Concrete Core Drilling Is What We Do
Ever hit a wall—a concrete wall? They’re not easy to get through. Unless you have a serious drill, like the ones we have at Cascade Concrete, you won’t easily get through it.
We’re in the business of helping you get through concrete barriers so you can access things like water pipes, sewers, HVAC vents, electrical wiring, and more. But we’re also in the business of educating and helping our customers. So if you’ve ever wondered what core drilling is, then read on.
So, What Is Core Drilling Anyway?
Core drilling is a type of concrete cutting in which a core drill operator cuts a cylindrical piece of concrete—a core—from an existing slab or concrete structure. Core drill operators are usually highly-skilled professionals who must maintain strict safety protocols while operating heavy machinery.
Whether drilling a large or small hole, the drill operator must know which tools and techniques to use. Often using wet drills with diamond core drill bits, the drill operator is able to make smooth, accurate cuts. When one of Cascade’s professional drill operators shows up to the job site, they must make several assessments. A few of these include:
- The structural integrity of the concrete.
- The drilling method to use, choosing from a range of core drilling techniques.
- Whether any rebar or pipelines exist in the concrete.
You can see that professional core drill operators do more than just saw through concrete and drill holes: they’re experts in concrete construction.
What Is Core Drilling For?
You may know from experience that concrete cutting is no easy task. And if you own a home or a business, you may have already enlisted the services of a concrete sawing and drilling company. True, companies like ours drill holes for commercial applications, but they also drill holes for residential customers. Many of Cascade Concrete’s customers need our services for remodels, for plumbing and HVAC ducting, and sometimes for new sprinkler systems. Homeowners may begin construction projects that require tools and skills provided by professional concrete cutting companies, like us. To give you a better idea, here are the types of core drilling we do at Cascade Concrete:
- Water pipes and sewers
- Electrical conduits
- HVAC vents
- Fiber optics
- Telecommunications and phone lines
- Testing highway and air landing strips infrastructure
- Bridge construction and repair
What Kind of Tools Do You Use?
When it comes to larger drilling projects, an ordinary drill won’t get the job done; it takes the right drilling tools to get a perfectly round hole. But before a core drill operator picks up the drill, it’s best to have a company scan the area where the hole will be.
It’s best practice to use a:
- Metal detector. They aren’t perfectly precise, but they may help the operator find something hazardous within the concrete.
- Rebar locator. These can detect 7 to 8 inches below the surface, helping the operator locate the reinforcing steel and its orientation.
- Cover meter. This is used to determine the concrete cover’s depth, as well as the rebar’s size.
- Ground-penetrating radar (GPR). These provide a 360-degree rendering of the structural elements within the concrete. This allows the operator to see the structural elements, as well as hazardous voids.
With safety in mind, the drill operator can use such tools as the following:
- Core drill: They come gas-powered or electric, and not all drills weigh the same or carry the same power. One drill might be ideal for concrete slabs and pavement, while others may be better suited for core sampling.
- Diamond core drill bit: Just like a power drill that you might use in woodworking, concrete core drills use drill bits, too. Many drill bits are designed to be used wet, which allows the operator to make cuts smoothly without harsh dust clouding around the drill site.
Should You Hire a Professional?
It depends. Many customers take the DIY route to save money. True, prices have been skyrocketing for food and gas lately—and if you’ve used a gas core drill, you can testify to that—so it may be tempting to try and save a few bucks. At Cascade Concrete, we understand, which is why we fight to keep our prices affordable.
Other customers may prefer to drill the hole themselves because they enjoy working on projects with their own hands. True, drilling through concrete can be great fun, but it takes a trained professional to operate dangerous, heavy machinery, like concrete core drills.
When deciding whether to hire out for drilling services, consider the most important factor of all: your safety. Our core drill operators use drills every day; they’ve spent years learning the breadth of our safety protocols and proper drilling technique, and they can work any job site with the surest confidence because they know their craft. Beyond safety, if you employ a professional, you can enjoy the peace of mind that they will work tirelessly to ensure your needs are met by results of the highest quality and in a timely manner. And our professionals at Cascade Concrete take pleasure in a job well-done.
A Job Well-Done—On Time
With Cascade Concrete Sawing and Drilling, not only can you depend on our standards of safety and quality of service, you can also depend on our timeline. We work relentlessly to get the job done, which is why we make ourselves available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit us at the office from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., or call us anytime at 800.228.9612.
