35
votes
Accepted
Masonry bits dulling after 3-4 holes
The hammering action of the drill isn't activating
So the bit is overheating due to friction. It is supposed to hammer the material you're drilling into dust then evacuate it, not rub it off through ...
- 5,780
31
votes
Accepted
What bit should I use to drill a two inch hole in a solid concrete wall?
Hire a core driller. Trust me and do it. You will regret doing this yourself and the cost will seem like nothing in comparison to your struggles with drilling a hole that size in solid concrete.
...
- 364
18
votes
Can I build a concrete block wall over floor tile?
The tile floor shouldn't be a structural weakness, but if it's glazed you won't get a good mortar bond. I'd install anchor bolts every 32" or so, aligned with block cores, and fill those cores with ...
- 104k
15
votes
What bit should I use to drill a two inch hole in a solid concrete wall?
Use a diamond core drill to get a nice clean hole. If you use a hammer drill and carbide drill bit the concrete on the opposite side is going to splay and look like like a beaver was chewing on the ...
- 600
14
votes
Accepted
How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?
One way is by looking at the bond of the bricks. Your bricks are arranged in a running bond or stretcher bond, which is always one brick thick:
To be a structural brick wall it would have to be more ...
- 12.2k
14
votes
Is it reasonable to do masonry veneer work when the temperature is 30-40°F?
You know what's more expensive than doing it right? Doing it wrong once and then doing it right.
Yes, mortar, concrete, stucco, etc all have specific cure times and temperatures for maximum strength. ...
- 10k
13
votes
Accepted
Mounting TV on a weird wall that has some material between the drywall and stud
Trying to mount an articulating arm that is designed to mount to a single stud will not stand up mounted to that type of wall construction. Even with long lag bolts there is just too much chance that ...
- 61.1k
12
votes
Should I try to open filled brick weep holes?
Weep holes:
No structure is 100% waterproof, and weep holes allow both water and moist air to escape the structure, so that it doesn't start going mouldy or rotting (which would cause problems over ...
- 594
8
votes
How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?
The frame is of wood. The brick is a cladding on the outside. It is not a veneer. A veneer is fake layer of thin brick-like parquets that are secured with a cement or glue to a backing of some kind. ...
- 6,643
8
votes
Can I build a concrete block wall over floor tile?
NO, NO, NO, never install concrete block on tile. You don’t say what kind of tile is installed on your concrete slab, but it doesn’t matter if it’s “ceramic tile” or “terra-cotta tile” or “porcelain ...
- 22.5k
8
votes
Accepted
Identify strange wall fixing
I believe that is called a spring pin anchor or express nail
To remove it, I'd try these:
or any nail puller.
Spraying some Liquid Wrench or other light lubricant might make it easier to pull ...
- 24.3k
8
votes
Is there some sort of formula to determine how many bricks I would need to build a completely new structure?
A standard brick is 8" x 2.25" x 3.5". Ignore the 3.5" as that's how thick the wall will be. 8" * 2.25" is 18 sq. in. A square foot is 144 sq. in. (12 * 12). 144 sq. in. divided by 18 sq. in. is 8....
- 211
8
votes
What bit should I use to drill a two inch hole in a solid concrete wall?
For a bore hole that large, your best bet is a water-cooled diamond bore. There are many rental centers that can rent you the tool and the bore.
- 19.7k
8
votes
Masonry bits dulling after 3-4 holes
An SDS-plus hammer drill will make holes very fast using a bit that starts hardly sharp and rapidly becomes completely dull. It really doesn't care, because it's a pneumatic hammer action and the ...
- 668
8
votes
Masonry bits dulling after 3-4 holes
The hammering action of the drill linked in the picture doesn't really need anything more than turning the dial to the hammer setting - it doesn't selectively "activate." It should be pretty ...
- 24.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Is mortar waterproof?
Mortar is not waterproof. However, there are products that can be applied to mortar (and other concrete materials), that can make the mortar waterproof.
- 128k
7
votes
Accepted
SDS drills with advertised chuck sizes
Looking at the Milwaukee web site the chuck capacity refers to the largest solid bit (hole diameter) the drill is capable of drilling. They are referring to using a solid bit not a hole saw. If you ...
- 10.9k
7
votes
What bit should I use to drill a two inch hole in a solid concrete wall?
I did this once. All of the previous answers are valid, but if you're trying to do this through an 8" or thinner concrete wall "on the cheap", don't mind investing a significant chunk of time, and ...
- 71
6
votes
How much water for mixing with concrete?
Concrete is strongest when the mix is as dry as possible, and weaker when the mix is wetter. A highly liquid mix is therefore almost always a bad idea.
This is well understood/documented/tested in ...
- 132k
6
votes
Masonry bits dulling after 3-4 holes
Make sure you have not accidentally set the drill in reverse mode. When the bit rotates the wrong way it causes the bit to heat up and wear out. Something similar to this happened to a friend and to ...
- 606
6
votes
Is my electric impact drill useless?
If you're not drilling, stop drilling
Anytime your drill isn't actually moving forward progress, immediately stop and troubleshoot why not.
*Doing anything else is just destroying equipment for no ...
5
votes
What kinds of gloves should be used for working with mortar?
Considering how little exposure you will get to the mortar for your small project, you're probably fine with just your work gloves. Wearing latex gloves under your work gloves will provide additional ...
- 18.7k
5
votes
How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer?
Open a window and measure from the face of the brick to the inside wall. If it's 14 plus inches, that's at least two courses of brick. It will be obvious if it is; questionable if it's any less thick ...
- 12.7k
5
votes
How many holes can a masonry drill bit make?
I can't give an exhaustive scientific answer, but I have plenty of hammerdrilling experience, both with SDS bits and smooth shank bits. I have a Bosch Bulldog and seeing that you'll be drilling for ...
- 276
4
votes
Accepted
How to clean portland cement off bricks?
There is a product called Sure Klean® that is used nowadays. I am sure there are other brands out there too. Muriatic acid used to be used, at least it was when I was a masons helper, but I think Its ...
- 31.1k
4
votes
How well does masonry blocks used in European home construction insulate compared to a well insulated American (wood) wall?
Insulation value of masonry walls vs wood-frame walls
You should be able to find guidance. For example Scottish Guidance, UK Guidance
In the UK, I believe regulations specify maximum U-values
U-...
- 23.7k
4
votes
How to minimise the amount of concrete needed for a shed foundation?
If you'd like to minimize use of concrete, don't use any. I have 4 sheds that have been sitting for 14 years on sections of pressure treated wood, set on top of the ground - and a 5th that's on 4 ...
- 132k
4
votes
Is mortar waterproof?
Yes, mortar is waterproof. It is "relatively unaffected" by water "under specified conditions".
Water-proof or water-resistant describes objects relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ...
- 12.7k
4
votes
Insulation foam in hollow bricks and blocks
Those are terra cotta blocks. They are, indeed, hollow. You could drill (carefully! Terra Cotta is fragile when drilling) and fill each and every block with low expansion foam (has normal expansion ...
- 23.8k
4
votes
Good, affordable pathway materials for sidewalk with tree root problems
Depending on where you live, reclaimed brick can be very inexpensive. The same theory still applies: if there's a problem in the future, just pull up the bricks and re-level the bed. However, bricks ...
- 18.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible