We completed 3-4 holes in the time it took us to complete one with the regular hammer drill. And it was even easier to use!

Concretebitfor HammerDrill

We returned our hammer drill and we got the Bosch Rotary Hammer Drill with a drill bit. Then, after saying a few prayers, we tried the rotary hammer.

concretedrill bit1/2 inch

We continued using this process for a few days, not getting anywhere. Except maybe getting more frustrated and worried about how we were ever going to finish our whole basement.

RYOBI Masonrydrill Bit

UPDATE: We are still loving this drill. We have used it to drill holes through brick & concrete and also remove tile – this thing is amazing for demo! I would recommend it to anyone

So if you are wondering how to drill through cinder block or cement, the answer is a ROTARY hammer drill! It will make your project go a lot smoother.

Why was it so difficult? We watched lots of videos of people drilling into cement and they did not have this much trouble. What are we doing wrong?

Mill finish is the surface texture (or finish) of metal after it exits a rolling mill, extrusion die, or drawing processes, including sheet, bar, plate, or structural shapes. This texture is usually rough and lacks lustre; it may have spots of oxidation or contamination with mill oil. Most mill finish surfaces are machined or treated with polishing, industrial etching, or some other surface finishing process before they are considered complete.

MasonryDrill BitSet

One day, my husband and I decided to insulate one of the rooms in our basement (really just a closet). After some research, we chose to use foam insulation with 2×2 boards.

But then we got a big slap in the face. After hours of drilling into the cinder block, we only had about 4 finished holes. You can imagine how frustrated we were.

It is possible for a mill to influence the finish of produced stock. Carefully maintained and polished rollers can increase the smoothness and lustre of their product, and some rolling mills will follow rolling with an annealling process to give the stock a matte finish.

Let’s start with a little backstory on how we came to know this and finally learned the easier way to drill into cinder block.

Drill bitfor brick wall

MasonryDrill Bitfor Concrete

Hi, I’m Megan Taylor, an experienced home renovator and woodworker, mentored by my father, a professional contractor. I'm the creator of TwoFeetFirst, where I share my DIY knowledge with you. My mission is to guide and inspire you in transforming your home into something you love. Welcome!

The quality and characteristics of mill finish can vary widely from one mill to another, and even from one lot (set of similar parts all processed consecutively or in a short time) to another. Hot rolled parts are usually dark and dull, their surface oxidized from being hot worked. Extruded products may have die marks running the length of the stock. Other mill finishes are surprisingly smooth and uniform.

CRAFTSMAN MasonryDrill Bit

And yes, we were using the correct drill bit for the job.  We even switched drill bits often but after about one hole, the new bit was shot.

MasonryDrill Bit

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links or referral links for your convenience. It is a way for this site to earn advertising commissions by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services, click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Are you working on finishing your basement? Or do you need to drill lots of holes into cement? Skip the frustration and do what we did – buy a rotary hammer!.

The boards would have to be secured to the cinder block, meaning we needed to drill into the cinder block. We bought our supplies (which included masonry screws and a masonry drill bit) and started the project, thinking this would take no time to complete.

If you’re worried about how to drill into cinder block for your next project, we’ve got you covered! Find out how to do it right the first time.

Before, we were using all of our strength (guess we could have skipped the gym that day!). Now, the rotary hammer was doing all the work; we just held the drill in place.

But again, hours later, we only had 10 finished holes drilled (this worked better than the regular drill but still not easy).