Drilling into concrete: borrow the equipment

What you need

An ordinary drill gives up in concrete; an SDS rotary hammer hammers through. Check with a wall scanner first where power and water run, and extract the dust as you go.

How to go about it

1. Mark the position, check for power, water and rebar with the wall scanner.
2. Fit the right SDS-plus bit, set the depth stop to the anchor length.
3. Start without hammer action, then drill with it; extract the dust as you go.
4. Blow or vacuum out the hole, set the anchor, done.

An hour for a shelf, a morning for the whole flat. Borrow the equipment for one day.

Rotary hammer

SDS-plus with hammer action — goes through concrete and reinforced concrete where a drill stalls.

Wall scanner

Shows power lines, water pipes and rebar before you hit them.

Vacuum

Extract drilling dust at the source — with a site or wet/dry vacuum, not the household one.

What a day costs

Per device, the range a renter pays for one day at the catalogue's suggested prices — and, for comparison, what the cheapest device of that kind costs new.

Catalogue ranges, not current offers: what a neighbour actually asks is on their listing. The new price is the approximate value of the cheapest model in the catalogue.

Rent or buy?

If you live in a concrete flat and hang things often, you eventually buy a rotary hammer. For the one kitchen or the three shelves after moving in, renting is the clearer sum — and the wall scanner, the device that actually matters, hardly anyone buys.

What matters

SDS-plus bits usually come with it — ask for the diameter you need. Wear safety glasses for ceiling holes. One day is almost always enough; borrow the vacuum too, or the flat turns white.

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Categories

• Cleaning
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• Drilling & assembly
• Renovation
• Drying
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