Is it possible to make a hole in a load-bearing wall?

You can secure a metal sheet or part using a variety of fasteners. However, you need to make holes for them. Drilling holes in metal requires a person to use special tools. To carry out the work without difficulty, you need to be able to choose equipment and work with workpieces of different sizes.

Drilling holes in metal

Openings in load-bearing walls

It was necessary to convert one of the apartments in our building into an HOA office.
Based on the recommendations, it was decided to contact Energy. I am the mother of three daughters. When we moved to a new apartment in Moscow, we were faced with the problem of how to accommodate three children in one room and at the same time.

My childhood dream was to get my own big house, and now this moment has come! My husband and I started thinking about the project, how everything would be, what.

My wife and I decided to move and start building a new house. Need help in designing engineering systems. We searched for a long time.

I ordered a design project for an apartment with engineering projects included. She didn’t want to do anything like that herself, or anything about it.

For a long time my husband and I dreamed of a country house. We bought a plot of land with a house, but we didn’t like the interior design at all, so we decided to renovate it.

After purchasing the apartment, we were faced with the need for renovations. On the advice of friends, we turned to ENERGY-SYSTEM. Minimally compressed.

I urgently needed a redevelopment project for a country house. I looked through a bunch of companies, but all of them are expensive, or they don’t have time to do it on time.

Our parents gave us a three-room apartment for our wedding. But the apartment itself was in such a terrible state that I didn’t even know where to start.

I decided to open a private dentistry, which I had dreamed of since childhood. I rented a room, needed a design project, and contacted Energy.

Drill sharpening

Drill bits may become dull with frequent use. You can sharpen the tool yourself or contact a specialist. If you decide to do this yourself and do not have the skills, it is better to practice on an old instrument. When sharpening, the main thing is not to violate the desired geometry and adhere to a certain degree. Sharpening can be done manually or on an electric machine.

Metal analogues of drills are made of softer metal. They can be sharpened manually using a file.
Using an electric machine, the drill overheats greatly. This can be avoided by constantly dipping it in water. Or organize a stream of water pouring onto the tip of the drill.

Nuances of designing and coordinating openings in load-bearing walls

To carry out complex redevelopment, it is necessary to hire experienced and qualified specialists who are well aware of all the features and nuances of creating openings in load-bearing walls and other responsible and important work.
Cutting openings in load-bearing walls must be pre-coordinated with the responsible services, in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 26 of the RF Housing Code and paragraph 2.2.6 of Appendix No. 1 to Resolution 508 of the Moscow Government. Punching of openings is coordinated with local regulatory authorities; in Moscow, owners will have to obtain permission from the Housing Inspectorate. Other enterprises do not have the right to give permission to cut openings.

In order to approve a doorway in a load-bearing wall in Moscow, it is necessary to obtain a Technical Conclusion on the admissibility of such work. The conclusion is issued by the author of the project according to which the house was built. The requirement can be found in clause 3.7 of Appendix No. 3 to the 508th resolution of the Moscow city government. It will automatically determine the admissibility of creating an opening, taking into account its location, height, width and individual structural characteristics of the building.

Clause 2.2.6 of Appendix 1 of the resolution notes the need for preliminary design of repairs with the creation of openings in load-bearing walls by professional design firms that have approvals and permits from regulatory government services. It is the project that will be coordinated with the inspectors of the housing commission and the authors of the house project.

Types of products and their features

Let's look at what options you can find in our retail network and how they differ from each other.

Feather drills

The most common and budget option, which is quite convenient for even inexperienced craftsmen to work with. And you can also master this simple process with your own hands.

Let's look at the main advantages of this solution:

The diameter range varies from 10 to 60 mm.
The work is done quite quickly, but the quality of the hole is low, and it is unlikely to achieve an ideal result.
The maximum drilling depth is approximately 150 mm.
Products are sold either in sets of 5-6 pieces or individually, so you decide which option is right for you.
If necessary, you can buy an extension that clamps the drill and increases its length by 300 mm.

Large sizes are usually sold individually, small sizes are usually sold in sets.

It is impossible not to mention such an interesting option as an adjustable pen drill; this type of product can make holes with a diameter of 22 to 76 mm. The work is carried out at low speeds using fairly powerful power tools.

Adjustable nib – a new word in products of this type

Forstner drill

This product option is used very widely in furniture production due to a number of undoubted advantages:

The edges of the hole are perfectly smooth, which is not possible with other options.
High reliability and long service life allow such devices to be used for years.

Is it possible to make holes and openings in load-bearing partitions?

Modern legislation does not prohibit creating holes in load-bearing structures, however, cutting can only be done in some series of apartment buildings that will not become less safe and reliable as a result of such redevelopment.

The legislation imposes various requirements on the possible location of the opening in a load-bearing wall, its size and other individual characteristics. That is why, before carrying out major repairs, the owner needs to contact the local approval authority, whose employees, after studying the initial data and the project, will conclude about the possibility of redevelopment and issue the owner a permit or refusal to carry out the repair.

Tips for choosing

An instrument of any form has its own criteria and must meet them. You can determine the quality of the instrument you are purchasing by its appearance, color, and also by the material from which it is made.

Material. It is impossible to visually determine the quality of the material. Therefore, before purchasing, you need to make sure that the product has a quality certificate. Chinese counterfeits are often sold without documents.
Appearance. A high-quality product has a flat, smooth surface. Various cracks, scratches and damage are defective. The cutting area must be carefully sharpened. Long drills must be straight. It is very easy to check their quality; just roll them on a flat surface. All irregularities will be immediately visible.
Color. To ensure that the tool has additional strength, it is manufactured using a special technology. You can find out which processing method was used by the color of the product. The steel color indicates that no additional processing was carried out. The yellow-gold spraying relieves metallic stress. A product treated with titanium nitride (a tool with a bright gold color) will have a long service life. The black drill has increased strength. Steam was used to process it.
Package. Products from well-known manufacturers have good, high-quality packaging. All fakes are poorly packaged, and the text is sometimes written with errors.
Price. The higher the price, the better the quality of the product. All budget tools have a short service life.

Caring about their reputation, well-known stores will not sell counterfeits. And no matter what kind of tool you buy, in order for it to be of high quality and last a long time, you should contact reliable and trusted suppliers.

For high-quality performance of even such a simple procedure as drilling holes in wood products, the correct mode and the appropriate tool are required. When choosing a wood drill, you should take into account the characteristics of both the material being processed and the hole that needs to be made. The modern market offers a wide variety of drills designed for making holes in wood, so choosing a tool to solve certain technological problems will not be any particular problem.

Drilling holes for socket boxes with a core drill in wood

How openings are made in panel houses

In order to correctly make an opening in the wall, it is necessary not only to obtain the appropriate permission, but also to carry out all the required measures to strengthen the load-bearing structures, necessary so that as a result of major repairs the house does not become less functional and reliable.

In panel houses, almost all internal walls perform load-bearing functions, so the owners of such apartments often have to go to the designers and coordinate future repairs with the responsible authorities. Before hiring specialists for redevelopment, it is recommended to find out the exact series of the apartment building.

The series is the name of the architectural project according to which the building was erected. Based on one such project, tens and hundreds of the same type of apartment buildings can be built. In addition to the series, it is also recommended to find out the year the building was built, the type of load-bearing walls (building materials used).

Afterwards, you can determine whether the walls in which you plan to make openings are load-bearing. If one of the walls affected by the repair performs load-bearing functions, it is necessary to determine the construction company that developed the house project. You can find out the series of the house and the authors of the project from the Management Company or the developer.

In order not to independently understand the peculiarities of creating an opening in load-bearing walls, you can immediately contact redevelopment designers, who will independently study all the initial information and tell you whether a major renovation can be carried out in your apartment or not.

To determine the possibility of redevelopment in a typical panel house, it is necessary to understand which of the two categories it belongs to.

The first category of panel houses is those commissioned after 2007, the authors of which are MNIITEP or Mosproekt. In such buildings, the owners do not have the opportunity to touch the building structures, since the authors of the construction projects prohibit touching the load-bearing walls, and without the permission of the author of the project, redevelopment of this type is impossible by law.

MNIITEP does not issue permission to create openings in structures, since such structures are designed with special protection against collapses, which may be damaged due to large-scale redevelopment.

MNIITEP is the largest author of architectural projects for apartment buildings. Up to 90% of panel houses in Moscow were built according to the designs of this enterprise, therefore, if your house was built after 2007, you will not be able to obtain permission for its redevelopment. In these houses, among other things, it is prohibited to remove window sill blocks.

With all this, the developers of standard apartment buildings included in the design of objects special opportunities for creating openings in certain places. Some walls in new panel houses have special thinning, called “waffles” by builders; in such places you can make an opening without any problems if you comply with all legal requirements.

small bathroom furniture

Most often, the “waffle” in a panel house is located in the wall separating the living room and the kitchen; it is a small recess in the load-bearing wall and its dimensions resemble a standard doorway. In such areas there is no working reinforcement, so it is possible to make an opening here without violating the technical characteristics of the building.

For panel houses built before 2007 and after 2007 (if the authors of the projects are not Mosproekt and MNIITEP), the restrictions on redevelopment described above do not apply. In such buildings, it is possible to create openings in load-bearing walls, but for this it is necessary to fulfill a number of important requirements.

To coordinate the redevelopment, it is necessary that the opening be located in a suitable location: at a distance of 1 m from the outer wall and existing doorways. In addition, the hole created in the supporting structure must comply, in its dimensions, with established standards. The maximum width of the opening should be no more than 90 cm. Only in some houses it is allowed to create an opening up to 100 or 120 cm wide.

If the house was built before 2007 and its authors are MNIITEP, the owner of the apartment on the first floors is unlikely to be able to agree on the redevelopment of the load-bearing structures. The ban is explained by the increasing load from other floors on the wall, due to which the structures may collapse.

MNIITEP generally allows the creation of no more than one opening/opening in the load-bearing structures of an apartment. That is, the owner will not be able to obtain permission to create two openings, even if his home and the planned openings meet all the requirements described above. If the house is designed by Mosproekt, the owner can make two openings in the apartment.

In general, we can say that the possibility of creating an opening in a load-bearing wall is determined only by the author of the building design. Employees of the design company will carefully study the features of the property and make a conclusion about whether it is possible to carry out the major repairs required by the owner in such a way that as a result the house does not become less reliable.

Drill bits for tiles and glass

It is extremely difficult to work with such materials - they are easily damaged. For example, ceramics and glass crack when the drill is misaligned or overheated. Therefore, only two types of drills are used for them: crowns and feathers. Crowns can have a diameter from 13 to 80 mm and, as a rule, are coated with diamond dust.

Feather drills. They are an ordinary metal rod with a sharp spear at the end (usually made of pobedit). They allow you to make holes with a diameter of 3 to 13 mm - ideal for dowels.

But keep in mind that after you have gone through the tiles, it is worth changing the drill. Otherwise, you will simply dull it on the concrete and get a crack in the tile the next time you use it.

Design of holes and openings in brick structures

Redevelopment of brick houses has a number of unique nuances and features. Brick houses in Moscow were built only until the early 90s, so it is very difficult to find the authors of the projects used today. Because of this, the authorship of projects is usually transferred to the design institute MosZhilNIIproekt. Thus, if you need to make an opening in the structures of a brick house in Moscow, permission for such work should be obtained from this organization.

It is believed that much fewer requirements are imposed on redevelopment aimed at creating openings/openings in brick walls than for panel structures. The opening in a brick house must be placed at a distance of 0.4 m from the existing opening or load-bearing wall. It is customary to additionally strengthen the 40 cm pier formed when creating an opening with metal structures.

The permissible width of the opening created in brick structures is determined individually, taking into account the characteristics of the building and apartment. Most often, the permissible opening size ranges from 90 to 120 cm. The higher the apartment is located in the house, the wider the door or window opening can be created. It is allowed to create several openings in the apartment.

An important distinguishing feature of brick houses is that ventilation ducts for bathrooms and kitchens can be located inside the load-bearing walls of such buildings, while inside the wall for each floor there can be a separate ventilation duct, as a result, several ventilation ducts are located nearby, and cutting them is prohibited. The ban on making changes to the ventilation of apartment buildings is contained in clause 11.6 of the appendix to Moscow government decree 508. Simply put, creating openings and openings in brick walls in places where ventilation ducts are located is prohibited.

The easiest way to determine the location of ventilation ducts in the house is to seek help from professional designers. In addition, you can always see where the ventilation grill is located in the apartment. If there is a ventilation grille on the wall, then most likely there is a ventilation duct inside, and therefore making an opening in this wall will be problematic.

What tool will you need?

For drilling ceramic tiles, the best option is to use an electric drill with speed and operating mode switches. Power is not so important, so even the weakest Chinese drills should be enough to produce holes for dowels.

Tile tiles are drilled at speeds ranging from 200 to 800 rpm. It may not be possible to set 200 rpm on a household drill. Therefore, it is better to sometimes use a screwdriver.

A screwdriver may be suitable, either a battery-powered one with a sufficiently strong autonomous power source and set speeds of up to 800, or a mains-powered one with adjusted low speeds. In extreme cases, if these tools are not available, a hand drill will do. With it, the necessary speed of rotation and pressure will be guaranteed. The only thing is that it is difficult to do a large amount of work with a hand drill.

To deepen a hole in a concrete or brick wall behind a tile, it is better to use a hammer drill. If it is missing, then the drill must be powerful enough to drill through the wall to the length of the self-tapping screw. It is not recommended to use a hammer drill for drilling tiles. Only a professional master with the appropriate experience and skill can afford this.

Along with these basic tools you will need:

a construction pencil, you can get by with a felt-tip pen or marker;
masking tape or adhesive tape;
ruler;
level;
conductor - in case of production of several different holes. It is a kind of stencil in the form of a plate with holes of the required diameter.

Openings and openings in monolithic buildings

It is much easier to create openings in monolithic houses than in other houses. This feature of monolithic buildings is due to the fact that they are generally more suitable for redevelopment; in addition, the authors of such apartment buildings are often small design enterprises that are more willing to accommodate residents halfway than MNIITEP or Mosproekt.

The possible width of the openings created, their location and number in monolithic houses are always determined individually, taking into account the structural plan of the object, the floor of the owner’s apartment, etc.

Areas of use and design features

As mentioned above, in order to drill a quality piece of wood, it is very important to choose the right drill bit. When making this choice, it is necessary to take into account both the characteristics of the material being processed (in particular, its hardness) and the type of hole that needs to be made. That is why it is very important for home craftsmen and specialists whose work involves processing wooden blanks to understand both the types and functionality of wood drills.

Twist (screw) drills

A twist or screw drill can be produced with two types of working tips: conical and with special scoring tips. If we compare both types according to the degree of their effectiveness, then it is almost at the same level. However, they differ in the load taken by the tool during wood processing. Thus, in the design of the working head of a drill with a scoring tool, there is a jumper, which causes significant loads to be transmitted to the entire body of the tool. Drills with a conical working head do not have this drawback, which, in addition, are much better centered on the surface of the workpiece. The conical head immediately enters the material, and the drill does not move to the side. Meanwhile, spiral drills with scoring tools, due to their design features, allow you to create holes in wood with higher precision.

Design of a twist drill for wood

Drilling wood using a spiral tool allows you to get precise and neat holes with straight edges and a smooth surface on the inner walls. Tools of this type can be used for drilling wood of any species and almost any hardness, as well as materials made on its basis (chipboard, MDF, plywood, etc.). If the drill is driven into the material being processed at a low speed, there will be no need to frequently remove the tool from the hole being created to remove accumulated chips.

Responsibility for creating uncoordinated openings

It is no coincidence that modern legislation stipulates the need for preliminary approval of redevelopment. Making openings in inappropriate places or too large in size can lead to disruption of the structure of a residential property and to a deterioration in its operational and technical characteristics. In some cases, the consequences of uncoordinated redevelopment are deflections and even destruction of structural elements of apartment buildings.

In addition, you should not think that the completed redevelopment will remain invisible to government inspectors. Illegal openings are identified through complaints from neighbors when trying to sell or rent out an apartment. If an illegal redevelopment is discovered, inspectors will oblige the owner to pay a considerable fine and also return the layout of the home to its original position.

Restoring a load-bearing wall at the request of government inspectors is not just filling the created opening with bricks. To carry out such repair work, you need a special conclusion from the author of the project, who must decide what work is necessary to restore the technical characteristics of the object. It is not recommended to ignore the instructions of housing commission inspectors. If the wall is not restored on time, the organization may well send the owner’s case to court, which, according to paragraph 5 of Article 29 of the Housing Code of Russia, has the right to put the owner’s apartment up for auction; there have already been examples of such an unfavorable outcome for owners.

The author of the house project may simply not give permission to return the wall to its original state, arguing that as a result of such work the house and other owners may suffer. As a result, the owner will have to knock on the thresholds of the project enterprise for a single month, asking inspectors to allow the sealing of the opening. For such permission, a design enterprise can demand almost any money; there are cases when the author of a house demanded 1 million rubles from the owner, and he had no choice but to satisfy the wishes of the inspectorate.

The danger of losing money and their own home should convince owners not to violate current legislation and carry out redevelopment in full compliance with the requirements of the Housing Code. It must be remembered that there is a whole approval procedure. It is in the owner's interests not to violate this procedure.

In addition to the already stated legal requirements and restrictions on redevelopment, it should also be noted that there is clause 11.8 of Appendix 1 to Moscow Government Decree 508, which specifies a ban on the construction of niches, openings, openings in pylon walls, columns, pillars, diaphragm walls and at locations where prefabricated structures are located. Of course, it will not be possible to obtain permission for such repair work.

water bathhouse for rent Klyazminskoe reservoir

Source

Work with large diameters

At the beginning of the work, the area where the hole should be formed is outlined. It is important to observe dimensions here. When the hole diameter is 100 mm, then the circle needs to be drawn at approximately 20 mm. This is typical for situations where the drill deviates from the working circle. Even a small shift can damage the surface if this is not taken into account from the very beginning. You need to make sure that the drill goes through the walls. Only in such a situation can you be sure that the hole will be made correctly.

Types of holes in walls

Holes in walls can be divided into two types: through, passing through the entire thickness of the wall, and blind, reaching only to a certain depth.

Blind holes in walls are usually intended for fastening objects, for example, hanging shelves, mirrors, cabinets, pictures. Such holes have a diameter of about 15 mm and are made using a drill or hammer drill. There are also blind holes for socket boxes with a diameter of about 65 mm. To make such a hole, a crown of the appropriate diameter is put on a drill or hammer drill.

Through holes are usually needed in three cases:

How to drill with a drill?

Drilling metal with a drill requires following some recommendations:

To make a hole you will need an electric drill, a core punch, a hammer, machine oil and safety glasses.
Initially make markings.
Wear safety glasses.
When the pressure on the drill is low, you need to select the low speed position and start working.
Don’t forget to water the area being treated with coolant.

If you follow the technology and use high-quality tools, you can make holes of different diameters and depths. To drill straight holes or accurately select the depth, you can use a device called a “depth stop.” It is attached to an electric drill and adjusted to the desired depth.

Drilling metal with a drill

What holes can be made in an apartment building by law?

There are some legal restrictions on drilling holes in apartment buildings. They mainly concern through holes. Blind holes for fasteners and socket boxes do not threaten the integrity of the structure of a residential building and do not affect the appearance of the facade, therefore the drilling of such holes is not regulated in any way.

With through holes it is somewhat more difficult. In this case, the answer to the question “Is it possible to drill a hole in the wall?” will depend on:

Let's deal with all the cases in order.

Hole diameter

According to current legislation, permission to drill a through hole is not required if the hole diameter does not exceed 200 mm.

This provision is enshrined in some local legislation. Let us refer, for example, to Decree of the Government of St. Petersburg dated January 31, 2022 N 40 entitled “On approval of the Rules for the improvement of the territory of St. Petersburg in terms of aesthetic regulations of improvement objects and improvement elements.” It says the following: “The placement of air conditioning and ventilation systems without an outdoor unit with air supply through an opening in the wall with a diameter of up to 0.20 m is permitted on all facades without developing a design for an architectural opening.”

If the diameter of the hole you need exceeds 200 mm, then the function of the wall becomes more important. Walls in apartment buildings may or may not be load-bearing.

Load-bearing walls are a kind of spine of the building. The floors rest on them. And the load-bearing walls, in turn, rest directly on the foundation and transfer to it the load from the weight of the floors and from their own weight. Load-bearing walls are responsible for the integrity of the entire structure.

A curtain wall, on the contrary, does not affect the strength of the “skeleton” of the building. Such walls rest on the floors within one floor and do not take on the load of other structural elements.

Often the question “Is it possible to drill a hole?” occurs in relation to the outer wall. Are external walls load-bearing? There is no definite answer: it all depends on the design of the building. For example, in frame panel houses the external walls are load-bearing, but in monolithic buildings they are not.

Load-bearing walls are protected by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation. It prohibits any unauthorized actions that could lead to “impairment of the strength or destruction of the load-bearing structures of the building.” This prohibition also applies to drilling holes exceeding the permitted diameter of 200 mm. If you need such a hole or want to make an opening, arch, or niche in a load-bearing wall, you will have to obtain permits. Different institutions issue them in different cities. You can start by contacting the architectural department in the local administration or the regional housing inspection.

What about walls that are not load-bearing? Logically, through holes in them do not affect the stability of the building in any way. However, here everything depends on the size of the hole. If it is so large that it borders an opening (generally the size of a door or window), then approval will still be required.

Special status of the building

Requirements for the use of houses that are architectural monuments are enshrined in Federal Law No. 73-FZ of June 25, 2002 “On objects of cultural heritage (historical and cultural monuments) of the peoples of the Russian Federation.”

Owners of living space in a building classified as a cultural heritage site sign a security bond. This document lists all elements of the building that are under state protection. For example, if the façade of a house is one of these elements, then changes in its external appearance may require approval from the authorized bodies. Such a body may be the regional Ministry of Culture or any special institution. For example, in St. Petersburg this is the Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!

I need your advice. Unlike the majority, I decided to first ask for advice on whether it is possible to break down walls, and then begin this exciting process. =)

Input data: Apartment in a new building in St. Petersburg. Like, I don’t know, and I don’t even know/don’t understand where to look. No gas, underground parking available

The house looks like this: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21678677/1.jpg

23 floors, I'm on the 18th floor.

Floor plan: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21678677/2.jpg

Apartment - upper right.

2. In addition, I want to redo the electrics. Replace the shield in the apartment, and extend additional. cables If everything is clear with the rest of the apartment (the partitions are plaster everywhere), then questions arise again with room No. 2 precisely because of the fear of making a 190mm hole in this wall. I bought NYM 2.5mm cables, plastic corrugation for them, I’ll just nail the plastic one to the ceiling fasteners, there is a corrugated cable in it, I will cover everything with a suspended ceiling. In room No. 2 I want to install: a 2.5mm2 cable for sockets. 3x6mm for the hob. 3x6mm for the oven. 2.5mm for kitchen apron sockets. 2.5mm separately for the refrigerator.

I assume that the holes for the cables are best placed above the door to room 2 (from the hallway along the ceiling of the corridor I’ll just stretch it to the door to room 2, and there I’ll go through a 190mm wall) then I’ll stretch it across the room, again there are two photos below , you can look there.

Accordingly, the questions that are tormenting us at the moment (point by point):

I apologize for a lot of information, I wanted to highlight the problem as clearly as possible for you (specialists) in order to get a more correct answer. Let me remind you that I haven't done anything yet. I want to find out first, then build.

elevator for drying clothes on the balcony

Thank you very much in advance. You will help me a lot.

Sooner or later, most people living in houses with concrete walls need to hang a cabinet, lamp, shelf or picture. At this point, the pressing question arises of how to drill through a concrete wall. It's no secret that every home master has encountered this problem at least once in his life, but not everyone knows how to solve it. Many bravely torture the drill and their own strength, but, not achieving the desired result, they give up everything until the next attempt to make a hole in the wall. But the drill eventually breaks, and the shelves remain standing somewhere in the corner of the room or collecting dust in the pantry. But there are still options - you just need to know them and be able to use them.

Concrete structures are quite strong and difficult to drill. In addition, quite often drills come across crushed stone, which is part of the concrete mixture from which wall and ceiling slabs are formed.

Holes in concrete have to be made quite often, especially during the process:

There are two ways to solve the problem of holes in a concrete wall:

It is worth noting that it will not be possible to make a hole in a concrete wall with ordinary drills, so before starting work you need to purchase drills with specially soldered plates made of high-strength pobedit alloy, which do an excellent job with concrete and brick. But it is not recommended to use them for soft materials, since pobedit drills do not cut them, but crumble them.

General tips for drilling wood

Wood is a relatively soft material that can be easily processed. Of course, there are hard varieties, and there are also exotic ones, which in their properties are not inferior to every metal, but still in Russia most often you have to work with fairly soft varieties. On the one hand, working with soft wood is easy, but on the other hand, you need to follow some rules.

Before starting work, it is worth applying markings, especially if several holes are needed. The center of the hole is marked with a regular pencil, after which many make a recess there with an awl or a nail. This is necessary so that the drill does not move to the side at the very beginning of work. If the drill has a centering sharp tip, then you can do without it.
If you have to work with a separate piece of wood, then it must be securely fastened. The ideal option is to use a vice; if you don’t have one, you can simply press it firmly against the wall. Working without fixing it would not be the best idea, since the hole may turn out to be of poor quality, and the wooden part itself may begin to rotate.
If you need to make a through hole, then you need to place a piece of wood under the wooden part, which will prevent damage to the surface on which the drilling takes place. Surprisingly, many people forget about this. By the way, this will also prevent the fibers from breaking on the bottom of the workpiece (where the exit hole will be).
For each type of drill (as well as diameter) there are recommendations for the maximum permissible speed. You definitely shouldn’t exceed them, and it’s even better to drill with a small margin, at slower speeds. What are the consequences of high revs? It's simple: chips and cracks. And if you need to make a large hole, then it would be correct to first use a drill of a smaller diameter, and then a larger one.
Always select drills that are suitable for your task, especially when large diameter holes are needed. And when using very large diameter crowns, they often use an additional blank with an already drilled through hole, which will not allow the drill to go to the side (it is placed on top and the existing and future holes are combined, like a stencil).
When drilling blind holes, the most important problem is depth. There are types of drills that have limiters in their design, but if they are not there, you can get by with marks that are attached to the drill. You don’t need to buy anything: rubber rings, adhesive tape or electrical tape will do.
Do not allow the accumulation of chips and especially sawdust, this reduces work productivity and is fraught with jamming of the drill. This is true even when using screw drills, which, in theory, should remove chips, but this does not always happen.

Follow these simple recommendations and you won’t have any difficulties drilling wood. This process requires only accuracy, slowness and the right approach.

What will help the home handyman?

At home, when you need to make 2-3 holes in concrete, you can get by with a regular drill, without the impact function. To do this, it is necessary, as the Pobedit drill is immersed into the body of the wall, to break the concrete from time to time with a strong metal pin (punch) matching in size to the diameter of the hole. It is used when the drill begins to “stick” in the wall. At this moment, a steel punch is inserted into the hole and they begin to hit it with a hammer or sledgehammer, trying to crush areas that are too dense and punch the hole deeper. In this case, the pin is turned a little. Then the hammerless drill can start working again.

All the above steps are repeated one after another until the hole increases to the required depth. This method is quite labor-intensive and tedious, but for a couple of holes it is quite acceptable.

Alternatively, when drilling a hole in concrete, you can use universal diamond-coated drills. They are highly effective when working with metal, crushed stone and concrete. They can only be installed on a conventional electric drill, or on a tool with the vibration function disabled.

You need to work with the drill extremely carefully, otherwise it will fail too quickly. The advice that professionals give is that to avoid overheating of the drill, it should be moistened with cold water from time to time.

Other methods for drilling ceramic tiles

Drilling with a string

Tungsten wire for cutting ceramics can be purchased over the counter. It is used either with hacksaws for metal or with a regular jigsaw. Price from 150 rubles.

The string is used in cases where it is necessary to change the direction of the cut, to cut a hole from the end of the tile. A string can be used to cut almost any shape into a tile.

If the opening should be located inside the surface of the tile according to the markings, then you will have to first make a hole in it. Next, the string is threaded through the hole, secured into a hacksaw or jigsaw, and a cut is made along the marked line. The result is an opening with smooth and clean edges.

The advantage of this method is the almost complete absence of risk of damage to the tiles.

The disadvantage of this method is unnecessary labor costs.
If you need to make a large opening in a tile that is not on the wall, but you don’t have a ballerina or a crown at hand, you can use the following technique.
Lay the tiles on a prepared, clean and smooth surface.
Make markings and mark the center of the future circle. Using an ordinary compass, draw a line on a circle of the required diameter.

Using a tile drill (if you don’t have one, you can use a Pobedit concrete drill), make holes along the entire line inside the circle. The closer they are to each other, the better.

The drilled part is either carefully knocked out with light blows of a hammer, or removed using pliers or wire cutters.
Irregularities along the edges are removed with nippers.
Finally, the cut area is sanded with sandpaper.
Hole using glass cutter and wire cutters
A large hole can be made using the old and proven method: wire cutters and a glass cutter.
A circle is marked on the tile.
Then it is divided into at least eight equal parts. Precision is not required.
Cuts are made along the marked lines inside the circle using a glass cutter.
Next, use a drill to make a hole in the center and carefully break out the first piece. Instead of a glass cutter, extreme sports enthusiasts use a grinder with a small disk.

Enough cuts must be made; if only two cuts are made, then when breaking out the pieces, most likely the tile will break in half. You should bite off the edges from the reverse side of the product, otherwise chips will be visible.

After receiving the hole, the edges of the opening are processed.

How to choose a tool?

For a larger volume of work, you need a hammer drill or drill with an impact function and drills with pobedite tips. An impact drill combines rotational and reciprocating motion, which helps it cope well with lightweight concrete, and to the question of how to drill through a concrete wall, which is a load-bearing one, there is a simple answer - the best assistant will be a hammer drill, the main purpose of which is to punch through concrete fences. There is one more difference:

Reinforcement found in the body of a concrete wall should be drilled using metal drills.

Color matters

Even by the appearance of the drill, you can determine its properties and qualities.

The gray color indicates that this is an ordinary simple drill, without any additional processing.
Cherny reports that the drill has been treated with hot steam and has increased wear resistance.
Yellow means that the drill has been quenched and tempered (a procedure to relieve internal stress). Such products are even more wear-resistant, but are afraid of overheating.
A bright golden color is usually characteristic of drills treated with titanium nitride, which reduces contact friction in the drilling area and perfectly hardens the surface of the tool.

What do you use to drill large holes?

Professionals who are constantly faced with the problem of drilling holes in concrete use special equipment, which includes:

Diamond drilling allows you to make holes of large diameter - up to 40 cm. The process occurs quite quickly, efficiently, without unnecessary dust and noise. Water is automatically supplied to the drilling site, which simultaneously cools the diamond bit and washes away dust.

When diamond drilling, the holes are precise in shape and clear in outline, with a polished inner surface. They can be made in various enclosing structures at any angle to the horizon, and the possibility of cracks or chips in the concrete is completely excluded. Destruction occurs only at the location of the future hole.

Diamond drilling is carried out by specialized companies, so if necessary, you can invite specialists with their own equipment to drill holes in concrete of large diameters. And you don’t have to buy a diamond drilling machine specifically for this.

First of all, decide on the size of the opening or hole that is necessary for your purposes. It is important to determine the width, height and depth if the hole is not through and acts as a niche.

Contact your nearest construction and design agency to develop a design and plan for the opening or opening. For reinforcement, metal corners, I-beams or channels are used, depending on the material of the wall, the load on it and the size of the opening that needs to be made. All this is determined by the builder and designer who draws up the redevelopment project. After receiving the design documentation, approve changes made to the design of the load-bearing walls of your apartment or house with the relevant government agencies. Only after all organizational issues have been resolved, proceed with the construction of a fortification at the site of the future opening.

Drilling tiles that are not glued to the wall

To carry out work with tiles that will only be laid on the wall, it is necessary to equip a workplace. The surface on which the work is carried out must be smooth; you can use a workbench, a wooden board, a sheet of thick plywood or plasterboard.

Before carrying out work, the tiles are soaked by placing them in water for 30 minutes.
The tiles are placed on a clean, smooth surface.
Apply masking tape to the location of the intended hole.
Markings are made, taking into account a distance from the edge of the tile of at least 15 mm. Make a mark with a construction pencil.
It is better to fix the tiles with a clamp. Drilling begins with a drill at the lowest speed, without applying excessive pressure on the tool.
Particular attention should be paid to holding the apparatus at a right angle to the plane of the ceramic tile.

To drill holes for polypropylene pipes twenty (diameter = 21 mm) I need:

1. a drill for a hammer drill with a diameter of at least 22 mm (or better yet 25, remember that polypropylene expands for hot water supply?), and a length of at least 300 mm, this is the thickness of the plaster and concrete block. It was not possible to drill the sleeper with a drill. you'll go nuts..; 2. a wood drill, of the same diameter, at least 650 mm long, here I take into account the thickness of the conventionally drilled plaster and block, plus the “air cushion” and plus the sleeper itself; 3. a drill for a rotary hammer with a diameter of 12, a length of more than 730, here is the full thickness of the wall (do we remember that you can only drill on one side? Yes, and the horseradish holes towards each other will coincide with two, and if you measure thoroughly, then the slope is any will be different).

Drilling a wall at once with a large-diameter drill is very labor-intensive and time-consuming; it is much easier and faster to drill a thin one, and then expand the hole with a larger one along the guide. I use this method up to several passes with different drills in increasing increments, depending on the ultimately required diameter. The “old-fashioned” method is very effective, you save a lot of physical effort, and what is important in my case is time - the work at first glance is “the cat cried”, all it takes is to remove two tubes, BUT the wall...

So, I went to the store, not familiar with the prices for the tool I need? The price tag for hammer drills, along with the length and increase in diameter, grows not just proportionally, but catastrophically, however, the same applies to screw drills. Here are some screenshots with price tags:

Normal, right? And this is here in the provinces! I wonder what the cost is in regional and capital cities?

An alternative to a long screw drill is a feather drill, the condition of suitability is that you buy an extension cord, one is missing, you take two, luckily connecting them together is as easy as shelling pears. That's exactly what I did, I already had one extension cord.

As a result, I received the required tool at a reasonable price, but you can’t explain to the customer that the tool is expensive; to put it mildly, he’s not interested. Visibility is only two half-inch tubes installed, but how you did it is your problem. The point is that an identical order, as I wrote above, will probably go through in the next five-year period, and the instrument will lie idle.

Step by step how I drilled:

1. from the side of the attached room, using a hammer drill with a 12 mm drill, I drilled through the plaster and block; 2. widened the hole with a 25 mm drill; 3. drilled the sleeper with a 25 mm feather drill; 4. then, again installing a long thin drill, I drilled through the plaster at the exit; 5. with a 25 mm drill, on the other hand, I expanded the diameter towards.

It took about 30 minutes to do everything. Next, soldering the pipes is a different story. This is how I handled my next order in an accessible way; if any of you benefit from my experience, then it’s not in vain that I clicked on the keys.

Conclusion:

And one more thing: with feather drills, the option of gradually increasing the diameter does not work, you drill immediately with a wide feather, the price for them is a pittance in comparison with drills, and I have never seen wooden walls of great thickness.

Two useful additions, naturally based on personal experience:

First:

When installing pipes, in addition to water supply, I also install sewerage if necessary. It’s no secret that the diameter of the pipes here is larger, from 40 to 150 millimeters; I don’t have a drilling rig with diamond bits, so I fulfill orders using the same hammer drill. I proceed as follows: I mark a circle of the required diameter on the wall, drill holes along its perimeter with a thin long drill, then, using the same principle that I highlighted above, I expand the diameter of each hole to the maximum available in the arsenal. Then, replacing the drill with a spatula and switching the hammer drill mode to chiselling, I get rid of everything unnecessary. So... I agree the work is not pleasant, but this is just one of the disadvantages during installation. It should be borne in mind that this process is relevant for a small wall thickness, say a maximum of 300 millimeters, but for a much larger thickness you present the customer with a fact: ordering a drilling rig is a device, as noted above, using bits with diamond tips. The operation is not cheap, but with all the “breadth” of choice... the customer pays, then we come in with the installation.

Second:

Let’s say you fulfill the first point yourself: you drill a concrete wall, trying to get a hole with a diameter of 140 millimeters, and you have a “surprise” in the form of reinforcement (usually in the walls of panel houses).. You can’t take it with a drill, electric arc welding will help, for lack of, grinder, which is problematic to use, access is difficult, you have to puff, creating access... in short, I don’t advise you to bother. Exit: cut by welding or gas cutting. There's no such thing? Find it! As in that saying: “It’s better to lose a day, but then fly in five minutes!”

Questions, additions: in the comments column, but that’s all for me today, best regards, Andrey.

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