I feel useless because I can't drill into a brick wall

[Cavalierchaos]

I'm sure I have the right drill parts and I used a hammer drill. I'm trying to put up a curtain pole by my front door so I can have curtains for insulation. I just couldn't get deep enough. It was so loud and I put all my weight behind it.

I'm a single woman who lives alone. I think maybe I just didn't have the strength for it. I don't know. But I feel really stupid and useless that I can't do this simple task and also angry that I'll need to get a man in to do it.

Now I have a wall that needs fixing. Sorry, just needed a rant. I'm very annoyed.

This happened to me too ☹️ I had to get someone else to do it, I had the right bits and drill etc, but I just wasn’t strong enough to push it into the wall.

Maybe try a different spot? Remember some filler, sanding and paint means you won’t see your attempts, easily covered and forgotten.

I don’t feel confident with brick, good with plasterboard though.

Don't feel useless! At least you know what you are doing, and you gave it a good go.
I bought a drill, got it home and discovered it did not include any drill bits. Now that's useless!

If you’re drilling above a doorframe, there will be a lintel there (which holds up the rest of the house above the door). They’re hard to drill into - it’s not like drilling through a brick. Other than that, I’m no help, sorry OP!

Definitely check you have the right drill bits. When I borrowed one off a bloke at work it drilled the stone like a hot knife through butter. You shouldn't need to add additional pressure - the drill should do the work for you.

I get through life by accepting that sometimes, I just have to pay other people to do something for me - be that because of a lack of time, equipment, ability and/or inclination!

(My gardener and my plumber are both women!)

If you are using a hammer drill and masonry bit it should work without needed massive strength. The most likely problem is that there is something in the way, like a metal plate inside the wall. This is unlucky and you may have to drill another hole next to it.

Have you tried the other end of the curtain pole and was it equally bad?

Another thing you could do is take a smaller drill bit and drill into the hole you did make- small drill bit --> more force so either this will go in, which would help get a bigger hole started, or it won't in which case there is definitely an obstacle inside the wall

My DP struggled to drill into the lintel above our kid's bedroom window. It might be that you hit a particularly stubborn bit of wall. Don't let it put you off! Could you get the wall cups to put the curtain rod into each side wall rather than on the door wall? Might be easier depending on how wide your hallway is

I’ve had to push my husband whist he’s also pushing on the drill, you are not useless!

Drilling into a concrete lintel needs a masonry bit IIRC.

Dh is pretty competent at most household DIY. He finds drilling into concrete lintels very difficult.

Thank you all for the responses. It's a narrow hallway and the curtain rail only attaches at one side. I don't think it's a lintel or anything as I'm drilling the wall perpendicular to the door. When I scraped inside the holes with a screw, it did sound like it was scraping brick.

The drill piece I used was the one with a picture of a brick next to it on the box cover. It was like an arrowhead. I'm sure it was right. But I just couldn't get it in and it was making so much noise.

Oh I'm so frustrated. I like to be independent and this just seems like a job I SHOULD be able to do! It's only a bit of drilling!

Don't feel bad! I tried to drill straight into my wall but the lintels are stone. I probably had the wrong drill bit though. In the end I hammered a wooden batton to the wall then attached the curtain rod to that.

You were probably trying to drill into the lintel. That is about where it should be and it is part of the support mechanism for the house. They are very much toughened concrete/solid stone and hard to drill, as they are meant to be.

A builder who did some work for us once said to me that it is all in the power of the motor when drilling into them. That and the strength and weight of the person behind it. How accurate that is I don't know, and it was a fair number of years ago now.

It is still likely to be a lintel. Or some very solid breeze block perhaps.

Ok!

Do not panic. You need a masonry bit (preferably with a carbine head), and start the drill slowly, it needs to bite to get traction.

Once it starts to go in, just apply very gentle pressure, you shouldn't need to use force.

It's technique, not strength that's needed.

You can absolutely do it.

Hi, ex handyperson here! Make sure you are using a masonry drill bit with hammer action setting. If you can, invest in an SDS drill, it's a whole lot better than an ordinary one. But if you do, you'll need special drill bits.

You need to put up a wooden baton ( like a piece of skirting board) first with shorter screws into rawlplugs. Then the curtain pole fixed onto the baton.
You can't really put a pole straight onto brick.
( My Dad was a joiner).

just a thought you haven’t got it in reverse have you. And yes I have done that.

Agree you’re probably hitting the lintel. They’re a nightmare at the best of times and usually worth avoiding. Maybe try a little higher, they’re not normally so thick.

Edit to add you will quite often have to push quite hard and get your weight behind the drill though.

How far in did you get?

All our internal walls are brick.. frequently we have to use shorter fixings than those supplied as the assumption is they'll be going into wood/plaster board.

Obviously it needs to take a decent hold but depending on the weight of what it's holding you may be over engineering the task.

Have you checked that there is no steel in the wall (you should always check before drilling for hidden pipes, cables etc)?
If it is just brick/concrete then you will find an SDS drill will go through with no pressure, my OH has a couple of HD SDS drills (too heavy for me) but I have a nice little SDS Bosch (corded) which has never failed to do everything I want of it with minimal effort.
I use a hammer drill for soft brick or breeze but for anything harder, I reach for the SDS.

You may have burnt the hardened tip off your bit so check it against a new one.

I'm a less-than-8-stone weakling. Strength is not something I have a lot of (although I am extremely fit in other ways). However, I am a competent DIY-er.

What I've learned is that having the right tools makes a HUGE difference. Not all drills and bits are created equal. A drill with a powerful motor is a must if you live in a brick or stone property and you're not very strong. Just because a drill has a hammer function on it doesn't mean it's really up to it. Likewise, drill bit sets are normally a bit crap for hard walls unless you spend lots of money. You're better off buying a really good quality, tipped 8 and 10mm bit separately (covers most jobs).

Honestly, don't take it to heart. It's not you, it's the kit.

Try getting a decent make of drill bit. I find the Bosch multi material ( blue colouring on drill bit) much better then standard masonry bits.

Yes this. We struggled drilling holes for curtain poles. You can use strong glue stuff to stick the baton up, then drill into it. Works great.