4 inchPVCChamferTool

Masonry bits are excellent for drilling bricks, Thermalite or concrete blocks, mortar (cement), concrete and some tiles as well.

BestPVCChamferTool

There are lots of reasons to drill a brick wall. Often because you want to screw something to the wall like a batten, molding, hook, bracket or to hang a picture/clock or fix a flat screen TV to the wall for example.

Masonry drill bits are available with a normal round shank like in the picture to the right (I like Carbide tipped Dewalt masonry bits) that can fit in a standard keyed or key-less drill chuck that most people would own.

PVCchamferToolhome depot

If you keep drilling holes but your Rawl plugs aren't biting (the plugs spin in the hole) then this may well be the reason. Try again without the hammer action on, a slightly smaller drill bit and go much slower to see if that helps.

If the surface of the wall is smooth, to prevent the drill bit from wandering you can either use a hammer and nail punch to whack a point into the plaster or brick work for the drill bit to locate into, or start with a smaller drill bit first that is easier to control.

If your drill has different speed settings, for soft masonry use the slowest setting and don't turn on the hammer action - rotary only.

3 InchPVCChamferTool

Drilling a hole in a brick wall for these fixings is the same as above but for larger holes I am almost always using my SDS hammer drill with SDS drill bits which is designed specifically for this type of work. It is a heavy duty hammer action drill that can far better withstand the stresses of large masonry and brickwork holes.

If you stop drilling when the tape is reached, this will prevent the plug diving too deep into the hole and getting lost when you try and screw into it.

You can drill a hole in a brick wall to the correct depth for your plugs and screws without a depth stop by putting some masking tape on the masonry drill bit. Hold the rawl plug next to the drill bit and tape round it 5-10mm longer than the plug.

There are dozens of different types of wall plugs and anchors available depending on how heavy the item you are screwing to the wall will be. Most will have a guide on the packaging to help determine what is strong enough, if in doubt go slightly more heavy duty rather than less..

Whatever size of hole you need to drill through brickwork or masonry and whether you have a hammer drill or want to drill through brick without a hammer drill (sometimes that's better anyway) I'll explain all of the do's and don'ts so you get the job done right, easily and safely.

You can never use wood or metal drilling bits to drill holes in masonry, you must use specific masonry drill bits designed for masonry.

SteelPipechamferTool

The best drill will depend on the size of hole you need to drill and the density of the material. The bigger the hole, the more powerful a drill you will need.

How to chamferPVC pipe

I won't go any further here as there is much more information on choosing the best drill bits here so check that page out first and come back if you need to.

It is really easy to increase the size of a hole in masonry with a larger drill bit. So if in doubt drill a brick hole with a smaller drill bit first then increase if needed.

If I have a lot of holes to drill and they are 6mm+ I will use my 110v power hammer drill with an SDS bit which is a bit heavier but much faster and more efficient to drill multiple holes in brick work with.

If you have an SDS masonry hammer drill you will need specially designed masonry drill bits for SDS chucks (Makita SDS drill bits are pretty good).

ReedPVCChamferTool

To drill a brick for larger holes still, you may need to consider a core bit. Similar to a hole-saw that you would use for timber, core drills are diamond tipped tubular drill bits that cut round the edge of a hole rather than boring right through it. This means they cut the least amount of material to get the hole drilled.

When you need a strong fixing in brick work walls or concrete, heavy duty wall anchors work in a similar way but can take much heavier loads.

Core drills are more suitable for drilling hole in masonry for pipes or large cables to pass through and are therefore more often used by plumbers and electricians.

In most instances in order to screw something to a brickwork wall you will need to use Rawl plugs as well and therefore need to choose the correct drill bit for the rawl plug size you are using:

Generally when using masonry bits you will drill with a hammer action although this isn't always necessary and sometimes better to avoid.

When you drill a brick wall with a masonry/hammer drill set the clutch (torque) low so that it will kick in and stop the drill. Adjust this higher as needed, but it is there to stop the drill spinning if the bit gets jammed. Without it, people have broken their wrists because the drill bit gets stuck and the drill keeps spinning..

When the holes get bigger and the fixings need to be stronger as you are fixing something heavy to the wall, more heavy duty wall anchors are needed instead.

Once you have marked the position of the hole and have chosen the correct drill and drill bit, you are ready to get drilling into the brick wall.

2 inchPVCChamferTool

Unlike timber that is generally soft(ish), pliable and whereby sometimes you don't even need to drill a pilot hole before you screw into it, masonry materials are too hard and dense for that (there are some exceptions we'll get into later) and you'll need to drill a brick hole first.

You may need to use a smaller drill bit initially to drill a pilot hole and then move on to a larger one instead of trying to bore the whole amount in one go.

Examples might include fixing a TV to the wall or even a staircase. Generally for applications like these I will choose a Fischer Fixings of some sort. They are available in various lengths and sizes to suit different applications and are seriously strong.

If you do happen to drill the hole too deep, you may need to put two Rawl plugs in before your screw will grip inside the hole.

If the brick or block you are drilling is particularly brittle, using a hammer action can actually just shatter & annihilate the material making it impossible to get a strong fixing into.

For general carpentry work, you will most commonly use red and brown Rawl plugs with 6g - 18g screws that have Pozi-2 screw heads. You can buy assorted boxes of Rawl plugs.