Will An Electric Screw Driver Do This Ok?

[lawrence567]

Afternoon all,

A curtain pole in my gf's bedroom fell down.
Need to put it back up again.
Will an electric screw driver do this with a masonry bit, as i need to screw some new holes for the wall plugs to go in.
(through a bit of plaster, then into a bit of red brick.)
Or do i need to get a proper drill?
I dont really do very much DIY so want to spend as little as poss!
If you could advise, it'd be much appreciated.


Cheers

[garycat]

No, you need a hammer drill and masonry bit to go through brick. Can't you borrow one?

[Brite spark]

your drill/driver will need to have hammer action to get through the brick

eta beaten to it

Edited by Brite spark on Tuesday 25th August 14:14

[lawrence567]

Brite spark said:

your drill/driver will need to have hammer action to get through the brick

Hmm.
I might just ask around then, im not guna buy an expensive drill for drilling 2 holes!

[Busamav]

lawrence567 said:

Brite spark said:

your drill/driver will need to have hammer action to get through the brick

Hmm.
I might just ask around then, im not guna buy an expensive drill for drilling 2 holes!

before your life is over you will have drilled a lot more than 2 holes

[Brite spark]

you can get some pretty cheap drills that will do it- aldi special offer etc

if you have a small drill it may already have a hammer setting aswell as the screw/drill settings- just look for a small picture of a hammer on the dial

[lawrence567]

ok cool ill wander down to bnq in a min cheers guys

[lawrence567]

Does an impact drill do the same as a hammer drill?

[lawrence567]

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detai...

or this hammer drill?

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detai...

[bimsb6]

get an sds if you can afford it .miles better

[robinhood21]

lawrence567 said:

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detai...

or this hammer drill?

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detai...

They are both percussion drills, so either will do the job, though the second of the two should last longer than the first. You say that you have an electric screwdriver; is it a battery powered drill/driver or just a screw driver? if it's a D/D and the bricks are soft-red, then it possibly will do the job.

[lawrence567]

I havnt bought either yet i was jst seeing if an elec screw driver would do it so i could save myself some cash

[Simpo Two]

Actually if the wall is only plaster and breezeblock it could work, albeit slowly. You only need hammer action, SDS drills etc when the masonry gets really hard, like exterior brickworks.

Try it - there's nothing to lose.

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 25th August 17:13

[Rollin]

I bought a cheap b and q drill and it didn't finish the first hole before breaking.
Took it back and got a bosch which has been OK. I have an electric screwdriver and I very much doubt it would drill a hole. Thinking about it, drill bits don't fit in it

[bimsb6]

Simpo Two said:

Actually if the wall is only plaster and breezeblock it could work, albeit slowly. You only need hammer action, SDS drills etc when the masonry gets really hard, like exterior brickworks.

Try it - there's nothing to lose.

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 25th August 17:13

if its plasterboard and breeze block that'll be why it fell down in the first place !

[Simpo Two]

bimsb6 said:

if its plasterboard and breeze block that'll be why it fell down in the first place !

The inside of most exterior walls are plaster over breezeblock. The biggest problem with fixing curtain rails (in my experience) is that the drill goes in half an inch and then hits the steel lintel that runs above the window. My fix for that problem was to switch to a metal-cutting drill and drill a hole through the steel (it's bloody hard) that's slightly smaller than the screw you plan to use. Then it cuts its own thread as you screw it in and makes a really sound fastening.

[Plotloss]

Bought a cheap drill.

Drilling through a bit of wood one day with a spade bit and hit a screw which stopped the bit dead.

Gearbox on the drill exploded, sending a small bit of metal towards my head that hit me just above the eye.

So on the way home I bought a proper drill, that will last for a good while in daily use.

So, in my experience, cheap power tools are a fking liability.

[bimsb6]

Simpo Two said:

bimsb6 said:

if its plasterboard and breeze block that'll be why it fell down in the first place !

The inside of most exterior walls are plaster over breezeblock. The biggest problem with fixing curtain rails (in my experience) is that the drill goes in half an inch and then hits the steel lintel that runs above the window. My fix for that problem was to switch to a metal-cutting drill and drill a hole through the steel (it's bloody hard) that's slightly smaller than the screw you plan to use. Then it cuts its own thread as you screw it in and makes a really sound fastening.

not in proper houses they are not ,the better fix is to batten the wall and fix to the batten or fit the curtain rail above the lintel .

[Wings]

Why do you need to drill new holes?

Same thing happened to my curtain poles last week, by using slightly larger wall plugs and the next thickness and slightly longer screws, I was able to use the same hole. If the holes are far to big, then if you have any car filler, then use the filler to "set" new wall plugs in the holes.

[Mojooo]

Trust me, spend a little extra and get a good one, you will use it a lot over the years no doubt

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detai...

I have one like the above that i got fron bnq on offer for £30

look at screwfix.co.uk to see if they have a store enar you, prices are better than bnq in there even tho they are owned by the same parent comp