Driving screws into lintel of lanai
 

I have an enclosed lanai and want to attach solar screens and a cornice above our lanai doors. From watching it being built, the material is a stucco layer on top of the metal lintel which is then filled with concrete. So, do I start with a hammer drill with a masonry bit for the stucco, then switch to a metal bit for the metal part, and then switch back to the hammer drill with a masonry bit? Or, since the stocco is relatively thin, just start with the metal bit until I reach the concrete in the lintel and then switch to the masonry bit? I love block and stucco homes, but this is a brand new DYI environment from wood construction like I am used to.

I would start with a masonry bit, change to metal to get through the steel and then use a tapcop bit in the hammer drill. Tapcons work great in concrete.

Can't tell you how many drill bits I ruined trying to get through the lintel. I used a masonary drill to get through the stucco and a high speed drill to get through the lintel. I finally gave up and called a handyman to do the job. He took one look at what I wanted to do and declined the job because he would ruin too many bits. He suggested drilling above the lintel into the concrete block, but that wouldn't achieve what I wanted, so I did something else.

I didn't want to hear this. Was the problem getting through the metal or the concrete? Did you use a hammer drill for the concrete? I have found that concrete block is very easy to drill through with a hammer drill. Not sure about solid concrete that is in the lintel, though.

Sounds like a job for a core drilling machine with diamond bits.


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Maybe this would do the trick.

Shop Powers Powder Actuated .22 Cal Single Shot Tool at Lowes.com

And you can shoot a stud, and attach your screen with a nut to make it removable.

Nah, no problem with the stucco or concrete block. It is the metal lintel that resisted all my attempts at drilling. I tried every type of bit I could get and ruined them all in short order. I wound up drilling above the lintel and hanging things down to the level I wanted.

Core drill diamond bits will go thru metal - I've seen them go thru inch thick and larger rebar.


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In answer to my own question for the benefit of others:

I had the work done by a professional installer and this is how he did it. First, he used a hammer drill to get through the thin coat of stucco. When he reached the metal part of the lintal he used a self-tapping metal screw to create a hole through the metal to the concrete core. Then, he took out the screw and finished off with a hammer drill and used a Tapcon screw to attach the brackets.

Thanks for the info