drill in ceiling?

[Sandberg]

Hello,

I attempted the simple task of installing a lamp. So, I took out my Bosch hammer drill and started drilling. But it turns out I get about 10 mm in and then it comes to an absolute stop, completely impossible to drill deeper. I tried with both concrete and metal drill bits. Rebar, I thought, and drilled a bit beside with the same result. What exactly is the special material used in the ceiling (condo built in '62) and do I need to invest in a rotary hammer to successfully drill a hole? I mean, I've managed it in previous apartments with a cheap combo screwdriver/drill...

 

[anaitis]

You might have come directly upon a rock.
Then you may need a drill hammer.

 

[snuttjulle]

Have encountered that there was a reinforcement of a metal plate embedded where they counted on a ceiling lamp.

 

[Daveo]

It should be possible to drill with a hammer drill, you might have hit the same rebar. They are arranged in a grid pattern so you should always move the drill diagonally if you hit a bar.

 

[Sandberg]

They are arranged in a grid pattern, so you should always move the drill diagonally if you hit a metal

Yep, that's what I did. In fact, I have tried drilling a hole earlier at another spot for the smoke detector, but it was the same there, so I solved it with double-sided tape.

 

[Tripod]

Try to get a real rotary hammer drill like a "hilti". Then it will be like drilling in butter A rotary hammer instead of an impact drill should make it work.

 

[m97marro]

What kind of drill do you have?

 

[Tripod]

I am fortunate to have a HILTI owner in the family. I only have a SuperPower 18V drill myself. I currently have wooden walls/ceiling, so the need is not that great.

But a hilti is not necessary and is probably way too expensive for a normally inclined person to buy. It's hardly worth the investment to drill 1-2 holes a year. You can probably rent one somewhere. Buy a cheap variant like B&D or something. The important thing is that it is a rotary hammer and not a hammer drill. Rotary hammers are more efficient as I understand it.

 

[great1]

if you only came 10mm you should be able to see what it is, right?

 

[Johan F]

If it's rebar, you usually smell a 'burnt' odor. Rent a rotary hammer from the nearest hardware store and it should work. In my apartment (built in the 1940s), it's exactly the same, incredibly hard-drilled concrete...

 

[m97marro]

... the question about the drilling machine was for the thread starter... What equipment others have doesn't solve the problem of not being able to drill in Sandberg's ceiling.

Perhaps a poorly formulated question.

 

[snickarboden]

No, but rather poorly read because he writes in his first post that he has a Bosch impact drill.

/Kent

 

[m97marro]

Mmmm and I have a Volvo. Can anyone guess the model?

 

[Daveo]

740 or V70?

 

[snickarboden]

It doesn't really matter which model from Bosch's range it is, since a hammer drill by default has difficulty with vibrated concrete as they just bounce there; that's basically why rotary hammers exist.

/Kent