Most concrete can be drilled with a rotary hammer drill - Hilti SDS Drill Bit/s are standard issue with all our KitBoxes. Note: To avoid chipping and damage to the concrete it should be a quality pour and at least seven days cured. Drilling green concrete, especially if it has exposed aggregate can result in large chunks breaking out. Damage less then 35mm in diameter can be filled with epoxy and the diameter of the Tactile Indicator will conceal the damage. Damage greater than 35mm can only be corrected with a concrete repair mortar product. Tip: A corner of the drilling template should always be lifted after drilling the first few holes to check damage is not occurring. A less aggressive (gentler) drilling technique can be adopted at this stage to minimise any damage. Checking at regular intervals saves more time than repairing a lot of damage after all the holes have been drilled.

Paving sets greater than 40mm thick manufactured from most materials including concrete, brick, natural or composite stone, can usually be rotary hammer drilled. Note: To prevent damage to the pavers, they must be properly laid, on a well compacted base, preferably set in a quality mortar without voids. Extra care should be taken near the edge of the pavers - if the drilling template can be moved slightly to avoid drilling on or near an edge, then do so. If unavoidable, drill gently at these locations or if still causing damage, consider diamond core drilling the edge areas. Tip: if in doubt that the paver is hammer drillable it is usually worthwhile obtaining a sample for trial drilling before starting the job.

We do not recommend attempting to drill paving sets less than 40mm thick and ceramic tiles with a rotary hammer drill - more often than not, they will simply crack or shatter. Note: The safest drilling method is the use of a diamond core water drill - Hilti sells the only dedicated water drill that fit a small enough diamond core bit (8mm) but unless you plan on doing as lot of water drilling, they are prohibitively expensive. Tacpro has an alternative solution at a fraction of the price. We have available for purchase on this website a Water Swivel Chuck that connects to a standard power drill. The chuck has a valve that can be connected to a water source - hose and gravity fed or pressurised container such as a weed sprayer. A diamond core drill bit (also available on our website) is then fitted to the chuck creating a very handy drilling solution for delicate surfaces. Tip: Diamond core water drilling takes longer than hammer drilling and should be considered when quoting and scheduling the work.

Drill in Tactile Indicators can be installed over almost any floor finish - often, it is possible to rotary hammer drill straight through finishes like vinyl, rubber, carpet tiles and engineered wood slats and into the underlying substrate. Note: It is important to know what the underlaying substrate is before you start drilling. In most modern structures the substrate will be concrete that is easily rotary hammer drilled. Special attention needs to be given to internal stairs and landings - try to get hold of detail drawings covering these areas or ask the project manager so you know what's under the floor finish. Some stairs and their landings (or portions of) are constructed from pre-fabricated steel and/or there may be large seizmic or construction joints between the stair element and the floor slab simply filled with polystyrene. This can often coincide with the location Tactile Indicators are supposed to be installed - always an unpleasant surprise to hit steel or have your drill bit fall through into an unexpected void (polystyrene is not a great anchoring substrate for a Tactile Indicator stem). Tip: Sometimes the solution is as easy as moving the drilling template back to avoid a steel plate or joint. Not drilling a row of Tactiles to miss a joint can also be an option. Remember, the standards call for a set-back from the stairs of 300mm +/- 10mm. If it can be demonstrated there is an obstacle under the floor finish preventing compliant installation, we have seen an additional 200mm accepted. If you need to set back further than this to avoid obstacles we recommend getting (written) authorisation from your compliance inspector. An alternative is to consider another type of Tactile product that does not require drilling such as our Self-Adhesive Peel & Stick Polymer Tiles or Stainless Steel Tiles. Installation Tip: If drilling through freshly laid vinyl or rubber into concrete, you may end up with some concrete dust trapped under the floor finish directly around the drilled hole causing a raised bump around the hole. This can cause the Tactile indicators to sit slightly proud of the surface when fitted - we recommend giving each drilled hole a quick hammer blow to flatten any bumps before epoxy fixing the studs.

Waterproof membranes laid under the floor finish may be present on landings, mezzanine or terraced areas open to the weather. It is advisable to check if there is a membrane and how deep it sits under the surface finish (TacPro stems are 12 - 17mm long) as accidently drilling through it is usually a very expensive fix. Tip: If penetrating the membrane is a real possibility, consider another type of Tactile product that does not require drilling such as our Sel-Adhesive Peel & Stick Polymer Tiles or Stainless Steel Tiles.