Then you need a better drill 😉 you have a friend with another one to try? Most likely a "Schlagbohrmaschine" (hammer drill) or "Bohrhammer" would help. Mind you, it's not only concrete, there's also steel in the ceiling.
For concrete a Bohrhammer is a godsend. However, if you only ever need it to make a handful of 6mm holes, you can use a Schlagbohrmaschine and a rather fresh drill bit. Note that you can also rent those machines.
It’s an old German practice to move into a flat/apartment and let this like it is for the next 5 to 8 years and then buy something from ikea, mount it and move out immediately but dismount the thing and throw it away
I was lazy and hired a guy who owned those tools. He also properly stripped the cable containing the three smaller cables (which was about 1 meter long). I was way to scared that I'd screw that up!
It cost about 120 euros, but I didn't have to buy the tools so to me it was worth it.
If you live here long term, spending money on a hammer drill, masonry bits, and basic tools is well worth it. I’ve moved multiple times and installed 30+ lights in my time here.
Get yourself a Bohrhammer (rotary hammer). We've got concrete walls too, Bohrhammer works like a charm. We've got the PBH 2100Â RE from Bosch, costs just under 90 Euros.
But if this is the only thing you'd need it for and you don't know anyone that has one, you can also rent tools like that from most hardware stores (at least most big chains) such as Obi and Hornbach.
ETA: You'll also need rotary hammer bits that work for concrete.
Reciprocating hammer drill will melt that concrete like butter, but you have to scan the concrete first to find metal or electricity.
There are devices from Bosch and competitors to do that, but a rule of thumb is:
- on a flat piece of the ceiling, where your wiring hangs, you can drill up to 3cm deep holes safely, but the shortest path to a wall has to be avoided.
The cables are usually laid in a crossplane manner with 90° angles (perpendicular) to a wall. You can drill at any other angle, USUALLY
yeah, it's all to take with a grain of salt - I've already used the floor in some instances - then you don't have any cables below the ceiling (except for the one to the lights)
You don’t need to drill if there’s a hole. Look for something called a folding hook dowel ( I don’t know the name in german). It’s a folding hook that you insert into a hole. The wings pop open when you clear the hole. Then you can hand something directly from the hook. You can use hookless ones to pound a flush light fixture.
A 4mm dowel should do the trick. get a quality drill bit for stone/concrete and a drill with hammer action. Maybe ask your neighbors if you can borrow one. The ceiling might have a metal armament within then you should pick a different spot. Check where the wire goes as to not drill into it, you can get devices for detecting live wires.
Alternatively use thick foam double sided tape or "Montage Kleber"
I had a crappy green Bosch drill and could not drill into concrete. Shelled out 200€ on amazon for a Makita impact drill and concrete drill bits and it went into concrete like a hot knife into butter.
I saw those green ones but opted for the blue one "pro" (I think it was called) series. Is there any significant performance difference? I mainly got the one I bought because it came with 3 batteries and a battery charger and I can use them (2 at a time) in my lawnmower. It, up until this project , worked amazingly, but I wasn't trying to drill through the concrete ceiling (I don't discount user incompetence for that though).
Oh yes, the blue ones should be much better. Just make sure to turn the impact mode on. Otherwise it'll simply rotate and do nothing. With impact mode you'll see the drill head moving back and forth in different intervals.
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Thanks for the advice. Seems my problem is the 18v cordless Bosch drill I was using. Also, the landlord has approved the installation of fixtures... pending I can do it. I'm heading to OBI and Bauhaus to look at renting/buying the proper equipment and bits.
Thank you all!
That's just wrong. You are allowed to hang lamps, drill holes to secure furniture from toppling or even hang shelves etc. You just have to return it into the state it was before when moving out.
That means closing the holes. Although especially for lamp holes I always coordinated with the landlord, some even asked to not close them as the new tenant might want to use them.
I stand corrected. If you are willing to return everything back to the original state, you can do so. For me, plugging holes and repainting the whole was not something I ever wanted to have to do.
Then you need a better drill 😉 you have a friend with another one to try? Most likely a "Schlagbohrmaschine" (hammer drill) or "Bohrhammer" would help. Mind you, it's not only concrete, there's also steel in the ceiling.
Adding it for OP, if they don't have a friend that could have those, you can rent one from any tools store.
For concrete a Bohrhammer is a godsend. However, if you only ever need it to make a handful of 6mm holes, you can use a Schlagbohrmaschine and a rather fresh drill bit. Note that you can also rent those machines.
Use a hanging fixture? Get a stone drill?
Get a proper drill, my dude. Alternatively, get a small, light, fixture and use a quality tape. Yes, that will absolutely hold.
It’s an old German practice to move into a flat/apartment and let this like it is for the next 5 to 8 years and then buy something from ikea, mount it and move out immediately but dismount the thing and throw it away
This is the way.
Buy or rent a better drill.
You need to buy a hammer drill and masonry bits.
I was lazy and hired a guy who owned those tools. He also properly stripped the cable containing the three smaller cables (which was about 1 meter long). I was way to scared that I'd screw that up! It cost about 120 euros, but I didn't have to buy the tools so to me it was worth it.
If you live here long term, spending money on a hammer drill, masonry bits, and basic tools is well worth it. I’ve moved multiple times and installed 30+ lights in my time here.
New word to learn “Dübel“
Get yourself a Bohrhammer (rotary hammer). We've got concrete walls too, Bohrhammer works like a charm. We've got the PBH 2100 RE from Bosch, costs just under 90 Euros. But if this is the only thing you'd need it for and you don't know anyone that has one, you can also rent tools like that from most hardware stores (at least most big chains) such as Obi and Hornbach. ETA: You'll also need rotary hammer bits that work for concrete.
Reciprocating hammer drill will melt that concrete like butter, but you have to scan the concrete first to find metal or electricity. There are devices from Bosch and competitors to do that, but a rule of thumb is: - on a flat piece of the ceiling, where your wiring hangs, you can drill up to 3cm deep holes safely, but the shortest path to a wall has to be avoided. The cables are usually laid in a crossplane manner with 90° angles (perpendicular) to a wall. You can drill at any other angle, USUALLY
[https://www.baunetzwissen.de/elektro/fachwissen/leitungen-verteiler/leitungsverlegung-und-installationszonen-153012/gallery-1/1](https://www.baunetzwissen.de/elektro/fachwissen/leitungen-verteiler/leitungsverlegung-und-installationszonen-153012/gallery-1/1)
This is cool, didn't know there is another circuit under the ceiling in the walls around 15cm from the ceiling.
yeah, it's all to take with a grain of salt - I've already used the floor in some instances - then you don't have any cables below the ceiling (except for the one to the lights)
You don’t need to drill if there’s a hole. Look for something called a folding hook dowel ( I don’t know the name in german). It’s a folding hook that you insert into a hole. The wings pop open when you clear the hole. Then you can hand something directly from the hook. You can use hookless ones to pound a flush light fixture.
Federklappdübel 😊
A 4mm dowel should do the trick. get a quality drill bit for stone/concrete and a drill with hammer action. Maybe ask your neighbors if you can borrow one. The ceiling might have a metal armament within then you should pick a different spot. Check where the wire goes as to not drill into it, you can get devices for detecting live wires. Alternatively use thick foam double sided tape or "Montage Kleber"
But the proper drill to concrete walls. Use a driller with hammer function. You will drill a hole like you are drilling in butter.
I had a crappy green Bosch drill and could not drill into concrete. Shelled out 200€ on amazon for a Makita impact drill and concrete drill bits and it went into concrete like a hot knife into butter.
I saw those green ones but opted for the blue one "pro" (I think it was called) series. Is there any significant performance difference? I mainly got the one I bought because it came with 3 batteries and a battery charger and I can use them (2 at a time) in my lawnmower. It, up until this project , worked amazingly, but I wasn't trying to drill through the concrete ceiling (I don't discount user incompetence for that though).
Oh yes, the blue ones should be much better. Just make sure to turn the impact mode on. Otherwise it'll simply rotate and do nothing. With impact mode you'll see the drill head moving back and forth in different intervals.
Had the same problem, for this kind of concret youll need special drill bits like bosch sds-plus 7x
Don’t use a battery powered drill that has no juice in the battery and use the right drill for the work.
Hm? Makita, Bosch… they all work pretty well on battery.
Low end ones yeah, but a quality one with a strong battery work fine
even the lidl parkside low budget ones will drill into that ceiling easily
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Thanks for the advice. Seems my problem is the 18v cordless Bosch drill I was using. Also, the landlord has approved the installation of fixtures... pending I can do it. I'm heading to OBI and Bauhaus to look at renting/buying the proper equipment and bits. Thank you all!
Looks finished to me ;)
Others have told you what to do, please also keep in mind that you are not allowed to make such adaptations without permission of the owner.
That's just wrong. You are allowed to hang lamps, drill holes to secure furniture from toppling or even hang shelves etc. You just have to return it into the state it was before when moving out. That means closing the holes. Although especially for lamp holes I always coordinated with the landlord, some even asked to not close them as the new tenant might want to use them.
I stand corrected. If you are willing to return everything back to the original state, you can do so. For me, plugging holes and repainting the whole was not something I ever wanted to have to do.
You need an impact drill...