Is it difficult to drill a hole in brick on outside or house

anotherquestion

Hi folks,

I'm thinking of getting one of those video doorbells and will probably need to drill a hole on outside of house as I believe the bell mounting backplate has a few holes in it to fix probably small screws, not that deep.

Though I have a few drills, to be honest I'm not that handy with it and don't want to make a mess either on outside as more noticeable but is it difficult to drill a small hole in either the masonry between bricks or the brick itself. I don't want to use any sticky pads to mount it as probably not secure enough

What's the general rule do I use a drill a little bigger than the screw, or one the same size as the plug that goes into hole.

Thanks for any advice.

grumpy_codger

It's very easy with the right (masonry) drill bit.
If the hole isn't very close to the edge of a brick it's even easier if the driver has impact/hammer mode, otherwise you risk splitting the brick.
Normally you need a plastic plug that suits your screw.
The hole/drillbit diameter has to match the plug.

CliveOfIndia

anotherquestion said:

What's the general rule do I use a drill a little bigger than the screw, or one the same size as the plug that goes into hole.

You need to use a drill bit of the same size as the plug - assuming the plug is the right size for the screw..  If you're in any doubt at all, start off with a slightly smaller hole, see if the plug will fit, then enlarge the hole slightly if needed.

grumpy_codger

Without impacts/hammer it's much better to use sharp masonry drillbits. I think they are usually called 'multimaterial'.

stuart45

Start off with the size of screw you are using. Use a plug that is the correct one for the screw. Then use the correct drill size for the plug. If you look online the drill, plug and screws sizes will be on there. A box of screws will usually have the info on there.
A video doorbell is only a lightweight thing to put on a wall, so it should be easy.

MouldyOldDough

@anotherquestion

Or do you have a neighbour who can help you ?

Exodi

Is it a battery powered one, as some of them require a power wire in the back?

Is it not possible to mount it to your likely PVC door frame?

stuart45

grumpy_codger said:

Without impacts/hammer it's much better to use sharp masonry drillbits. I think they are usually called 'multimaterial'.

A masonry drill bit is a bit different from a multi material drill bit. A masonry bit is specifically made for masonry, whereas a multi material is designed to be used on a variety of materials without the need to keep changing the bit. However, for masonry, a masonry bit cuts through a bit better. 
Even with a good quality masonry bit, a hammer action is better for harder brick and stone. The thing that wrecks a masonry bit the quickest is overheating from taking too long to drill out the hole. The more powerful the hammer action, the quicker the hole is drilled and the less wear on the drill. I can get about 4 times the life out of a drill bit using a 10J drill than using a smaller 3J drill on hard materials. 
The exception is a diamond drill that works by cutting alone, such as a core drill.

grumpy_codger

stuart45 said:

grumpy_codger said:

Without impacts/hammer it's much better to use sharp masonry drillbits. I think they are usually called 'multimaterial'.

A masonry drill bit is a bit different from a multi material drill bit. A masonry bit is specifically made for masonry, whereas a multi material is designed to be used on a variety of materials without the need to keep changing the bit. However, for masonry, a masonry bit cuts through a bit better. 
Even with a good quality masonry bit, a hammer action is better for harder brick and stone. The thing that wrecks a masonry bit the quickest is overheating from taking too long to drill out the hole. The more powerful the hammer action, the quicker the hole is drilled and the less wear on the drill. I can get about 4 times the life out of a drill bit using a 10J drill than using a smaller 3J drill on hard materials. 
The exception is a diamond drill that works by cutting alone, such as a core drill.

You are right, although I disagree about overheating effect and I never noticed any real difference between 'masonry' and 'multmaterial', at least for bricks.
What I meant was that SDS-type drillbits are usually not sharp, even new, and are really bad for drilling without hammer.

stuart45

grumpy_codger said:

stuart45 said:

grumpy_codger said:

Without impacts/hammer it's much better to use sharp masonry drillbits. I think they are usually called 'multimaterial'.

A masonry drill bit is a bit different from a multi material drill bit. A masonry bit is specifically made for masonry, whereas a multi material is designed to be used on a variety of materials without the need to keep changing the bit. However, for masonry, a masonry bit cuts through a bit better. 
Even with a good quality masonry bit, a hammer action is better for harder brick and stone. The thing that wrecks a masonry bit the quickest is overheating from taking too long to drill out the hole. The more powerful the hammer action, the quicker the hole is drilled and the less wear on the drill. I can get about 4 times the life out of a drill bit using a 10J drill than using a smaller 3J drill on hard materials. 
The exception is a diamond drill that works by cutting alone, such as a core drill.

You are right, although I disagree about overheating effect and I never noticed any real difference between 'masonry' and 'multmaterial', at least for bricks.
What I meant was that SDS-type drillbits are usually not sharp, even new, and are really bad for drilling without hammer.

You notice the difference in the lifespan of a masonry bit when you've got hundreds of holes to drill in a really hard wall such as Churt stone. With a really powerful SDS it only takes a few seconds to go into the wall, whereas with a lower powered SDS it takes a lot longer. The drill bits burn out a lot quicker using a low powered drill. You probably wouldn't notice the difference if only drilling a few holes in brickwork. It's when you are spending all day drilling. 

casper_gutman

grumpy_codger said:

stuart45 said:

grumpy_codger said:

Without impacts/hammer it's much better to use sharp masonry drillbits. I think they are usually called 'multimaterial'.

A masonry drill bit is a bit different from a multi material drill bit. A masonry bit is specifically made for masonry, whereas a multi material is designed to be used on a variety of materials without the need to keep changing the bit. However, for masonry, a masonry bit cuts through a bit better. 
Even with a good quality masonry bit, a hammer action is better for harder brick and stone. The thing that wrecks a masonry bit the quickest is overheating from taking too long to drill out the hole. The more powerful the hammer action, the quicker the hole is drilled and the less wear on the drill. I can get about 4 times the life out of a drill bit using a 10J drill than using a smaller 3J drill on hard materials. 
The exception is a diamond drill that works by cutting alone, such as a core drill.

You are right, although I disagree about overheating effect and I never noticed any real difference between 'masonry' and 'multmaterial', at least for bricks.
What I meant was that SDS-type drillbits are usually not sharp, even new, and are really bad for drilling without hammer.

A low powered drill without hammer action won't have a suitable chuck for use with SDS bits, the entire purpose of which is to allow the use of a more powerful hammer action. That's why SDS bits have a widened shank with slotted grooves to slide longitudinally in the chuck.