Home DIY

It's not much different from what was there for the past 20 years but worth keeping an eye on!

Anyone got a recommendation for a really good caulk? The one my builder used on my skirting boards has cracked and shrunk.

Don't mind paying a couple of quid extra for the good stuff.

'Caulk' will inevitably shrink.

Acrylic based sealants cure by loss of moisture, so always result in at best a concave surface.
If the fillet of sealant has insufficient surface area onto the substrates, (typically a bead with a minimum of 6mm), adhesive failure is eventually guaranteed.
Acrylic based sealants can only cope with limited +/-5% movement across the joint.

Soudal do a wide range of elastomeric sealants, which when applied correctly, can accommodate+/-25% movement across the joint.

I've not found SDS or even Kangos can compare with a sledge hammer or lump hammer and cold chisel / bolster.

Sometimes stitch drilling really stubborn lumps can help though.

This is on my to do list also. I'll be using a lump hammer and cold chisel.

Because I can't find my sledge hammer.

Yeah - I doubt this sort of concreting is original, even if it is ubiquitous.

Even the concrete plinths / parging are, AFAIK, later additions.

LiDL SDS drill from Sunday.
£49.99 same price as I paid for a (now burnt out and replaced),
no name Chinese sds from Homebase, must be 10 years ago,
with a guarantee.

1 Attachment

Allpro pro stretch but leave it as long as possible before painting, I’m talking 24hrs not ‘after lunch’

painters mate

Anyone able to reference if those specs are any good? I'm tempted to buy one after trying to use a battery combi drill to drill into hard bricks a few months back.

That said, I'm also tempted to buy a Milwaukee combi drill and impact driver set from Screwfix and that will likely have a lot more power than my current one. I probably don't need both ...

I have one of those and it's been excellent.

3j will be plenty for drilling holes in bricks. It doesn't say the kg, but wouldn't expect it to be too big.

What is your current combi?

You should be able to drill into bricks with a combi, provided;
A. Hammer setting
B. 2nd/high torque setting
C. Decent bits

I'd be wary of assuming a red combi will be noticeably better if they're tough bricks. Even a cheap sds will blast a combi any day. Obvs if you want to upgrade go for it. But the sensible choice would be an sds and run your current set into the ground.

I think a decent corded SDS is always worth having. I've got a basic hikoki that cost me £50 that has about the same specs I think mine is 2.7J.

I bought Milwaukee bits when Toolstation were having a clearance, also one DeWalt Xtreme as I needed the size. No complaints with either.

What kind of brick would a modern brushless cordless drill struggle with?

Obvs it’s not going to smash concrete up but for regular diy I would have thought it would be mostly unstoppable - and being cordless it’s one less barrier to getting the job done.

Depends on your use case. An extra £22 at Screwfix will get you 8J instead of 3J (and more weight in the tool which is what creates the energy in the impacts, as well as a more reliable returns system). But then you get into "hammer to crack a nut" territory if all you want to do is hang some pictures.

Yeah, current cordless drill is not a modern brushless thing. It does not have a hammer mode, and the battery capacity is relatively small, which may also be part of the problem? I bought it in 2017 when we had just taken out a mortgage on a new build flat, so nothing other than plasterboard needed drilling. I believe it's an older version of this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Decker-BCD001C1-GB-Lithium-ion-Driver-Battery/dp/B07NMLY5HR/ These days I live in a 200 year old house, so the bricks are hard and brittle as hell, and the mortar is softer than French cheese. I'm using decent bits - bosch professional. Better bits has helped, but it's still painfully slow.

I have decided to get myself an impact driver, but after looking around, had realised that with some deals currently on at toolstation, I could get the M18CBLPP2F set of combi drill and impact driver for £200 with 2x 3Ah batteries, or £260 with 2x 5Ah, which is not much more than just the impact driver and a battery.

@stevo_com makes a valid point about https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb653sds-5-9kg-electric-sds-plus-drill-230-240v/6846h available for only an extra 20 quid, and I know that's pretty well reviewed.

So my thinking is just get the Milwaukee set, and go for the 5Ah batteries. And then if I have a valid use case for an SDS in the future that the Milwaukee drill can't cover, I buy the Titan corded SDS.

Anyone think that would be making a mistake? Or anyone think I should save 60 quid and get 2x 3Ah batteries?

Logic is sound, that Milwaukee combi drill will get through anything in a Victorian house. No wonder you're not getting anywhere with 7 year old budget a non-hammer drill.

I recently refurbed an ebay "spares or repair" 12v brushless Bosch combi. Went through our 1949 WWII spec concrete no bother.

Impact drivers are great. 3Ah will be fine.

2 x 3AH better as can have one charging while one using for bigger jobs - plus a bit smaller/lighter!

I’ve found cash converters a bit of a gold mine for cheap tools for one off jobs - lots of used stuff at such a price that if it only lasts one job there won’t be many tears.

Good masonry bits will make up for a lot of shortcomings. I thought it was my shitty old Bosch green drill that wasn't going through some tough bricks so bought the Titan SDS+. Then bought decent bits and the Bosch was able to make the holes it couldn't before.

Is it Milwaukee Fuel you're looking at? Non-Fuel is very likely still going to be fine.

How do sds drills cut holes?
https://microcosm.app/out/5ZSSi

No, it's not the Fuel range. From what I've read and watched they're way overkill for a keen amateur like me, and also way more expensive. I think the set I'm looking at is the level down. It's still brushless, 18v, and is compatible with all the same batteries: https://www.toolstation.com/milwaukee-m18cblpp2f-302x-18v-compact-brushless-combi-and-impact-driver-twin-kit/p74151

Good chat. I need an SDS for stuff. Going to get the corded Titan myself as should do the jobs.

This is the set I have. It's brushless which is 90% of the benefit of 'Fuel', and nothing at our gaff has troubled either the driver or the drill. Both are powerful enough to fuck any material you apply them to, so spend a bit of time getting a feel for the power they put out if you mash the trigger.

FWIW, the drill works well as a cordless driver in situations where impact isn't required like furniture building - once you get a feel for the trigger.

I've got similar but DeWalt rather than Milwaukee for drill and impact driver (think their deals tend to be a little bit cheaper but I can't imagine there is much to choose between them) and that exact same Titan SDS (although it was £50 when I got it).

Battery does 95% of stuff. SDS is useful for making bigger holes in concrete/bricks (20mm for running wires), smashing stuff to shit and, in an emergency, mixing plaster.

I realised that the Milwaukee set I linked to is low on stock. It just went out of stock at my local toolstation, but is still in at one that's only a little further away. Gotta love panic buying! I've gone for the 2 x 3Ah set in the end to save £60, and will spend some of that saving on some impact bits.