AAW Perth

Nov, 2020

Concrete Drilling: How To Drill Into Concrete

Once in a while, you may require to drill into concrete. Maybe you want to put up a shelf, hang some paintings, or install lights. So drilling a hole in concrete is a handy technique. The process is simple, however, you’ll need to pick the right tools and know the way to use them to do a perfect job.

Let’s cut to the chase and find out what you need to do during your concrete drilling activity. To get more technical assistance on concrete cutting and core drilling visit concrete cutting Perth specialists.

The Set-Up

Have a good hammer drill

If you’re working on a small project where you need to drill one or two small holes, then a regular drill will work. But for smooth drilling, in large jobs, a hammer drill is the best. This particular drill fractures the concrete by rapid hammering and then drills, scooping out the broken material.

Understand your tool

Before you can get to work, read the user’s manual and get to know how all knobs and controls work. Take your time, until you’re comfortable with your tool.

Attach a quality masonry drill bit

Masonry bits with carbide tips are the best in this case. Remember to have the flutes as long as the hole you’re drilling, since they help in eliminating dust from the hole.

Set the depth

Drills usually have a depth control bar, so you can always read the user manual and read how to use it. If your drill lacks depth control, you can measure and mark the required depth on the drill bit.

Hold your drill the right way

Hold the drill using one hand, placing your index finger on the “trigger”. If there’s another handle on the drill where you can place the other hand, use it.

The Drilling Process

Mark the spot you’re drilling

Make a mark on the spot you want to drill on your wall. Use a soft pencil and indicate a small cross or dot.

Make a pilot hole

You’ll need a hole to help guide your drill for the real hole. So, place your drill on the mark and drill a bit, at low speed making a shallow hole.

Continue with power

Now you can begin drilling firmly but not forcefully. If your drill has a hammer function, turn it on, then place your drill on the pilot hole, keeping it perpendicular to the concrete, and go on drilling.

Remove the drill occasionally

Pull the drill out and press it in again after every 10 to 20 seconds. This way you’ll be pulling dust out of the hole.

Use a masonry nail on hard places

Sometimes as you drill, you may hit hard places. Whenever this happens, insert a masonry nail in the hole and hit it with a hammer to break the concrete. But don’t drill the nail too deep to avoid problems while pulling it out.

Blow out the dust

Removing dust strengthens the concrete anchors. A squeeze bulb can be used to remove concrete dust from the hole. Remember to put on your goggles to protect your eyes from dust and debris.

And that’s it! With the right tools and using them the right way, you’ll get your

Nov, 2020

Why Concrete Driveways Crack And Can It Be Prevented?

Many homeowners will opt for concrete driveways because it does not cost a lot to install or maintain. However, these installations can crack due to different reasons, but this often depends on the quality of the installation. While you can never expect concrete to be free of cracks, it is wise to point out the most notable causes and how you can extend your concrete driveway’s lifespan.

1. Stop The Sodium

As concrete cures, it will fluctuate depending on the temperature changes. Cold contracts and heat expand, and the two reactions cause concrete to crack. When winter comes knocking, your concrete driveway will be bombarded with ice and snow. While salt might seem like the next best option for dissipating the ice, it will hurt your driveway.

Concrete molecules freeze at 18 degrees and thaws at 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The ice facilitates freezing, and the thawing increase the formation of water as the ice and snow melts, resulting in increased moisture. The moisture seeps in between the concrete molecules and freezes inside the concrete when the conditions are freezing again, creating pressure that causes the concrete to crack. Therefore, using salt only aids in damaging your driveway. Instead, use sand and apply a sealant to the concrete annually, preferably a month before the winter season. If you like more professional assistance visit experienced concreter in Perth.

2. Mitigate The Sun’s Effects

Conditions during summer can be extreme. When concrete is baked in under the hot sun, it expands but then contracts at night when the temperatures drop, leading to cracks. Applying a silicone acrylic water repellent sealer to your driveway will protect it from the sun’s harshness. You can use an epoxy injection to repair the cracks. Conversely, consider techniques like sealing, dry packing, and routing to stabilize them, thus preventing them from worsening.

3. Lose Some Weight

At times, concrete will develop cracks when it has more weight than it can support. In most cases, concrete driveways in residential properties are four inches thick and can withstand a weight fewer than 10,000 lbs. Fortunately, families with vehicles will have SUVs, Sedans, and trucks, which the driveway can handle. Large vehicles and RVs exceeding 10,000 lbs. should not be allowed on the concrete. Please Visit: Best Concrete Cutting Perth

If you plan to have heavy vehicles on your driveway, consider using a wire mesh or rebar to enhance the concrete to withstand such weight and make it roughly six inches thick.

4. Nothing Short Of Quality Installation

Lastly, many cracking issues stem from the initial preparation and pouring of the concrete when installing the driveway. The contractor must be skilled and experienced in concrete works. For instance, getting the water ratio wrong, installing the rebar or wire mesh wrongly, or pouring the concrete on frozen ground can result in a weak product that’s prone to cracking.

Pro Concrete Polishing Perth claims concrete slab should have a sturdy base because this is essential to having a driveway that lasts. The contractor you hire must be skilled in prepping the ground, laying everything down, and ensuring that control joints are secure. Therefore, the contractor must include some visible ‘cracks’ between the sidewalk squares that allow the concrete driveway to expand and contract, thus preventing new cracks.

Oct, 2020

Getting The Assistance You Need With Concrete Driveways

It’s a good idea to really research what your options are when it comes to concrete driveways. You want someone that can help you get one put in that is going to last and look nice at the same time. Below are some tips that will make it easier to hire the right person.

A driveway is going to have to be worked on by someone that is not new to this kind of thing. You want to know if they have done this kind of work for others in recent years or at least a couple of times before. If they tell you this will be their first attempt at doing this kind of thing, you need to hire someone else to assist you. When an amateur puts in a driveway, mistakes can be made and the end result may not be something you’ll be happy with. Click here for more about residential driveway installation.

To put in a good driveway, have a professional do it that has a lot of good reviews backing them. To look up reviews on a driveway service, just look up the company’s name along with the word “reviews” through a search engine website. If there aren’t any results because they are new, you may want to go with a company that is established just to be on the safe side of all of this. A good driveway is something that a good number of companies can help put in, you just have to do a bit of research first.

A good driveway needs to be made of the right material. If you’re wanting a residential type of driveway, then concrete is generally the way to go. If you want it to last and be a good driveway, make sure the materials being used are top of the line. Ask an expert that you hire to help you what they recommend you do to take care of the driveway, as well. For instance, you may need to have problem areas worked on after a good number of years so the driveway can look as good as new as long as possible. Learn more about driveway finish trends.

Figure out what a new driveway is going to cost you when you work with a few different companies. You want to know that you are getting a deal that is worth it, so do research on what people are charging. Don’t spend too much and don’t go with something so cheap that it has to be done with cheap materials and by people that don’t have a lot of recent experience. A lot of the time you get what you pay for but that still doesn’t mean that you should pay so much more that it’s not fair.

If you want to work with concrete driveways, it’s good to have a professional help you out. They can do good work as long as you know they are well trained. Don’t just hire people that say they do good work, hire people that can prove they have done driveway work in the past.

Sep, 2020

Concrete Drilling Can Help To Embed Fasteners Into Concrete

Many home improvement projects can require you to fasten things like shelf brackets into a concrete wall. You will find concrete walls in basements or you may even need to fasten something down onto a concrete floor.

Core Drilling into concrete is difficult because the embedded aggregate in concrete makes it dense and hard, and these stones are obstacles to any drill bit. Drilling into concrete can quickly make the drill bits dull and require them to be replaced or sharpened. Concrete drilling becomes easier if you use a hammer drill, that hammers while it rotates, and this hammering action helps to pulverize the aggregate in the concrete, allowing the rotary action to create the desired holes in the concrete. The available hammer drills can also be cordless but are highly demanding of power. You can also get hammer drills in which the mode can be changed into rotational only so that you can drill into other surfaces like brick or plaster and lath.

You can always use only rotary drills for drilling into concrete but this can take longer and require greater physical effort. The rotation of the drill bit in concrete produces a lot of heat, and this can harm the drill bit, and lead to its breaking at times. Running a stream of water onto the surface being drilled can cool down the drill bit, prevent it from breaking, and also make it easier to drill the hole. Removing the debris constantly with a vacuum can also prevent the debris formed during drilling from obstructing the drilling.

Start your project for drilling holes in concrete by clearly marking its location, and also be sure that there is nothing concealed in the concrete that can get damaged during the drilling. Concrete walls will have embedded power conduits, water lines, and the inevitable reinforcement bars. Decide on the diameter of the required hole and the depth to which it requires to be drilled. Most drills will have depth stops that must be set to a quarter of an inch more than the required depth. The purchase of concrete screws will often also include the right size of the drill bit that must be used.

Start the drilling of the hole by first creating a guide hole of at least a quarter of an inch. Do this while setting the drill to a low speed, as this will give you better control. Stop drilling and remove all dust and debris from the guide hole. You can now start the drilling making sure that the drill is perpendicular to the surface being drilled. Hold the drill firmly without applying too much pressure and run it at a medium speed. Periodically, stop drilling and clear the concrete dust that has formed with the drilling and hammering action. Continue these intermittent operations till the required depth of the hole has been reached.

Concrete drilling can produce dust and noise and you need to provide yourself with goggles, gloves, and ear muffs if necessary so that any drilling operations can be carried out safely. Visit: www.familyhandyman.com for more on drilling concrete and installing fasteners.

Article Contributed by: Concrete Cutting Perth