Stitch drilling is exactly what it sounds like — a line of overlapping core holes that, taken together, form a cut. Think of perforating a piece of paper to tear it cleanly. Same idea, in concrete or masonry.
When stitch drilling is the right call
Wall and floor saws are faster than stitch drilling for most openings — but they need depth, blade clearance and somewhere to put the saw rail. Stitch drilling is what we use when one or more of those is missing:
- Thick slabs or walls. A wall saw can typically cut to around 600 mm; beyond that you need to flip the saw to the other side or stitch drill from one side. For 800 mm or 1000 mm thick structural elements, stitch drilling is the realistic option.
- Restricted access. Plant rooms, basement vaults, listed buildings, anywhere a saw rail won't fit and a hand-saw can't reach the depth. Diamond core rigs come apart small and re-assemble in tight spaces.
- Around live services. When the cut needs to dodge cables, ducts or PT cables, stitching gives you the precision to plot every hole around what's there. We scan first.
- Curved or shaped openings. Saws cut straight lines. A row of stitched cores can follow a curve.
- Vibration-sensitive sites. Stitch drilling is one of the lowest-vibration ways to cut a structural opening — useful in occupied buildings, hospitals, listed structures.
How it works on site
The crew sets up a stand-mounted core rig over the marked-out line, drills the first core, moves the rig the agreed pitch, drills the next. Cores are typically 100–200 mm Ø, overlapping by 20–40 mm so each core breaks into the previous one. When the line is complete, the resulting "stitched" opening is broken out — sometimes by lifting, sometimes by light percussion on the remaining ligaments.
Slurry is contained the same way as for any wet diamond drilling — vacuumed, captured, bagged out. Slab handed back clean.
Stitch drilling is slower than sawing. The only reason to choose it is when sawing isn't possible — and when that's the case, stitching is usually the cleanest, lowest-risk option you have.
Time on site
Stitch drilling is a measured-pace job. A typical 1 m × 1 m opening through a 600 mm slab might take a half to a full crew-day, depending on substrate, rebar density and access. We give you a realistic time on the quote — not the optimistic one — so you can sequence the rest of the programme around it.
What to send for a stitch-drilling quote
To price a stitch-drilling job we need:
- Drawing or sketch of the opening, with dimensions.
- Slab or wall thickness.
- What's around — services, structure, finished surfaces.
- Access details — floor level, lift availability, working hours.
- Postcode for travel.
If you're not sure whether stitch drilling is the right method or whether a saw will do — send the brief and we'll come back with the right approach. More on specialist works.
Got an opening to cut? Send the brief → · or read why we scan first.