Is it Safe to Drill Into Concrete Housing Foundation?

Measure carefully and mark the locations to be drilled with a grease pencil. Careful placement of the holes at the beginning will reduce mistakes later on.

Mark the depth of the hole on the carbide-tipped masonry bit with a small piece of tape. Although some hammer drills are equipped with a depth gauge, not all are. If yours is, set the gauge for the desired depth of the hole. If not, wrap a piece of electrical tape around the masonry bit, with the bottom edge of the tape at the exact desired depth of the hole.

Wear goggles to protect your eyes and long sleeves to protect your skin. Set the hammer drill, with the masonry bit attached, at a 90-degree angle to the concrete foundation.

Begin drilling slowly to create a shallow hole that will work as a guide for the rest of the job. Press only hard enough to keep the masonry bit from bouncing around as you are drilling. Drill faster as the hole deepens.

Clean the hole periodically to remove dust and small bits of debris that could interfere with the effectiveness of the drill. Simply blow into the hole with canned air or an air compressor to remove the debris. Ensure that the hole is cleared of debris before installing concrete fasteners.