I want to mount a toilet roll holder onto a tiled surface and want to know how I drill the hole. Also what type of fixing to use in plaster board. I have been using the type that self screw into the plaster but they are rather large and would require a large clearance hole in the tile Blair
Rawl plugs is adequate for this job as they will expand(open up), behind the plaster. Put masking tape on either side of the toilet roll holes, mark their position and drill with a normal small masonary bit.
-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite
Carefully. My way (there are probably better ways but mine's never failed me) is to use a masonary bit to grind the tile down. Put a piece of tape over the target to stop the bit slipping. Set the drill to non-hammer action (important) and very carefully and slowly drill/grind the tile. Don't push. Once you're through switch to whatever drill and technique is appropriate for the sub-surface, if you're on plasterboard then a twist bit sounds good. The other important consideration is that the body of the wall plug
*must* finish below the tile. If it doesn't the screw will exert force sideways onto the tile and crack it. That gives you a limited choice of fixings for your plasterboard wall as a lot of them rely on a flange which sits against the surface. I often end up modifying plugs to make them work with tiles. Good luck.
The most important thing is to stop the drill wandering, so first stick a piece of masking tape on the tile where you want to drill. Some hammer drills are bit fierce for tiles, particularly SDS, and they might wander and damage the tile, so if you have a speed control do it very slowly. You can get special drill bits for tiles but I've never bothered - I always use a newish masonry drill in a hand brace to start the hole and then use an electric drill without hammer until I'm through the tile. You might not even need that in plasterboard.
For fixing a toilet roll holder you only need light/medium duty fixings. You can get plastic Poly- Toggle plugs that fold up behind the board and take ordinary woodscrews, or I like using rubber Rawlnuts with their own machine screws. Both need only a fairly small hole. Make sure the fixings are long enough for the thickness of the board *plus* the tile.
Masking tape on the surface and a good pencil mark.
Drill with a "glass drill". These are a small tungsten carbide "leaf" on a narrow shank. They don't have spiral flutes. Unlike a masonry drill (a rotating chisel) they are sharpened with a rotating cutting edge. Use this glass drill to go through the glaze on the tile which is very hard and stop when you hit the tile itself, which is soft. Don't use a hammer action - you don't need it and it is likely to crack the tile.
When you're through the tile glaze, either keep on going (if you're on plasterboard) or switch to a hammer action with a masonry bit if you're on brick.
You can of course drill tiles with a masonry bit and hammer. But a better drill bit is cheap, and the pain of fixing a cracked tile just isn't worth it.
Plaster board plugs. These are big plastic plugs with expanding wings on the back. You'll need a longer parallel screw (like Screwfix's Goldscrews) than the traditional sort supplied with the fitting.
They still need a fairly big hole though. If you want the absolute minimum hole diameter, use a gravity toggle (not a spring toggle).
I always use a glass drill bit to go through the tile changing to a masonry bit after penetration. Tom
I am most grateful to everyone who replied. All of you were most helpful and I can now proceed with confidence Blair
If you've got a glass cutter - not the wheeled type - use the point on this to break the glaze. Then an ordinary masonry drill on a very slow speed - but no hammer action.
See here about half way down the page:
a rawl plug should do it...
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.