Should you need to drill a hole in a wall tile, stick masking tape approximately where the hole will be and mark the centre on it. Again turn off the hammer / SDS action and try to drill through the tile without it, the masking tape should stop the drill bit from sliding all over and you have less chance of breaking the tile drilling with the hammer / SDS action switched off.  When the drill bit has passed through the tile (6 – 8mm) you can if required switch the hammer / SDS action back on. See video below.

To reduce the mess from your hole drilling have an assistant hold a vacuum cleaner hose under the hole when it is being drilled, it will remove virtually all the dust.

Safety tip :- Always use safety goggles/protective eyewear when drilling holes in masonry.

To drill holes in masonry you obviously need some form of power/battery drill, which one you choose depends on the material you are drilling the hole in and how big a hole you wish to drill. Power/battery hammer drills are usually adequate enough for general domestic use, i.e. drilling fixings for screws and plugs, but if you have to drill a hole in excess of 8mm, I would use a power/battery SDS (Special Direct System) drill to do the job.

If you have never used an SDS drill before I guarantee you will be amazed at the difference in effort required to drill a hole compared to using a hammer drill and depending on how powerful the drill is you can drill much larger holes through virtually any type of masonry or concrete. Some SDS drills allow you to stop the rotary movement of the chuck so you can fit a chisel bit for chasing out plaster and brick etc.

The only problem with SDS drills is that they have a slower top speed than hammer drills and the chuck will only accept SDS bits. You can purchase a standard chuck that will slot into the SDS chuck for normal drill bits, which is great as long as you don’t need to drill at high speed.

Which drill would I choose? Both of them.  The hammer drill for general use/high speed and an SDS drill for any hard material that is beyond the capabilities of  the hammer drill.

These detectors are an invaluable addition to any DIYers toolbox, if you drill a wall for a fixing and hit a hidden pipe or live cable, it can be an expensive and frustrating mistake to make.

They are simple to use, first read all the instructions so you fully understand how it works as there may be different settings for each material to be detected, they usually have solid or flashing leds to show a pipe, cable or stud has been detected, this is sometimes accompanied with an audible tone.

It is good practice to use your new detector on a wall where you know a pipe, cable or wall stud is present, so you can get conversant with which light, or tone combination alerts you to what is present in the wall.

There are various detectors on the market which can be purchased for around £15 to £30.

Does the screw need to have an anti-corrosive coating for exterior work.

Will the screw be used as a fixing into hardwood, if so drill a pilot hole so the wood doesn’t split and the screw head doesn’t shear off (more common with brass screws).

A popular screw with both DIYers and professionals is the Phillips or cross head screw. They are ideal for use with battery drill / drivers and if the screw is being driven in by hand there is less chance of the screwdriver slipping and damaging the surface of whatever you are fixing in place.

Don’t be a cheapskate and buy the cheapest fixings available, good fixings cost a little more but will save you a lot of time and frustration. Most of the big DIY stores such as B & Q, Wickes, Focus etc, have vast ranges of good quality fixings.

                                                                                                                                                                       The following examples of screw sizes should only be used as a general guide.

Fixing brackets for kitchen cupboards to a plastered brick / block wall – use  2 1/2 ” x 10s countersunk cross head screws with Brown plastic rawlplugs and penny / mudguard washers (these steel washers are 1″ in diameter with a 1/4″ hole). If the wall is dot and dabbed, as a lot of new build properties are, (plasterboard stuck to the wall) then you may need screws 1″ longer to allow for the void created by the plasterboard.

Fixing hinges to a softwood frame for an internal door use 1 1/4″ x 8s countersunk cross head screws in steel or brass depending on the hinge material. If you are fixing to a hardwood frame drill a 1/16″ pilot hole to the depth of the screw first.

Fixing a 3 foot long shelf to a brick wall, if the load on the shelf will be light, eg ornaments, use 1 1/2″ x 8s countersunk / roundhead (depends on the bracket) screws with red plastic rawlplugs. If the shelf is in a garage use 1 1/2″ x 10s screws with red rawlplugs as the load will no doubt end up heavy.

Hanging a 12″ x 8″ picture frame on a brick wall use a 1″ x 6s roundhead screw with a yellow plastic rawlplug.

Whenever you use a screw fixing you should always ‘feel’ the screw tighten up as you screw it in, if it feels loose, remove it and increase the screw gauge say from 6 to 8 using the same rawlplug, if this fails to improve the fixing you will have to increase both screw size and rawlplug.

THE SCREW HEAD.

There are two common types of screw head, the first is the most popular one in use, that is the Phillips head or cross head as it is sometimes referred to, the second is the slotted head or straight / flat head, both are shown in fig 1 below.

Fig 1

There are others available such as security head screws which can only be turned using a Torx or star bit and there are anti vandal or one way screws which are very difficult to remove and are virtually a permanent fixing.

THE SCREW HEAD SHAPE

There are countersunk head screws which have a flat head which is tapered underneath to give a flush finish.

Roundhead screws have as you would expect a roundhead with a flat underside so when used as a fixing the head stays above the surface of the wood.

Another head shape is the oval which has a less prominent rounded head and is tapered underneath, these could be used as an example for fixing brass door handles in place.

THE GAUGE

Gauge refers to the width of the screw thread, typical sizes are 6s, 8s, 10s, 12s gauge so the higher the gauge the thicker the screw thread.

THE LENGTH

The length of the screw is measured from the tip of the screw to the underside of the head, typical lengths available are from 1/2 inch (12mm) to 4 inches (100mm) long.

Woodscrews are usually made from hardened steel or brass and can be purchased with an anti-corrosion finish if required. Below are photos of various woodscrews available at most DIY stores, B & Q, Wickes, Focus, etc. 

WOODSCREWS

SCREWS