Trouble hanging curtains on lanai

[arnoldk57]

Has anyone successfully hung curtains / blinds on the short wall of their Lanai? When attempting to drill through the concrete I hit a steel beam about 3/8" behind the concrete.
I have a standard electric drill with a concrete drill bit which does not penetrate. Thoughts?

[McClendons]

Has anyone successfully hung curtains / blinds on the short wall of their Lanai? When attempting to drill through the concrete I hit a steel beam about 3/8" behind the concrete.
I have a standard electric drill with a concrete drill bit which does not penetrate. Thoughts?

If you have the prefab concrete walls, they are VERY hard. To drill concrete, you really need a hammer drill and/or allot of patience. I hit rebar when mounting my tv, but must of edged it and the drill went on drilling. Only idea I would have if you hit a steel bar head on would be to move the spot of drilling a little one way or the other. Alternate would be to use a standard metal bit to try and get through the steel portion, then resume a concrete bit. Good luck

[retiredguy123]

It helps to use a hammer drill. But, I wouldn't try to drill through steel. Try to determine where the steel beam is located. I have found that curtains only require a small hole with a plastic anchor. Also, when they provide a 2-screw curtain bracket, I only use the top screw. The bottom screw doesn't really support anything.

[villagetinker]

Has anyone successfully hung curtains / blinds on the short wall of their Lanai? When attempting to drill through the concrete I hit a steel beam about 3/8" behind the concrete.
I have a standard electric drill with a concrete drill bit which does not penetrate. Thoughts?

I have done this in several places on our lanai, and yes there is a steel beam. I originally used 3 bits, concrete, then cobalt (for the steel beam), then a slightly smaller concrete bit. I now have a hammer drill and SDS bits that go through the concrete and steel like butter. The only bits I have are 1/4 and 3/8 inch, so if you want to use this or have me drill the holes you make need larger plastic inserts.
Send me a PM if you are interested so we can make arrangements over the phone.

[Garywt]

I will agree the beams in the lanai are the hardest concrete in the entire house. We do not have curtains but I hung mini blinds that I drilled into the metal frame of the windows. Worked out perfectly for the blinds, I have 7 blinds at 30 inches wide for each.

[arnoldk57]

I have done this in several places on our lanai, and yes there is a steel beam. I originally used 3 bits, concrete, then cobalt (for the steel beam), then a slightly smaller concrete bit. I now have a hammer drill and SDS bits that go through the concrete and steel like butter. The only bits I have are 1/4 and 3/8 inch, so if you want to use this or have me drill the holes you make need larger plastic inserts.
Send me a PM if you are interested so we can make arrangements over the phone.

Thank you for your input. I broke a titanium tipped drill bit attempting to get through or at least into the steel beam. How thick do you think the beam is? My house was built in 2018 south of 44 (village of Desoto). Thanks, Ken

[ton80]

Thank you for your input. I broke a titanium tipped drill bit attempting to get through or at least into the steel beam. How thick do you think the beam is? My house was built in 2018 south of 44 (village of Desoto). Thanks, Ken

The beam is a poured in place reinforced concrete lintel. Check your construction drawings marked "MO" or masonry openings. There are several details that show how each section of the construction is done. The part where you try to drill through is a poured in place lintel.
1. If you look at a house under construction of the block walls you will see a silver looking steel box resting on the walls and it spans the opening for windows, doors etc..
2. The next day, the masons put reinforcing in the box (lintel form) and pour concrete 12 inches deep.
3. The day after the masons can continue the block wall up to the bond beams as specified by the truss manufacturer.

Now that steel box is 18 guage which is 0.048 inches thick which about 1/20 th of an inch thick so it is thin but tough to drill through. The shade installers at our house used the drilling screws and it would use up several screws to get through and fasten the shade hardware. They said it was cheaper and quicker than using drill bits. The now duller screws would still work in wood so they could salvage some use of these screws.

Good luck!

[Bob Johnston]

Has anyone successfully hung curtains / blinds on the short wall of their Lanai? When attempting to drill through the concrete I hit a steel beam about 3/8" behind the concrete.
I have a standard electric drill with a concrete drill bit which does not penetrate. Thoughts?

Screw blocks of wood such as 2”x4”s into the walls next to the end wall you are wanting to put a curtain rod on. There is space under the header for them. The curtain rod brackets can be screwed into the ends of this wood. The blocks of wood can be painted the same as your walls. The curtains will hide the blocks of wood.