Q&A for How to Drill Into Concrete

Put on the appropriate safety gear, including glasses, a ventilator mask, safety glasses, gloves, and heavy pants. Also, cover any nearby doors or windows with plywood, and move any vehicles out of the area.

Though you don't need to water down the concrete, the water will help to collect and remove the drilling dust, which can be hazardous to your health and "clog" the drill bit. The water can also help to keep your bit from overheating, which in turn helps keep the bit from shattering.

Yes, ice cubes would be the ideal thing to use. (That's what I've learned as a granite fabricator.)

Use your shop vac, but don't just put it over the hole, use your hand on the end of the vacuum hose and let some air come through your fingers. This will suck up the dust and clean the hole.

Rent one. Don't even think of using a conventional drill. It will do nothing for you.

Your drill bit might be slightly offset due to not being located in the chuck properly, or the drill bit is slightly bent. Over-enlarging the hole may also be caused by excess vibration.

Get a stud tester with an electrical finder. Always check for electrical wires before you start drilling into any walls.

Option one would be to use a plastic or wooden hole plug before you screw in or just use a broader screw. If the hole is too big in depth, use a deeper/longer screw or fill it in with mixed concrete.

If you are drilling into concrete and not sure if there is a water line or electrical conduit, you can always call dig safe and have them locate the lines if you are drilling outside.

Call a professional to assist you in this process.

As long as the slab isn't exceptionally thin, a couple inches is fine. Keep in mind drilling holes creates weak points in the concrete. Having too many in a small area greatly increases the chance of cracks.

The main trick I have found (manually, with a chisel or star drill) is to just go slowly - if you hit the drill as hard as you can, that will be likely to break out the back side, but if you go lightly, making the drill really serve as a drill, you can avoid that. If you know how thick the concrete is, you can probably go for speed until the last few inches.

Yes it is. In my experience, it's always been faster to step-up then to try to immediately drill the largest hole size. Drilling a smaller hole first helps the bigger bits chip away at the concrete. One exception might be if you are using a core type of bit.

A hammer drill is fine for creating a few smaller holes (both smaller in diameter and depth) in concrete, but if you are drilling a lot of holes, or if you are drilling holes which are either deep or wide (or both), leave the hammer drill in the tool box and get the proper tool––a rotary hammer. Think of a rotary hammer as a hammer drill that took steroids.