Securing stud wall to cement floor?

I am having some trouble securing the half walls to the floor. My 600rpm cordless drill won't even drive a pilot hole into the cement. Aren't there some kind of special nails you can just nail in? I am trying to avoid having to buy a new drill. any help is appreciated.

 

All you need is a powder actuated gun. They have them at HD for about $40. They take a .22 Cal. round and you can get the nails with or without the washers. It's well worth the investment, as I use mine all the time for various projects. Dont waste your time drilling holes.

 

I tried to make it clear that I want a cheap way to do this, not spend another $40-50.

 

I just used a product called cement glue. Comes in tubes. There are various products like this with different names out there and they are perfectly good to use as a glue for your stud walls. I did mine 10 yrs ago and they still hold up great. Products out there now are even better.

 

I recently framed a few basement walls & was having the same problem initially. Trying to drill into concrete is torture. I bought a powder actuated remington at HD (Cost $69.00) & what a difference it made. Completed securing the sole plate in a matter of minutes. In my opinion well worth the money. If you don't wish to buy one for the $69.00 you can rent a better quality one (A HILTI) for $34.00 a day - It just seemed to make more sense to me to buy it in case I used it a second day (which I have since) . You can buy another type that you trigger with a hammer for significantly cheaper - I think the hammer activated ones cost around $22.00. I've heard they can be a little harder to use than the trigger ones but generally work OK. Another alternative would be to use construction adhesive - Cost of a tube probably in the $10-$15 range but if you don't already have one you will need to buy the putty gun which would probably run another $10-$15. So your total will probably still be $20-$30
Another possibility is to rent a hammer drill - Don't know what it costs.
You can use self drilling screws (Tapcons) made for anchoring into concrete but in my experience using them its very time consuming drilling the pilot holes & fairly strrenous. Also they cost about $10 for a box.
Masonry nails might be the cheapest way to go but good luck getting them in far enough to secure your sole plate.

I know your concerned about price but in the long run your probably best off with a powder actuated nailer - You'll probably end up finding additional uses over the years (I certainly have). Or if you have a friend who has one you could borrow it -Definately the cheapest way to go. Good luck.

 

Buy or rent a powder actuated nailer, that's the best way to go.

 

I was the same way. Tried to screw all my stud walls to the floor, even went and bought a corded drill, cordless was just too weak and kept dying. After two walls, I borrowed a powder actuated hammer gun. What a difference. I really wish I would have saved myself some time and a headache.. I would strongly consider the gun.