How to hang a shelf on a rough stone wall?

Question

I have a strong electric drill and drill bits suitable for stone but i can't get the drill to go through the stone. It goes through the concrete that is around the stones but i cant get that to line up because it is a rough stone wall. Any ideas what i can do. I was thinking of drilliing the concrete filler and s******g a vertical blank down teh wall and attaching the shelf to that but i live n a rented house and its seems a bit ugly. What will i do?

Answer 1

A hammer drill and sharp bit should go into most building stones - the concrete is probably lime mortar which would drill fairly easily, and may not hold very well. You might try the prong type of brackets which you fit into two of the vertical joints and are hidden in the depth of the shelf, to make floating shelves. Any drilling may contravene your lease, so you might need to check this first.

Free standing shelves might be a better option  - you can get some quite slick ones, that fit between floor and ceiling - plus you can take them with you when you move.

Answer 2

You need a better drill and better bits..... :-)

To drill through stone you would need:

1. A hammer drill

2. A diamond or tungsten carbide masonry bit

Other than that, its not smart to drill into the mortar because its not a very strong anchoring point and like you said it is hard to line up.

When you say "Strong" electric drill, what exactly do you mean? A black and decker 3/8" Johnny-Home-Owner drill? or do you mean a real drill? :-)