Why am I struggling to drill into a masonry wall?

Question

I'm trying to mount the Ikea NORBERG Wall-mount drop-leaf table to the wall but struggling with the drilling. I've only managed to drill about 2mm and can't get through any further. I live in a condo, the wall sounds dense when tapped, I believe it's a concrete or brick wall. I'm using a 12V drill with a masonry bit.

The magnetic stud finder didn't detect anything, and the stud wall scanner seems to be malfunctioning.

Do you think the issue is that the drill isn't powerful enough, or could I have hit a steel protective plate?

Tools I'm using:

Hoto 12V Cordless Power Drill

StudBuddy® Magnetic Stud Finder

Mecurate Stud Finder Wall Scanner Sensor

Bosch BM5000 Fast Spiral Masonry Set, 14-Piece

Additional questions:

What kind of wall plug/ anchor and screws are suitable for this job? The table weights about 13.83 kg (30 lb 8 oz).

Thank you!

Answer 1

Your drill doesn't have a hammer mode. While such a mode is a far cry from a true rotary hammer, it's still a necessity for drilling masonry that's more than a day or two old. You'll melt your bit before you get anywhere.

The mere existence of masonry bits gives the false impression that simply spinning them allows a person to bore concrete and stone. That's incorrect. It takes an impact to do the job in a reasonable amount of time. It's a matter of disintegration, not cutting.

Answer 2

As already answered, you need a hammer drill.

The drill you already have is really neat looking. But utterly useless. I mean, it is OK for easy drilling tasks. But it doesn't have a swappable battery so any additional tools will require their own batteries. It is only a regular drill, not a hammer drill. It is only a 12V device, which is OK for the basics but often the extra power of an 18V-20V system (essentially those are the same, it gets complicated/marketing) can be very useful. And it is expensive. Current pricing (subject to change over time, varies by location, etc.) is $139.99 for that thing on Amazon, compared to $89.99 for a Ryobi hammer drill with battery and charger from Home Depot:

Plus the battery can be used with other Ryobi tools. You can, of course, spend more for a higher-end brand or probably even less for a lower-end brand (e.g., Harbor Freight). But the point is that for even moderately serious tools, and especially for battery-powered tools, it is often well worth it to look more carefully before you leap. (Of course, this fancy drill may have been a gift, in which case don't look a gift horse in the mouth.)