Core drilling into stone wall

[SilliamWhale]

I need to make a 4" hole through a stone wall for a vent. Stone/ rubble wall is 2ft thick and probably a mish mash of all sorts of crap. Does anyone know if core drills can do it nicely? Need a long bit! - Possibly could drill from each side if a pilot hole

 

[Hampton]

I need to make a 4" hole through a stone wall for a vent. Stone/ rubble wall is 2ft thick and probably a mish mash of all sorts of crap. Does anyone know if core drills can do it nicely? Need a long bit! - Possibly could drill from each side if a pilot hole

I did it through our sandstone farmhouse wall.
Sometimes it’s easier to do it in stages, rather than do it all at once. Core and stone gets warm. With the sandstone it became really tricky to drill. Left it for 12 hours, no problems

 

[HatsOff]

You can stitch drill (lots of little holes) rather than coring. Normally it takes longer and is messier but in rubble stone wall possible a better method.

 

[Nearly]

Make one pilot hole, fill the wall with expading foam then drill through next day. It stops the rubble falling down as you clear the hole.

 

[sjt01]

I have done this through a flint wall, the core drill can accept extension shafts. You need to take out the core drill at regular intervals, and also allow the drill motor to cool down. I burnt out a good quality SDS drill doing this.

 

[Hampton]

I have done this through a flint wall, the core drill can accept extension shafts. You need to take out the core drill at regular intervals, and also allow the drill motor to cool down. I burnt out a good quality SDS drill doing this.

Yes, buy a Titan from screw fix for the job. About 50 quid. Basically disposable

 

[Dman2]

smart arse kitchen fitter decided to put a new hole through for the waste pipes in the farmhouse kitchen.
We did suggest he just extended the pipe and use the existing hole.
6 hrs later and after burning his fancy drill out, he extended the pipe and used the existing hole

2 Days later while he was still there I put a 110mm pipe through for a toilet.
Just drilled a series of small holes and used a small breaker to chip it out, took half an hour

 

[robs1]

I once had to drill a four inch hole through some Mendip rock, hardest days work I've ever done, to think they dug through it to dig coal out years ago, if I was doing it now I think lots of small holes would have easier

 

[Guleesh]

Might be easier to just dig a few stones out and make good around the pipe afterwards.

 

[Wilksy]

Make one pilot hole, fill the wall with expading foam then drill through next day. It stops the rubble falling down as you clear the hole.

That’s i good idea, that was biggest problem for me when I did it, infill rubble moving and jamming the core drilll, seem to think I drilled a pilot hole right through and drilled from both sides

 

[deleted user 837354]

I once had to drill a four inch hole through some Mendip rock, hardest days work I've ever done, to think they dug through it to dig coal out years ago, if I was doing it now I think lots of small holes would have easier

Basalt in the Mendips I would bet. Hard as woodpecker lips.

 

[copse]

When I built my house I did a similar job and hired a drill to do it but was bloody lethal with it jammed or suddenly bit and about broke your wrists

 

[GEMS]

Use a core drill. Go slow . Do not use hammer. Remove frequently to clear debris from cutter. Extension bits are readily available.
Consider a 2' long drill bit and tackle from both sides.
Certainly drill from both sides to avoid blowing out any render/plaster etc....
Never failed yet.

 

[JockCroft]

having seen two different contractors on our house heating job. Hire in a Diamond drilling contractor. He did two 6" vent holes concrete block wall in less than half an hour.
The plumber was half a day on tungston core drill for two holes.

 

[upnortheast]

Depends on how the wall is built, but sometimes as quick to knock a stone out each side & cement in a plastic pipe

 

[zero]

Core drilling the stone at each side isn't too bad, it's the crap, rubble infill that causes most problems here. We just hve a cheap set of diy core drills with a go bosch 240v drill. Steady away it's cut 4 and 6 inch holes through stone and concrete blocks. Bucket of water to cool the core bit helps but I've found if it's damp in the middle of a wall it goes to plasticine and jams everything up..

 

[suffolksmallholder]

Might be easier to just dig a few stones out and make good around the pipe afterwards.

+1 for this method. Easiest way in the long run.
SS

 

[Guleesh]

+1 for this method. Easiest way in the long run.
SS

Yeah, In my time I've gone through several 2 ft thick stone walls (and thicker) and it's really not that bad a job to just chisel out the mortar and lever the stones out with a bar.

 

[br jones]

have a hoover handy the dust jams up the core,in and out regularly,its a tway to do thro 2 layers of stone with rubble infil ,as nearly said a tin of expanding foam works well
get set up on a tidy platform as depending on stone its a steady job

 

[renewablejohn]

Its a lot easier with a hydraulic drill rather than electric which has a habit of grabbing. Best method I found was to secure the pedestal drill to the wall then you can be accurate on the slope of the hole to allow drainage outwards. All our MVHR pipes were installed this way allowing any water to drain outwards.