How to Drill Into Bricks With or Without a Hammer Drill

Last Updated on April 24, 2021 by John Patterson

Drilling into bricks may not be an easy job for you. But it’s like an obvious task nowadays as everyone wants to hang some pictures or cloth hangers at their home.

So knowing it may become an advantage for you. Again drillers have to have the skill to do this job as it is not so easy.

One may cause damage to the wall when drilling into it or the damage may occur to the drill machine.

So the safe and secure best way to drill into brick procedure is going to help you a lot. Stay here with me as I am going to discuss it and some other factors.

Important Materials and Tools List for drilling into brick:

1. Hammer Drill
2. Safety Goggles
3. Ruler or Tape measure
4. Pencil
5. Hearing Protection
6. N95 Respirator
7. Leather Gloves
8. Masking Tape (optional)
9. Masonry Drill Bits
10. Canned Compressed Air
11. Wall Anchor
12. Broom
13. Dustpan
14. Shop vacuum with prefilter
15. Mop (optional)

How to Drill Into Bricks: A Step-by-step Guide

The best way to drill into brick is described in eight steps:

Step 1: Measure the anchor

First, measure the anchor according to the object you want to hang or some other work. Suppose, if you hang a picture of 7 pounds then the anchor which can carry 10 pounds will be better to choose.

Measuring anchor will help to select the drill bit because the width of the anchor and drill hole is dependent. To measure the width of the anchor. Choose one before the purchase and confirm that it will fit.

Step 2: Plan the hole

Knowing the size of the hole is necessary before starting to drill into the brick. Sometimes you are placing a bolt in the hole and may want to hold something else in that place. Therefore, measure the width along with the length of the bolt.

These measurements are going to help you determine the drill bit you need. You can then decide the size and length of the drill bit. Drill the hole larger than the width of the anchor or another item you are going to place in the hole. When the hole is large, use a small bit then to drill a pilot hole.

Step 3: Mark the wall

Then mark the place specifically you want to drill. Otherwise, drilling will not be as you want or the placement of the hole may cause a problem later. Check if there are electrical wires, plumbing, and other structures on the place where you are drilling.

If such things are present then change the spot that may cause an accident. Next to do is drilling through cement mortar instead of the bricks. Therefore, it will be easier to drill, and also there will be no damage to the brick which is not good to see in an open spot.

Step 4: Wear safety gear

It is compulsory to use safety gear when working with drills because pieces of bricks or plaster can come to your eyes. Use eye goggles to protect eyes from brick mortar particles. Otherwise, damage to your eyes may happen. Dust musk is a shield from the particles that you may breathe in.

Again who is allergenic to dusk must wear a dust mask. Gloves are the savior form hurt that can cause at the time of drilling. Before starting work, read the instruction manual, there was a lot of advice when using that machine.

Step 5: Drill hole

Before drilling a large hole, you need a small pilot hole, so drill one at first. Place a masonry bit that is smaller than it and carefully drill in the mortar over the marked point. Then start to drill a more massive hole through the brick. That time it needs an appropriate-sized bit.

Step 6: Cool the bit

Drilling through mortar is a tough job even if you use a high-powered drill machine. When you are drilling the bit will get hot as there is much stress applied to it. For keeping the drill bit cold, you should have a ready bucket of water beside you.

And occasionally cool it when it gets hotter. Another way is to pour the water on the bit so that it cools down. Or dip the bit in the water bucket; you should do it much carefully. Because when cooling it down, water may fall over the drill it and that may cause damage to the drill machine as well as you can get harm. So you better be careful.

Step 7: Free the bit if stuck

As I said before, drilling is much stressful work because you need to use quite your strength. Not only that, another problem is that drill bits may become stuck in the wall on which you are doing drill work. It may arise some problems if you do not get over them carefully.

The first thing to do is, reverse the bit so you can pull it out from the wall. It will work if you do not dig much into the wall. Otherwise, dig through the masonry for retrieving the bit. But the side effect of doing it can cause damage to the brick. So it is better to apply the first option and avoid digging.

Step 8: Seal the hole

After finishing the job, you can’t keep the hole open because it will look odd. So, the next task is to seal the hole. Thread the item through the wall, as you drilled on the wall, there is a hole in it, a maybe large or small one. Seal it up with a sufficient amount of putty and plain it so that no putty is seen loose on the wall.

Before going to the FAQs, let’s watch the video

How to drill into brick without a hammer drill?

Do you need a hammer drill for a brick?

People use a hammer drill if the brick wall is so hard. Even after using a hammer drill, it is tough to drill through a wall of that type. But sometimes you may not want to use a hammer drill that causes hassle.

Then include a hand star drill bit in your toolkit. The diameter of the hand star drill bit has to be between the main hole and the pilot size. Sometimes you need this to hand hammer to the hole if you are striking hard material in the depth of the hole.

How to drill into brick without cracking it?

One common complaint is that there from a crack when drilling into the brick. That’s why you need to give extra care and have proper planning. When drilling the hole, it should be sufficient bigger than the thing you are going to install to the hole.

If the hole is the same or slightly bigger than the pipe or something else, there may develop a crack when installing it. Again the combination of the drill bit and the hole should be proportional.

A too-large bit for a smaller hole is the cause of the cracking in the wall. So purchase according to your hole size to prevent crack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question #1. Can you drill into a brick with a normal drill?

Answer: As already mentioned, yes, you can.

Question #2: What kind of drill do you need to drill into a brick?

Answer: A decent Hammer drill will be best in this regard. These are the best ones for drilling in bricks, mortar, and concrete.

Question #3: Do I drill into the brick or the mortar?

Answer: Make sure to drill into the mortar and not the brick because brick is hard so it’s much difficult to drill into it. Again there is a risk of cracking the brick.

Question #4: How do I screw into a brick?

Answer: Use a hammer drill to make a hole through the mortar and make sure the diameter of it is correct for installing a screw.

Question #5: Do you have to use a hammer drill to drill into a brick?

Answer: Hammer drills are excellent for drilling masonry. You can use a regular drill to make a hole, but for making a bunch of holes into 50 years old concrete, hammer drills are best.

Question #6: How do you screw into a brick wall?

Answer: For screwing into a brick wall, the procedure is all the same as the steps. Make sure the hole diameter is correct for the screw.

Question #7: How do you attach wood to brick?

Answer: Drill a pilot hole with a hammer drill; tap the anchor into the hole. For a more massive hole, use a larger anchor, and then using a fastener, attach wood to brick.

Final Words

After going through the whole article, you have a clear concept of the best way to drill into brick.

So you probably had some scare for drilling into bricks as you may crack your wall.

But now you know the causes of the crack and how to avoid it.

So it is no more difficult job for you than you thought. You no need to call for a drilling worker when you can do it!