Drilling Holes In Ceramic Tiles

Diamond

Such structures are made in the form of small cylinders, the upper surface of which is coated with diamond chips. Such a tool is obtained by sintering metal and piece diamonds of small diameter. For processing tiles, these drills are the best option. They withstand high loads, suitable for materials of various hardness and thickness.

Pobeditovoe

Such a tool usually resembles a metal or wood product. At the end of the device, there is a special victorious soldering, capable of carrying high loads. These tools are not specific: their main purpose is drilling concrete.

If you need to form several holes in the tile, they are the best option. Their cost is slightly lower than the lance-shaped counterparts. A good drill will work for 2-3 holes. If you need to make a hole in a tile already glued to the wall, then you do not have to change the tool: it can also be used to drill a hole for a dowel in a concrete frame.

Big

Sometimes, when working with ceramics, installation involves the passage of water or sewer pipes through the material. The diameter of such products is much larger than that of conventional drills. They solve this problem with crowns. Outwardly, they do not have a twisted surface like a drill. Drilling is carried out with a hard top layer in contact with the tile. Depending on the material used in the manufacture of the material, the crowns can be divided into 2 groups: victorious and diamond.

Victory crowns are complemented with pobedit soldering. Such structures come in various sizes, they allow you to form holes with a diameter of up to 15 cm.It is easier, faster and more reliable to lay a pipeline, in the process of creating which different types of pipes are used. The disadvantage of such a tool is its limited service life. Up to 20 holes can be drilled with a victorious crown, after which the top layer begins to wear out quickly.

Ballerinas are one of the universal tools for drilling large holes. They consist of a central tip and a cutting tool that moves along a special bar. Their advantage is the fact that a specialist during finishing work can make a hole of a non-standard diameter (which is not always possible with the help of crowns).

To do this, draw a circle of the required parameter on the surface of the tile. Then, along the mowing line along the inner axis, a lot of holes are drilled, closely spaced to each other. Upon completion, carefully knock out the inside of the tile and smooth the ends with sandpaper.

Small diameter

Making small holes is a major challenge when using ceramic tiles. For such purposes, almost all types of drills discussed earlier are used. Such tools allow you to form a round hole.

Their diameter can vary from 4-5 mm to 12-15 mm. The size of the drill depends on the manufacturer of this product. There are modifications in which the diameter can be changed in 0.5 mm increments, other models are produced on an inch basis.

Fragility

The material must be drilled very carefully and carefully: all connections between the components are non-plastic and quickly break along certain lines. This can lead to cracking.

Based on these properties, we can say that the drilling of tiles should be carried out as accurately as possible and only with the use of special mechanisms. This will allow you to get a flat end and make the surface visually pleasing against the general background of the cladding.

We control the process

Tile processing technology assumes constant monitoring of the process, as well as the state of the drill. To accurately drill a quality hole, follow a few simple guidelines:

• Cool the drill bit constantly. If this is not done, it may burn out. If you do not have an automatic water supply system, you can replace it with a regular bottle, in which several holes must be punched in the cork. Remove the drill from time to time and wet it with fluid.
• Do not push hard on the drill. Overloading can lead to cracks or deformation of the drill.

• Do not use reverse mode when pulling out the accessory. This approach will result in chipping on the top surface of the tile. This can sometimes be the cause of material cracking.
• Try to hold the drill exactly at right angles to the plane of the tile. If you have no experience, you can use special stands or clips that simplify this procedure.
• Drill the tiles with the minimum drill speed. Try not to increase them during operation: this will lead to overheating of the drill or destruction of the material.

Drill types

The drilling of ceramic tiles can be carried out after laying and immediately before gluing the fragment to the surface of the base. The modern market offers several types of tools that can be used to process such material. All types of similar products can be divided into several categories.

Work principles

Drilling into ceramic tiles is a relatively simple process. It should be performed exclusively with the help of quality tools from well-known manufacturers, whose products have a positive assessment of the masters. The quality of the hole directly depends on this: it should look beautiful and be even.

Hardness

After sintering, the clay is compacted, which does not easily break the bonds between the components of the raw material.

For the formation of holes, it is necessary to use mechanisms whose hardness indicators are much higher than that of ceramics. In this case, the processing should be carried out relatively accurately (at the optimal speed of the tool used).

Fixing tiles

Checking the size match

Drilling

Switch the drill to drilling mode and set the minimum speed. Insert a diamond-coated bit into the chuck. They are different, for example, for concrete, wood or metal. do not confuse them when buying. Also, make sure that there is as much diamond chips as possible on the working part. It is better to use crowns with a center drill to reduce the risk of misalignment.

We start drilling carefully, with a slight pressure on the drill, but so that it does not move from its place. When the glaze is cut through, you can increase the speed and pressure. During drilling, it is necessary to provide water supply to the working part of the bit for cooling. Bosch has crowns that have a coolant inside (olive oil), they can be worked with dry.

Using a diamond core bit. Ways to drill tiles

Tile drilling tools

• Special drills for tiles. Helps to make small diameter holes. The tile drill has no threads and has a pointed tip on the tip. There are tetrahedral nibs (nibs), but they are inferior as they will be difficult to sharpen if necessary. It can also be used when drilling mosaic or glass.
• Drills with a victorious tip for concrete. It is found in almost every home, it is not necessary to buy a special drill. If the drill is not tipped, it can also be used, but the end will need to be re-sharpened like a conventional drill.
• Self-tapping screws with an LM tip (so-called fleas). Since the wall tiles are very soft, they can be drilled without a drill by screwing in self-tapping screws with a LM tip. On average, 2-3 screws are needed for one hole.
• Tile crowns with diamond coating. Allows to make holes of large and small diameters for sockets or pipes, installation of a toilet bowl. They have a fixed diameter and cost 300-1500 rubles, but they last for a long time. The minimum diameter that can be found is 5 mm. Perfect even for drilling porcelain stoneware.
• Circular drills (ballerinas on tiles). In addition to the sharp tip on the center drill, they have an additional movable cutter on the shaft. This is convenient because you can adjust the hole diameter and not buy multiple crowns for each size. Another plus is. Ballerinas are well suited to drill a hole in the center of the tile, but if it goes over the edge, it will be extremely difficult to do this.

When using any method, it is necessary to turn off the impact mode of the drill / punch and set the minimum speed to avoid the appearance of chips.

Markup

Let’s start with a typical case when you need to drill a hole in a ceramic tile to lead pipes to a bathroom faucet.

It is logical that both holes should be at the same height. Therefore, the first thing to do before drilling the tiles is to measure the same distance from the floor. In order not to overwhelm the vertical, we use a plumb line with a sinker or a bubble / laser level.

Measuring and marking the wall

Consider the joint dimensions when marking the tiles

Drilling tiles: 5 ways to make a hole at home

When laying tiles, situations often arise when you need to make a hole in it: to bring the mixer pipes, remove the outlet or switch, hammer in the dowels for the shelf, install the toilet, and so on. In this material we will talk about how to drill a tile for any required diameter.

Fast navigation through the article

Ballerina use

You can make a hole with a ballerina in 5 steps:

• Circle center mark.
• Drilling diameter setting.
• Cutting through the glaze.

Cutting the first few millimeters of the glaze on the front side

We cut the hole to the end from the front side.

The ballerina is enough for about 20-30 holes, which will be enough for home use. When working with it, you need to observe safety precautions and do drilling at low speeds, hold the drill strictly perpendicular to the tile.

Large hole

If you need to get a round (and not only) large-diameter hole, for which you do not have a ballerina / crown, then you can use the following technique.

• Mark out the center and draw a circle with the diameter you need. This can be done with a compass or a thread with a pencil glued to the center.
• Using a small diameter tile (or carbide tipped concrete) drill bit, drill holes along the line inside the circle. Try to make them as close to each other as possible.

We drill the maximum number of holes in diameter along the marking

You can drill a hole in the tile both before fixing it, and already on the wall. The only thing, when working with laid tiles, you need to be careful so as not to damage it and not blunt the drill.

• Features of drilling porcelain stoneware and hard tiles using diamond core bits
• We make an apron from tiles in the kitchen: step by step instructions with a photo
• 3 ways to cut tile at home

We screw up

Of course, you can do without special materials, then an additional operation will be added to break the upper enamel layer by nibbling. You will have to knock very carefully so as not to crack the surface in a larger area than required. It is possible to over-drill the layer, but the rotation speed of the drill must be very low, practically by hand.

Drilling holes in ceramic tiles, detailed explanation with photos and

When the dirtiest part of the renovation is behind, the tiles are laid out, it would seem that the renovation is nearing its logical conclusion. And then it becomes necessary to hang cabinets or shelves in the kitchen, install a tap in the bathroom, which means that it is necessary to drill holes in ceramic tiles.

We drill tiles

During the renovation in the apartment, after finishing the finishing, it is time to hang cabinets, various shelves or hangers on the walls. If all your work is done by the master, there is nothing to think about, you just need to indicate in what place, and that’s it. When repairing yourself, you will have to face the difficult operation of drilling through the tiles. The practice of household repairs knows a considerable number of damaged interior elements. How many nerves were frayed at the sight of scattering cracks on the freshly laid tiles. A few tips to help you avoid this fate.

Drill cooling is done using ordinary water, not necessarily with such a powerful jet as in the photo, it is quite easy to drill a ceramic tile, unlike its kind of porcelain stoneware or natural stone

Make sure your drill is in drilling mode. We start work at the slowest pace. After opening the top layer and a small depression, you can increase the speed. Cool the drill bit periodically and check for sharpness. The deeper the drill goes, the higher you can increase the speed.

Switch the drill to hammer mode and at partial speed, carefully bring the hole to the required depth. Make sure that the cartridge does not hit the enamel layer of the tile, all the work carefully done before will go down the drain.

Start of drilling work

For high-quality work, you will need a drill with a speed control function and a drill with a diamond nozzle, which is cooled during operation. Thus, what kind of drill to drill into ceramic tiles is unambiguous. Drilling should be done carefully, without strong pressure on the drill. If necessary, a hole is made in the seams of the tiles. But, first you need to make sure that the diameter does not exceed the width of the seams, and the center coincides with the center of the seam. Better not to drill close to the edge of the tile, there is a chance of chipping.

Do not drill at high speeds, this may cause the tiles to break

Tools

• A drill is required. It is desirable not very heavy, otherwise do not hold, the tile will be spoiled immediately. It would be nice with speed control, in our case the possibility of quiet running is very important.
• Dowel size drill. In principle, you can use any, only time costs will be added. There are drills specifically for tiles, they are distinguished by their sharpness and hardness of the tip. But you can use the usual with success, however, it must be sharpened well. Drilling large holes for rosettes with a small drill will require a lot of work; for such purposes, special diamond-coated bits have been invented. Ceramic tiles can be drilled with special bits and crowns. Crowns for drilling ceramic tiles are produced by various manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, preference can be given if there is a slight difference in price.
• If you have a lot of holes to make, get yourself a level. For such a case, a kind of device was also invented. a conductor. a plate with holes of different sizes will somewhat facilitate the marking of surfaces for future drilling sites. Decide immediately how to drill ceramic tiles, this will shorten the working time
• A construction pencil or felt-tip pen capable of writing on a smooth surface.
• Transparent tape is best if you put the mark on the tiles. Other materials like plaster or masking tape will work, even good duct tape.

How to make markup

First of all, it is difficult to pass the glaze of the tile, which is both strong (scratch-resistant) and fragile at the same time. Therefore, the main task is to prevent the drill from slipping on the surface of the tile, and to fix it in the place where it is necessary to drill a hole. This is a crucial stage of work before drilling ceramic tiles.

This is done in the following ways:

• A small conical recess is made with a hardened self-tapping screw or the edge of the file. This method is called “punching”;
• A mark is made with an office pencil for correction, in the place of the future hole. From the layer applied with a pencil, a roughness will appear, which will not allow the drill to slide during the work;
• At the point of drilling, masking tape is glued, if it is not there, a cloth patch is quite suitable. Tile drill goes through tape or adhesive, avoiding slipping.

One hole will take a little labor, but a lot of patience. Multiple holes will increase experience and consume less time. Decide on the number of holes you need and mark their position on the wall before drilling the ceramic tiles. Match a large number of holes on one wall using a level.

The use of transparent insulating material allows the marking directly to the tiles. Pre-stick opaque ones, for example, a plaster in the area of ​​the intended drilling and mark the entry point on it. Attaching glue-based materials will prevent the drill from slipping off the point.

Large holes

The simplest and most effective, but the most expensive method is to use a tungsten or diamond bit. All that is required is to set the diameter of the crown. Such a nozzle is not cheap, but it pays off considering the time and effort saved. Ideally, purchase a set with crowns of different diameters.

You can practice on the remnants of the material, so you can fill your hand well

Less aesthetic will be the way of drilling small “holes” along the contour of the future hole, and then carefully removed. After removing the central part, the edges are processed with an abrasive bar.
At home, it is not difficult to carry out any repairs, having the necessary tools and knowing the features of the materials with which you have to work.

Done

Remove the pasted material and insert the dowel. The hole is ready to receive the fastener. Moving on to the next one, if any. If you do not use stickers, it makes sense to screw all the holes at once so as not to waste time later.

It would be a good idea to start practicing on a tile that you do not mind. Now you know how to properly drill ceramic tiles, but remember that experience comes with working. In any case, the intricacies of this work are now clear.

Tile drilling tool

To make a hole in the tile, you need a drill. It can be a hand drill, but it is better if it is a modern electric drill with electronic speed control.

Instead of an electric drill, a portable screwdriver is also quite suitable.

Using a diamond core bit

Let’s start with a typical case when you need to drill a hole in a ceramic tile to lead pipes to a bathroom faucet.

Such things need to be considered even at the layout stage. And try to make cutouts for pipes in the center of the tile. This is done by shifting the layout or changing the starting point of the laying to the desired location. If you can’t install the tap exactly in the center, then you need to try to hide this fact as much as possible, and not highlight it by installing a number of decors or borders.

It is logical that both holes should be at the same height. Therefore, the first thing to do before drilling the tiles is to measure the same distance from the floor. In order not to overwhelm the vertical, we use a plumb line with a sinker or a bubble / laser level.

Measuring and marking the wall

Next, you need to measure the required horizontal distance between the centers of the points and make two more marks. Measure the radius of the hole from the center of each point to know where the cut line will go.

Consider the joint dimensions when marking the tiles

Switch the drill to drilling mode and set the minimum speed. Insert a diamond-coated bit into the chuck. They are different, for example, for concrete, wood or metal. do not confuse them when buying. Also, make sure that there is as much diamond chips as possible on the working part. It is better to use crowns with a center drill to reduce the risk of misalignment.

We start drilling carefully, with a slight pressure on the drill, but so that it does not move from its place. When the glaze is cut through, the speed and pressure can be increased. During drilling, water must be supplied to the bit to cool down. Bosch has crowns that have a coolant inside (olive oil), they can be worked with dry.

If you are using a small diameter bit without a center drill, use it with a jig to avoid misalignment. You can do it yourself in 1 minute from trimming boards or plywood. Make a hole in it of the same diameter and use it as a conductor, pressing with your hand.

Ways to drill tiles

Tile drilling tools

• Special drills for tiles. Helps to make small diameter holes. The tile drill has no threads and has a pointed tip on the tip. There are tetrahedral nibs (nibs), but they are inferior as they will be difficult to sharpen if necessary. It can also be used when drilling mosaic or glass.
• Drills with a victorious tip for concrete. It is found in almost every home, it is not necessary to buy a special drill. If the drill is not tipped, it can also be used, but the end will need to be re-sharpened like a conventional drill.
• Self-tapping screws with an LM tip (so-called fleas). Since the wall tiles are very soft, they can be drilled without a drill by screwing in self-tapping screws with a LM tip. On average, 2-3 screws are needed for one hole.
• Tile crowns with diamond coating. Allows to make holes of large and small diameters for sockets or pipes, installation of a toilet bowl. They have a fixed diameter and cost 300-1500 rubles, but they last for a long time. The minimum diameter that can be found is 5 mm. Perfect even for drilling porcelain stoneware.
• Circular drills (ballerinas on tiles). In addition to the sharp tip on the center drill, they have an additional movable cutter on the shaft. This is convenient because you can adjust the hole diameter and not buy multiple crowns for each size. Another plus is. Ballerinas are well suited to drill a hole in the center of the tile, but if it goes over the edge, it will be extremely difficult to do this.

When using any method, it is necessary to turn off the impact mode of the drill / punch and set the minimum speed to avoid the appearance of chips.

How to drill a tile: tools and their purpose

Each individual type of modern tile has its own characteristics. for example, along with soft ceramic tiles, there is also more durable porcelain stoneware. In addition, tiles can be covered with a protective layer, which is also far from soft. there is even a tile that cannot be scratched. With the latter, problems generally arise when drilling. All these nuances must be taken into account and an appropriate tool must be used to resolve the question of how to drill a tile? There is not so much of it, so learning this tool will not be difficult. Let’s start in order, from soft tiles to harder ones.

• Drill with victorious soldering. This tool is excellent for drilling in soft to medium hard tiles. You can use both special drills for tiles and glass, and ordinary drills intended for drilling concrete. The question is, why then such a division of this cutting tool? It is all about the specifics of the tile itself, or rather, the presence of a layer of glaze on it, which every now and then strives to “take away” the usual victorious drill, which has a large sharpening angle, aside, thereby damaging the decorative coating of the tile. In contrast, a special tile drill (often called a “feather”) has a small sharpening angle, which allows it to be held even in a small chip of glaze and not move away from the intended drilling area. The disadvantage of these feathers is their fragility. high rotations of the drill and small deviations to the side of the drilling axis inevitably lead to breakage of the winder part of the drill.
• Drill with diamond cut. This cutting tool can be called a drill with a stretch. Most likely this is a crown. a thin tube, on one end of which there is a sputtering of fine diamond chips. This cutting tool works great, but the main thing is that it copes well with drilling hard porcelain stoneware. But there are also disadvantages. this crown does not have a sharp end that allows you to center it at the desired point. If you start drilling with this diamond edge without additional tools, you will surely leave an unpretentious pattern of a lot of scratches on the tile. As an additional device, together with a diamond bit, a so-called template is used. a plate up to 2 mm thick, in which a lot of holes are drilled. By installing the corresponding hole of the pattern in the required place and holding it securely on the wall, a hole of the required diameter is drilled through it. This process, I tell you, is not very convenient, but sometimes such tiles come across that there simply are no other options.

How to drill a tile

This is how things stand with the question of how to drill a tile? As you can see, the choice is not rich, but, nevertheless, this tool is quite enough to hang cabinets, soap dishes and other necessary accessories on the wall in the bathroom.

Which drill is better to drill the tile?

As a rule, such drills have a special nozzle with a diamond or carbide tip, which allows you to easily cut the strong crystal structure of glass or tiles.

Pen drills with a sharp spatula at the end drill perfectly into tiles:

Also available are diamond core bits of various diameters, specially designed for ceramic tiles:

Regular drills for wood or metal will not work in this case, and you are unlikely to be able to make a neat hole.

Advice:
To prevent the drill from sliding over the tile surface during the initial drilling stage. You can stick a piece of dense tape on the tile, on which you can mark the center of the future hole with a pencil.

How to drill a tile?

Quite often, it becomes necessary to place it on walls finished with ceramic tiles. Plumbing equipment and various elements, without which it is difficult to imagine a bathroom today. a mirror. Various shelves, curtains. Heated towel rail. Water heater in case of a hot water cut-off, install a socket for connecting a washing machine.

But for this you have to drill the tiles. And try to do it so that the fragile tile does not crack.

Let’s find out how to drill a tile, what tools are needed for this and how to drill correctly to avoid cracks.

How to drill a tile in a bathroom: the technology of making holes in the wall

So that the question of how to drill a tile on the wall does not cause confusion, we will describe it point by point, dividing it into small stages.

• As mentioned above, the main problem when drilling tiles is the glaze, which prevents accurate drill positioning. There are several ways to resolve this issue:
  – on the tile at the place of drilling the hole, you can scratch the enamel with a drill (it is by no means possible to knock it down and punch, since the risk that the tile will crack is very high);
  – the drilling point can be drawn with a clerical corrector (after drying, it creates a rough film that prevents the drill or drill from moving to the side);
  – in the place of drilling, stick masking tape or adhesive plaster on the tile and drill directly through it.
• You need to drill the tiles by turning off the blow on a drill or hammer drill. It is not worth setting high speeds, as the soldering of the drill will burn, and in the end such drilling may result in the purchase of several new drills.
• Having passed the body of the tile, you can turn on the blow and safely drill a hole in the wall to the required depth.

How to drill a tile with your own hands photo

From the outside, the question of how to properly drill a tile can be easily solved. But, as in any other work, this one has many nuances, which we will talk about further.

The presented clearly shows how to drill a tile with your own hands.

Fixing tiles

Checking the size match

We apply the tiles and check the match with the pipes. If everything fits, we put glue on the wall, run it with a comb for even distribution with a thin layer and press the tile into place.