Drilling through a lintel

M

MidlandsBase

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I have spent the last half hour trying to drill through a lintel to put up a bracket for a venetian blind. I was using a plantinum drill bit (hss) from black and decker but seem to be making little headway. can anyone recommend the next course of action or does it take a long long time to drill through? it really doesn't seem to be getting through. I am using a 1050watt hammer action drill.
 
First off you will have to use a masonry bit (a little "spade" at the tip), with the drill set to medium to low speed with hammer action. Be prepared for it to take while. Just a thought - you're sure it's a concrete lintel, not an RSJ?
 
I'll have a go at the masonry approach. I have heard of SDS brill bits? Are these specifically for this job. My local homebase didn't stock them.

yes - it is a concrete lintel.

Thanks for the tips.
 
I could be wrong but I don't think you are supposed to drill into lintels, and it is very difficult to do anyway as they are very hard and have steel rods in them.
 
MidlandsBase said:
I have spent the last half hour trying to drill through a lintel to put up a bracket for a venetian blind. I was using a plantinum drill bit (hss) from black and decker but seem to be making little headway. can anyone recommend the next course of action or does it take a long long time to drill through? it really doesn't seem to be getting through. I am using a 1050watt hammer action drill.
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This is a dangerous course of action as you could damage your lintel.

Please stop drilling and just glue on the "box" housing instead.

ONQ.
 
get a sds drill and bit will take about 10secs. i take it your only drillin a 6 or 8mm hole if so no danger.
 
onq said:
This is a dangerous course of action as you could damage your lintel.

Please stop drilling and just glue on the "box" housing instead.

ONQ.
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I agree. I think something like ''no more nails'' is a lot safer plus when you take it down you wont have a hole in your lintel.
 
no nails isnt very good to be honest. a blind is a little heavy and gets use. defo no prob drilling the hole. 6mm hole 6mm plugand 40mm screw no problem. blind stays up.
 
An SDS drill bit requires a special SDS drill tool, which works in a different way to a hammer action drill... the SDS drilling action is far more effective than hammer action. Basically I'm just saying that you can't fit a SDS drill bit into a normal drill, or into a hammer action drill.
 
At least wear goggles and keep an eye on the lintel after you drill it.

ONQ.
 
As Joe Ballantin said, you need an SDS drill and bit. Only go into the lintel proper 30mm or so. A hollow core lintel? Who would have thought!
 
Hi S. Carpenter, yes it's a 6mm hole. I borrowed an SDS drill from a building friend of mind and it took seconds.

Curious about all the concerns about drilling into a lintel for putting up a blind. I would previously have driven into a lintel to put up a curtain pole, etc. Not much option for using no nails when putting up a curtain pole I would have imagined.
 
The concern in relation to drilling into a lintel is that a lintel is a structural component that is bearing a load and has been specified to be capable of withstanding this load. Drilling into the lintel weakens it to a degree.
Leo
 
I would have thought that a six mm hole in a reinforced lintol would make no difference to the structural integrity at all.
 
It's a concrete or steel beam that straddles your window or doorway to help support building work above this level
 
BillK said:
I would have thought that a six mm hole in a reinforced lintol would make no difference to the structural integrity at all.
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Hi Billk, well since I got the warnings in the earlier postings I did some searches and came across no such warnings in relation to people drilling holes to put up blinds or curtain poles. i was just curious that if the advice was to stop drilling how do people put up curtain poles then in these circumstances.
 
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