How do you make a circular hole through a brick wall?

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I do plumbing work for a living and part of my job includes installing dryer vents,
I generally determine where I want the hole on the inside first, to make sure there are no studs or other obstacles in the way. If the hole will work as planned ( and sometimes your exploratory from the inside requires you to relocate the hole slightly) then I generally drill a hole through the brick from the inside in the direct center of my hole with a hammer drill so the hole will be precisely located on the outside.
Then I usually use a cold chisel and a hammer to chisel out the brick carefully till I have the full diameter of the hole.The hole does not need to be perfectly round, just of sufficient size for the vent to pass through. It's okay for it to be square, so if you need to remove part of a brick, just keep scoring it in the same place carefully, and the brick will split where you've scored it. I just take my time when doing this so the job will be neat. The dryer vent kit comes with an exterior hood that is larger than the vent pipe itself, so if you don't get the hole too big, it will cover the rough edges. After the vent is in place, I drill 1/4" holes in the brick with a masonry bit to receive nylon anchors, as the flange of the hood is tapped with holes so it can be secured, and run screws in it to secure it to the brick, Then I caulk it with a clear caulk to make it watertight around the edges. Then I hook the pipe to the dryer and I'm done! P. S.- If you really want to make the vent less noticable, camouflage it with some spray paint in colors similar to your brickwork.
Note too that the most common amateur mistake when running dryer vents is that they are run without downward pitch. They should not run uphill as this traps lint in the vent and on an electric dryer, the lint can build up causing poor dryer performance and possible pre-mature burn-out of the heating element, and in rare cases has caused a fire (especially with gas dryers). Best of luck to you on your endeavor!!...Show more

What I would do since it is hard to find a hole saw that size. Mark where your vent will come through. Take a chisel and chip the mortar between the bricks on the outer edge. Knock it out with a hammer. This will make a odd sized square hole. The vent should have a 4 in. or so square band around it. Insert it into the hole in the brick and decide what will not be covered. Get a hand Miter saw if you don't have access to a brick cutter. Cut the brick to size to fill in the hole not covered by the band. Get some ready mix mortar mix about $7.00 a bag. Clean off old mortar from the bricks. Put mortar on the brick you are setting the cut brick on including the sides of the brick it will set next to. Put the brick in the hole and fill in around the rest of the brick with more mortar. they make a small trowel to fill in and make it smooth. When it dries take a wire brush and clean the face of the bricks....Show more

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RE:
How do you make a circular hole through a brick wall?
I am trying to install a clothes dryer vent to the outside through my outside garage wall. It is a wood stud wall with brick veneer. How do you make a hole in the brick for the vent pipe to go through? This is on a very visible side of the garage and I'd like it to look good. I would......Show more

I'm hoping a better solution will be posted, but I'd draw a circle on the brick and use a masonry bit to punch about ten holes on the inside edge of the circle. You should then be able to punch out the brick with a hammer. The vent cover will hide any imperfections but you could sand the circle if it has to be perfect. I'm assuming you're planning to avoid cutting the studs.

Mike Honeycutt...Show more

cinder block or solid brick? First start with a small hole using a drill and a masonry bit from home depot or somewhere. If you are just running a cable or wire through then that should be good, if you need to go larger get a larger bit as well....Show more