Drills, screws, wall-mounting - noob needs DIY advice!

Anchundan · 4 Sep 2008 at 05:00

I don't own a drill. I never have. However, I seem to be collecting wall-mountable electrical appliances which are just sitting on the floor when they should be hung on the wall.

My latest purchase was a wall-mountable DVD player. It has two holes on the back, 170mm apart (I guess this is standard?). Each hole has a smaller 6mm hole (at the top) and a larger 11mm hole below. I presume the idea is to drill two holes 170mm apart, stick in a couple of wall plugs (Rawlplugs?), hammer them into the wall, and screw in a couple of screws with just the head protruding.

So, although embarrassed at my ignorance, I need to ask the following questions :

What kind of drill should I buy? I have seen some cordless ones in a shop near me, which look quite good. Also, are there any kinds of drills that help you drill straight?

What size hole should I drill?

What kind of screws should I buy?

What size of screws should I buy?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

JohnnyG · 4 Sep 2008 at 08:17

I wouldn't buy a cordless drill unless you get a real expensive one as they tend to lack a bit of power which can be a pain if you ever need to drill in to concrete, like lintels above windows for instance, they're usually fine for normal brickwork mind. Get at least a 750watt hammer drill if you can.
A 6mm masonry drill bit would be a sufficient size and you'll need 6mm (red) rawlpugs too + some 4-5mm dia 50mm length screws should do the trick, ones that look like this

martinturner · 4 Sep 2008 at 08:29

Seriously mate get a cheapo Black and Decker hammer drill from B&Q. Also, they sell packs which include the drillbit needed, the rawplugs and the screws that all go together. I know they are cheap, but lets be honest, you don't strike me the sort to be getting to heavily into DIY. The bags are normally with the sets of screws. Very cheap.

wez130 · 4 Sep 2008 at 08:32

I bought a Ryobi hammer drill from B&Q a while back, came with SDS bits etc, then i bought a decent Bosch drill bit set, both cost about £50 all in and i've had no problems with them

Anchundan · 4 Sep 2008 at 09:52

Thanks for the advice!

What's the difference between a percussion drill and a hammer drill? I'm not sure what I'm going to find out here, as we don't have a B&Q (China), so will probably end up with a make no-ones heard of. I will probably have to make my choice by power (750W), price and looks alone.

GeX · 4 Sep 2008 at 10:23

percussion drill is a type of hammer drill, but much more heavy duty - normally driven by compressed air.

are you going to be drill into brick, or a stud wall? If the later, take a look at this page for more suitable fixings;

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/fixingtoplasterboard.htm

Hedge · 4 Sep 2008 at 10:24

for drilling plugs and screws you can get away with a cheapo, any cheap corded hammer drill will be sufficient.

Makita do nice cordless ones which might be available over there, i bought an 18v cordless with 3 spare batteries for 80 quid, and its always done me fine for hanging radiator brackets etc.

philjohn · 4 Sep 2008 at 10:54

Also, depending on how heavy the things you are attaching to plasterboard stud walls are, you may want nylon plasterboard fixing plus as they can "grab" the other side of the board when you screw into them. I've used those successfully for a wall-mount bracket for a 19" LCD TV in the kitchen and bedroom.

Peño · 4 Sep 2008 at 11:21

If you're drilling into masonry, make sure you use a drill with hammer action and use a masonry drill bit:

Also basic drilling advice:

Tape an envelope underneath the drilling area to catch debris - saves a lot of cleaning afterwards
Align the rawlplug to the drillbit and use a bit of masking tape to mark off the depth to drill
Start off with a drillbit half the diameter of the actual hole size to drill a "pilot hole"
Gradually increase the drillbit size until you reach the desired diameter

Burnsy2023 · 4 Sep 2008 at 12:26

Hedge said:
Makita do nice cordless ones which might be available over there, i bought an 18v cordless with 3 spare batteries for 80 quid, and its always done me fine for hanging radiator brackets etc.

I love Makita and Bosch stuff. Bit pricy, but they'll last forever and have a bit of grunt to them.

Burnsy

Tomsk · 4 Sep 2008 at 13:15

Before you drill into the wall, get a metal/stud detector thingy.
You don't want to drill into a water or gas pipe or an electric cable.

Also protective eyewear is advisable as is making sure no loose clothing or hair is near the drill.

Glaucus · 4 Sep 2008 at 13:17

well it all depends what your wall is. Above replies are correct for masonry walls. But if it's plaster board, it's a different kettle of fish.