Opening out loo seat fixing holes

[Jim Hawkins]

I need to increase the diameter of the holes in the loo by 4mm. What is the best way to do it ? Is there some sort of tapered boring tool for china/earthenware (or whatever loos are made with) ?

Jim Hawkins

[Bob Minchin]

Don't even think about it! It is bound to end in tears. Reduce the diameter of the fixings will be far easier/safer.

[Brian Gaff]

Why? I've seen special screws for some seats that are thin enough for most loos. Seems odd if yours is so small? Brian

[Andy Burns]

You'll probably be into two skins of porcelain separated by air by that diameter, but DON'T even think of doing it regardless of that.

[Chris Hogg]

I would echo the cautions of the other posts.

But Harry Bloomfield managed to drill a 6 mm hole through the shelf across the back of a washbasin (much to my surprise; see his posts of the 11th and 12th of this month), and loos and washbasins are made of the same stuff (vitreous china, aka porcelain in common parlance), so you may also be successful. He started with a small drill, 4mm, and gradually increased the diameter until he got to the size he wanted,

6mm. I would take it very slowly and gently with minimum force, and be prepared for tears! He may offer more advice.

But much safer to change the size of the fixings on the loo seat.

[Jim Hawkins]

Thanks to all for the warnings - which I've heeded. It's not possible to reduce the distance between the seat fixings. But by leaving off the plastic sleeves intended to go round the shanks of the fixing screws, those screws just fit into the inside edges of the holes ! So problem solved.

Jim Hawkins

[Andy Burns]

They're probably designed so that for loos with small holes you omit the sleeves, for loos with large holes you use the sleeves, maybe that gem is only in the $FORRIN part of the instructions ...

[Harry Bloomfield]

I did, but the difference was that where I needed the hole there was plenty of porcelain around it. Toilet seat fixings are usually very close to a corner, so the corner might well chip off.

[Arty Effem]

I suspect those sleeves are provided to protect the porcelain from damage by the threads of the screws or studs during tightening or under mechanical impacts.

You might want at least to put some protective tape around them instead.

If obliged to bore-out a hole in porcelain, I would use a Dremel with a grinding bit. Laborious but at least no danger of cracking.