not sure exactly what you are planning, but from the sound of it you would want to fix a door frame in place first, get it level etc. then hang the door from that.

    Any masonry bits will do the job to be honest, the main differences between prices/brands would be how long they will last, but if its just for this one job then anything will do really.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Quality bit eg Bosch and start small and work up (will shift less when it hits the stone).

    cheekyboy
    Free Member

    First of all you need to organise a meeting with other people in the house to discuss this and form a door hanging committee.
    You will need to set up a project plan and secure buy in from all stake holders.
    It may then be necessary to ensure that the hammer drill functions correctly and is rated adequateley for the job.
    There may be a requirement to determine the depth and consistency of the plaster, you will also need to survey the plaster for hidden pipes/cables etc.
    Have you given any thought to the structural integrity of the house, it may be necessary to get a survey done asap before you go around drilling holes willy nilly, theres many a fool awoke of a morning surrounded by rubble and rawplugs.

    You say you need to drill into the wall to hang the door……. so is this door going to be funtional in a doorway or just screwed to the wall as decoration?

    dabble
    Free Member

    You won’t be able to go bigger if you put a 3mm hole in, it doesnt work the same on stone as it does on wood and metal.
    If you go steady at first untill the holes established a few millimetres of depth you shouldn’t make too much of a mess of the plaster work, just be ready for the drill to jump back and forth a little in your hands and make sure you’ve got a good grip.
    I usually put some newspaper down on the carpet under where i’ll be drilling or if you have an assistant get them to hold a vacuum (switched on) under where your drilling to try and catch as much dust as possible but there will always be a little bit of mess. A hammer drill will make the job so much easier, just check the end of your bit isn’t too blunt, it may be worth investing in a new one if its taking an age.
    Hope that helps.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    Where do you live? Advice might be different for Cotswold sandstone, southern flint or Aberdeen granite.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    If it’s granite I’d recommend drilling a small hole then using explosives to widen it…..

    rhid
    Full Member

    The consultation phase has all been done and permission has been granted to put a fully functional door in place. The next phase is to fix a frame in place and then hang a door off it…..hopefully it will not reduce the house to rubble but sometime you just don’t know!

    I will approach this in the spirit of all great DIY adventures and make a massive mess of it then pay a man to sort it out.

    However thanks for the advice on starting small, I will give that a go.

    cheekyboy
    Free Member

    Good luck, keep us posted on how you get on, pics would be good.

    phead
    Free Member

    Just to repeat the above, *do not pilot drill stone*, the larger bit will jam and fling the drill back at you.

    Easiest way is to start the hole with a normal drill to keep the entrance neat, then sds the rest, use the same sized bit.

    greeble
    Free Member

    never had a problem with screwfix’s Titan bits. both chuck and sds fitting. cheap and do the job very very well.
    if you’re going to drill 5mm no need to go for a 3mm 1st.

    w1zard
    Free Member

    I’ve had good results with the Bosch blue Multi-Construction bits.

    Not managed to kill any of them yet, and used them on all kinds of material – including stone.

    Get ’em on Amazon or in Screwfix.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    the larger bit will jam and fling the drill back at you.

    Although if you have a decent drill with a clutch, this is less of a problem….

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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