Which drill bit to use?

Question

I have to drill into painted plaster in a kitchen. I intend to hang a cupboard so need rawlplugs etc. Do I use a masonry or a wood bit?

Answer 1

Hi
If you want to drill into plaster in the kitchen to hang a cupboard the first job is to find out what is behind the plaster so tap on the wall in various places and see if it is hollow. If it is hollow it will be a wood frame with plasterboard nailed onto it so you can either drill it with an ordinary drill used for metal or use a drill specially designed for wood, the wood drill makes a cleaner cut hole. If the wall is solid use a masonry drill. The inner part of the outer walls of a house are usually brick or block with a coating of solid plaster or with plasterboard stuck on them (the latter being called dry lining) and the walls inside the house are usually a wood frame with plasterboard nailed on unless they are a load bearing wall then they are block or brick. If it is a hollow wall you will have to use special plugs which are ready available and you have to be careful how much weight you hang on them, best to locate the sections of wood frame behind the plaster and screw the cupboard to that, or at least put a couple of the cupboard holding screws into the wood frame. The sections of the wood frame are usually 400mm apart but they vary, you can get a good idea where they are by tapping on the hollow wall until you find a place that does not sound hollow. This info is for houses built in the UK hope it helps you.

Answer 2

Plasterboard Drill Bit

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

If this is home use the hammer drill is not worth the extra expense. If any drill bit gets too hot it will lose its temper and wear out quickly. No coolant is used on wood since the coolant would cause more problems than it's worth. Just control the speed and force. Water is used to cool the bits for masonary work and is needed since the friction is so high, or you will have to buy a bit for each hole or two. Most home metal projects can be done without coolant if you take it easy. You could use water or cutting oil on steel, but water in this case is not worth the mess. Aluminum is a great heat sink and coolant is not normaly needed.

Answer 5

Masonry bit will do either but don't hang wall cupboards on hollow walls without putting a patress behind the fixings

Answer 6

Masonry is for brick walls or supper hard material. Plaster just use an ordinary drill bit.

Answer 7

Use a carbide bit that is normally associated with a roto-zip. They have a rough surface, have 1/8" diameter, and can drill hundreds of holes in stucco for you. Masonry bits are for solid surfaces. Wood bits will dull very quickly on stucco or plaster.

Answer 8

OK goose ..unfortunately you have failed to give enough info ..all walls are normally plastered .and most walls are painted .but you don't say if the wall is a stud wall (wood and plasterboard and hollow ) or a solid wall(brick or block)..what we do know is you are going to fit a wall cupboard ..if solid and its brick then size 7 drill and brown plugs ..5.5 screws minimum lenght 50mm ..if block wall use a 6.5 drill .you will need to tap plugs in but they go in nice and tight ..if hollow wall you will need hollow wall fixings ..the best are metal and are like a spiral ..you mark the fixing point and screw one of these in then you screw another screw (supplied in kit )into the centre of spiral ..i have used these hundreds of times even in critical areas like handrail brackets ..or if stud wall you might try to find the uprights in the wall .tap the wall until you find a solid sounding bit ..tap in a thin nail ..if you hit solid mark with pencil ...if not move left and right until you do ..then mark ...the next upright should be approx400mm away ..some studs are wider ..you can then screw direct into them

Answer 9

I've used wood bits on plaster many times and still have a sharp bit

Answer 10

I would use a standard steel bit drilling through plaster unless the plaster is hung on masonry material