drill into poured concrete basement walls? any worries?

[Todd H.]

I'd like to drill into poured concrete basement walls to set some modest anchors to secure the tops of some freestanding shelving units against tipping on top of small curious nephews and nieces who might decide to climb on em.

Anything I should know/avoid? I guess my primary concern would be opening a water infiltration path, but I'd have to think there are tons of anchors drilled in other walls behind the finished portion of the basement?

I assume a hammer drill is the tool of choice for this task?

TIA for any shared experience!

[DerbyDad03]

A hammer drill and a carbide-tipped masonary bit would be best, although you might be able to get by with a regular drill.

I doubt you're going to drill deep enough to "puncture" the wall and let water in.

BTW have you heard of Tap-Con or Pro-Con fasteners? They are screws that go directly into the concrete without anchors. You drill a hole with the proper size bit for the screw you will be using and then drive the screw in with a power driver. One thing to remember: They are typically used for permanent installations. In most cases, if you take one out, you can't reuse the hole (unless you upsize the screw).

Todd H. wrote:

[hallerb]

be prepared to relocate whatever your installing in case you hit rebar

[Nick Hull]

It's tougher to drill poured concrete than concrete block but it can be done.

[<aemeijers]

The painless solution for this problem is to buy some 1x6, cut it into 3 or

4 foot lengths, and lag-screw one end into the sill plate high on the wall. You can then screw or bolt the shelving units to those. (Fasten the shelf to the 1x6 at a couple of points a foot or two apart, and don&#39;t put the upper lag screws in the last inch or two of the 1x6.) No muss, no fuss, no need for a hammer drill, and easy to remove when you rearrange the basement. It&#39;ll be plenty strong for kid or mild earthquake tip resistance. Other alternative is to go straight up, and belay the shelves off to 1x straps attached to the joists.

aem sends...

[Jim Redelfs]

Drill away, my friend.

I have mounted countless phone SNIs to such walls and only ONCE did I encounter an obstruction, presumably a rebar.

You said "modest" anchors - not THROUGH-THE-WALL anchoring systems used for buckling/collapsing walls. Of course, unless the drilling site is below grade, water infiltration is a non-issue.

Correct. The difference between a "regular" drill and hammer drill is like night and day when it comes to drilling masonry. Good luck!

[Herb Stein]

The painless solution is to teach the nieces and nephews not to screw with your stuff. I&#39;ve got five grand-daughters and have never done anything to "child-proof" my house. Even 35 years ago with my own kids.

Apparently we are raising a generation of jerks with no respect for others property.

-- Herb herbstein.com

[HeyBub]

Go UP. Anchor the shelving to the ceiling.

[BillGill]

Don&#39;t forget a SHARP bit. I put a laundry tub in the garage a while back. I went through all my bits before I finally found one that would actually drill 4 holes in the floor. Before I do any more concrete drilling I definitely need some new bits.

Bill Gill

[Todd H.]

Thanks to all for the input! The top fastening option looks like it will actually work vs going into the concrete.

Originally I didn&#39;t think the shelves in question would be tall enough for that to be practical without a long awkward run of cable or something, but there really isn&#39;t that much distance between the top and the sill plate on these 72" shelves. Now that they&#39;re up, they also hold together vertically better than I originally envisioned.

Best regards,

-- Todd H.

[Harry K]

Kids have been killed by pulling bookshelves down, TVs off stands, etc. You must not have kids or you would know that they do stupid things and it is _not_ a matter of training. A toddler _will_ do things like that.

Harry K

[HeyBub]

They&#39;ll hold together even better when loaded. BUT there&#39;s always the unforseen.

Think earthquake.

[Todd H.]

Statistically unlikely in Chicagoland, but you can never be too sure!

If I can find a friend with a hammer drill to borrow, it&#39;d be fun to put in real anchors. Otherwise, some cable to the sill plate will be the way I think.

Thanks again to all who responded--very helpful!

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

[HeyBub]

Okay, I&#39;ll play. Think nuclear explosion.

[Herb Stein]

OK, I overreacted to the original post. It was late when I wrote that. I would probably attach it to the wall any way for my own benefit when I load the shelves up with my valuable collectibles (wife refers to it as junk).

Of course I have kids. Where do you think the grandkids came from?

I just went off about the safety issue. We never have 0% risk and a person, as a parent or for themselves, needs to whatever is appropriate and cost effective to reduce risk

This is not the forum for my rant, so I&#39;ll take it elsewhere and confine myself here to OT posts.

My most humble apologies to the group.

-- Herb [e-mail]

[Bob M.]

Go to the local rental place and get a hammer drill & bit. You won&#39;t be going nearly deep enough to cause problems with anything. I&#39;d guess that, at most, you&#39;d be drilling 2" into the concrete.

As someone else said, TapCon screws are the best, but you must use the proper size drill bit.

Perhaps you can drill into poured concrete with a regular drill and a masonry bit, but you&#39;ll spend hours doing it. With a hammer drill it&#39;s only minutes. A dedicated hammer drill too, not the "all-in-one" regular drill/hammer drill/screwdriver things. The kind you find at the rental stores are good-sized beasts but get the job done quickly.

[Jim Redelfs]

You said it!

My "main" drill is a 12VDC DeWalt drill/hammerdrill. It is what I usually use for drilling masonry - just a couple of screws here and there. It does a pretty good job with a FULL CHARGE.

For bigger drilling jobs, I get out a heavy extension cord the Hilti. The difference is amazing. The Hilti is probably 3-4-times faster - and easier.

[Harry K]

My experience with the usual home owner hammer drills (mine is a quality one) is that they are pretty much useless if you hit a good sized piece of agregate. At best it is a slow operation and best done with a graduated set of masonry drills, start small and work up to the size you need. I don&#39;t even bother any more, one hole to do and it is off to the rental place.

Harry K

[Todd H.]

There ya go!

-- Todd H.

[mm]

I can just see the commercials after the nuclear explosiion. "We&#39;re in the basement of Todd H. Tell us, Todd, did our Miracle Anchors hold your shelves in place during the recent unpleasantness?" "Yes indeed, Joe. I"d recommend Miracle Anchors to everyone with a basement."