Drilling Into Brick (I think)

[DarkWing6]

Ok, I know this is house related, but I need to get that setup and organized before I can attack the garage.

I'm hanging a large mirror above our mantle/fireplace. It is sheet rocked, but as soon as I get through the sheet rock it is impossible to go any deeper (about 1/2" deep). The holes I need are pretty small since they are only for screws. 5/64 drill bit and a lot of pressure gave me zero headway. Am I missing something here? Is brick really that hard, or is there something else under there?

 

[ket-tek]

A drill bit and a regular drill will get you nowhere in brick. No matter how much pressure you put on it.

You will to use need a hammer drill and masonry bit, and it will require almost no pressure. The hammering action chips the brick and the spin evacuates the debris out of the hole as the bit goes deeper. Your not actually drilling a hole in the same sense as drilling thru wood or metal.

 

[DarkWing6]

Thanks.

Is there an inexpensive way to do this since I only need 3 holes and don't see myself doing any other masonry work?

 

[Bear]

You will need the masonry bit but can use a regular drill for small holes.

 

[ket-tek]

Ask around if someone you know may have a hammer drill you can borrow.

Alot of higher end 18v cordless drills have a hammer setting.

So if you have a buddy with an xrp dewalt or other nice drill it may likely be a hammer drill also. And the bit you need will only be a couple dollars for something that small.

This is one of those deals were the right tool for the job is crucial. And you will be done in 30sec once you have it.

 

[ket-tek]

You will need the masonry bit but can use a regular drill for small
holes.

Yeah if the brick is soft enough it can work, you can manually try to bump it into the brick while it drills, and it will help chip away at it some. Generally won't get anywhere in concrete like that tho.

EDIT: dang yeah, 5/64 that's tiny! That's awful small holes for any type of anchors? What type of anchors are being used? You should be using expanding plastic shields in the brick for the screws to thread into and hold. The screws aren't gonna thread into the brick, how big is the mirror?

 

[epmills]

You can drill it with a masonry bit with a regular drill, but you have to be careful to not burn up the bit. It will also take a lot longer without the hammer action.

 

[DarkWing6]

Yeah if the brick is soft enough it can work, you can manually try to bump it into the brick while it drills, and it will help chip away at it some. Generally won't get anywhere in concrete like that tho.

EDIT: dang yeah, 5/64 that's tiny! That's awful small holes for any type of anchors? What type of anchors are being used? You should be using expanding plastic shields in the brick for the screws to thread into and hold. The screws aren't gonna thread into the brick, how big is the mirror?

It's actually a quite large mirror. I think I was "starting small" with 5/64 since I didn't want to end up with too big of a hole for the screws. I'm a newbie at this handyman stuff. I'm more used to working on mechanical stuff like cars.

The mount for the mirror is basically a 1/4" thick piece of wood that mounts to the wall with a slanted edge on the top. The same type of piece is also mounted to the back of the mirror with the edge on the bottom of it slanting the other way. So I just need to get that 1/4" piece of wood mounted to the wall.

So should I just go straight into the wall/brick with some masonry screws (tapcon) or should I drill, insert an anchor of some sort, then screw into the anchor?

 

[ket-tek]

That mounting style of angled wood is called a "french cleat"..

I would use inserts but tapcon work good too.. You will be fine either way.

 

[DarkWing6]

Perfect. Next stop, Home Depot.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Yeah, you can't really use regular screws in concrete. You need anchors.

Harbor Freight sells a very cheap hammer drill. You'll be amazed by how often you use it (at least, I was).

 

[rburke65]

Regular drill and a masomary bit or bits. You can drill a small pilot hole and then drill a larger hole.

 

[Kev442]

Be sure it is brick. Cinder block is a whole different animal.

 

[Steve in Mi]

There is brick and there is brick. The same with block and poured concrete, some is soft, some is hard and some is very hard. I remember the days of drilling with a star drill and hammer, not much fun. Then carbide masonary bits came along and most hole drilling became much easier, unless you got some of the cheap carbide. Then the hammer drill, always thought it might be handy but didn't buy one until a couple of years ago. Still haven't used the new hammer drill. I've owned 2 brick houses and my folks house was brick. The 3 homes represent the three degrees of hardness. The brick home I live in now and since 1978 has a hard surface but once you break thru that outer shell it is easy drilling. Still it is real brick not brickcrete which also tends to vary in hardness. I've put in a few Tapcons and didn't need a hammer drill for that either. The best carbide masonary bits I've ever used come with each box of Tapcons but you can buy them separately (both the Tapcons and matching drill) for a small job.

 

[MScott]

There is brick and there is brick. The same with block and poured concrete, some is soft, some is hard and some is very hard. I remember the days of drilling with a star drill and hammer, not much fun. Then carbide masonary bits came along and most hole drilling became much easier, unless you got some of the cheap carbide. Then the hammer drill, always thought it might be handy but didn't buy one until a couple of years ago. Still haven't used the new hammer drill. I've owned 2 brick houses and my folks house was brick. The 3 homes represent the three degrees of hardness. The brick home I live in now and since 1978 has a hard surface but once you break thru that outer shell it is easy drilling. Still it is real brick not brickcrete which also tends to vary in hardness. I've put in a few Tapcons and didn't need a hammer drill for that either. The best carbide masonary bits I've ever used come with each box of Tapcons but you can buy them separately (both the Tapcons and matching drill) for a small job.

I had to drill about 150 holes for Tapcon screws in the basement floor of my daughter's house to put down dri-core flooring (very hard old concrete.) I found that those Tapcon carbide masonary bits were lasting about 3-4 holes before they were destroyed when used with a regular hammer drill. I tried several other brands of drill with no better result. I finally had to lay out about $400. for a Bosch SDS Rotary hammer drill. When used with their bits, I was able to finish the job with about 3-4 bits. Just no comparison with regular carbide bits in a hammer drill.

 

[Kevin54]

You don't need a hammer drill for small holes into either brick or concrete block. A standard drill will work fine. Just get a carbide bit and drill it as you would anything else. I have put quite a few 1/4" anchors on brick and concrete with a carbide drill bit that is still going strong.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

like someone else said before, make sure it is brick.