Drilling tiles - idiot prevent question

For glass AIUI you'd make a little 'well' around the hole with plasticene and fill the well with oil to lubricate.

If it all goes horribly wrong you'll just have to persuade the Decor Inspector that pedestal mats are in vogue again.

Owain

Owain coughed up some electrons that declared:

That's a good idea. I'll nick the kids' PlayDoh (again).

If that happens, the Decor Inspector will decide I look good wearing testicle ear-rings!

Cheers!

Tim

Try one of those for starting -

One hole established, build up the dimensions slowly.

No hammer for a start. B-)

I'd get an 8mm tile drill either one of the flat pointy things or a "pirana" from B&D IIRC. To stop the wander gently center punch the glaze at the right place. Nice a slow to start untill you get a feel for how well the drill is cutting.

I'd not bother with a plastercine well and definately not oil of anysort as a coolant/lubricant (it'll get into the grout...) little bit of water from a sprayer or small squirty bottle will do.

Bosch multi purpose drill bit

These bits are bloody wonderful things, buy yourself a set.

Quite good for soaking up the drips too.

I use a plant mister to occasionally spray the hole and drill bit. If the bit gets too hot it will blunt. Very slow process though. I used ordinary, brand new masonry bits without hammer action on some very hard floor tiles and it took me around fifteen minutes per hole! After six holes each bit was completely blunt. Someone suggested I should have started with the smallest masonry bit available then work up sizes. I live and learn.

Wait a day or so before drilling newly laid tiles, especially if there's extra adhesive under there

If they're porcelain tiles a masonry drill or tile one will be useless. Best to get a diamond one. And use plenty water to keep it cool.

For starting in such materials I use some tape, then put the bit in a wheel brace, hold the wheel (not tbe handle) and rock it so that the bit does about a quarter-turn back and forth. It can't wander off as it never turns enough. Also, with no noise from a motor, I can apply pressure until a slight grinding noise is just visible, so I know that the bit is beginning to bite but isn't going in too fast. Out of curiosity I once put a 6mm tile bit through a wall tile by finger power alone - not recommended but does show how good the correct bits are.

Same here on porcelain wall tiles. Which could be used on the floor. Had lots of holes to drill being a bathroom and tried masonry, tile and those Bosch universal types, and destroyed them all. Screwfix sell diamond core drills which do work, although slow. DeWalt last longer than the no brand ones. Once you've made a hole they can be enlarged with a Bosch one.

Two drill bits, ideally two drills (esp. if you're

Mark out with masking tape, well rubbed down, and personally I like to try a manual centrepunch first by pressing (not hitting) a carbide scriber point through. There's little risk of cracking a tile, but there's still some and this increases if the tiles are poorly supported beneath. Much depends on your individual tiles - some have really hard glazes that increase the risk of skidding.

Start out with a "leaf" bit, usually sold for glass (Axminster) Start out gently and don't worry about cracking, worry about sideways skidding instead. DO NOT HAMMER. For that reason I prefer to use two drills for this, plain drill for the leaf and SDS for the masonry bit. This also saves me swapping chucks, but mostly it's to avoid finger trouble when switching one drill in and out of hammer mode.

Use the leaf to go through the surface porcelain glaze, out to the full diameter of the hole. Usually you can get right through the back full diameter too. This hole should be oversize on the final fitting, so that there's no contact between the bolt or screw and the tile.

Then switch drills to your SDS and a simple SDS hammer bit for drilling the wall itself. Drill centrally, without thumping the tile.

Dave Plowman (News) coughed up some electrons that declared:

Only ceramic tiles (ie "normal" tiles)

Cheers

Tim

Stuart Noble coughed up some electrons that declared:

Good idea - ta

David in Normandy coughed up some electrons that declared:

Hmm. Perhaps a special bit then - or one of those Bosch ones....

PeterC coughed up some electrons that declared:

Sounds like a really good idea - I do have a brace.

Cheers

Tim

That bit about the hole being oversize is really important, especially if you then use a plug in the hole. If you do the plug should be inserted

Personally I've never had any problem drilling tiles. No hammer, no push, very slow drill, relax.

That bit about the hole being oversize is really important, especially if you then use a plug in the hole. If you do the plug should be inserted

Personally I've never had any problem drilling tiles. No hammer, no push, very slow drill, relax.

You've never tried porcelain ones. ;-)