How To Cut Ceramic Wall Tiles

Work technology

After choosing the right tools, you can go directly to drilling. It should be taken into account that overheating of the drill or tile can lead to cracks, therefore, at a minimum, water the drilling area with water or take short breaks. If simple immersion of the drill in cold water does not help to reduce the incandescence rate, a special system must be used that forcibly feeds cold water to the point of contact of the drill with the tile.

How to cut tile without a cutter or without a tile machine

If possible, it is best to drill at the seam between the two tiles. If you cannot drill near the seam, then it is better to retreat from the edge at least 2 cm, which will reduce the risk of chipping and breaking along the edge of the tile. The drill must be located clearly perpendicular to the tile, you must carefully monitor this.

Do not overspeed the drill when working with ceramics. The optimal rotation range is from 100 rpm to 400 maximum.

If a drill is used for work, in which the hammer mode can be set, it is necessary to check that this function is turned off each time before starting drilling.

When cutting tiles, a huge amount of tile dust, crumbs and tiny sharp debris is released into the air, which can easily enter the eye or respiratory tract, therefore, protective goggles, a mask and gloves must be used.

How to properly drill wall tiles?

• Process features
• What is required?
• Work technology
• Small hole
• Big
• Useful Tips

Layed ceramic tiles are one of the most common finishing options for bathrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. The tile is easy to clean, it does not pass or absorb water, risking swelling like a laminate.

It is quite possible to lay the tiles with your own hands without the involvement of specialists, because it is a fairly simple and not expensive process. However, after the surface of the wall or floor in the bathroom sparkles with the novelty of the tile, the time comes when it is necessary to start installing the sink, mirror or heated towel rail.

That is why it is necessary to clearly understand how to properly drill holes and install fasteners in a wall covered with tiles, so that you do not have to redo an already completed repair.

Process features

Cutting a hole for a socket or dowel in a tile is a process associated with certain risks. An inexperienced craftsman will most likely split or crumble the already finished surface on the wall, starting to drill it without specific knowledge and preparation, because the hardness of ceramic tiles is much higher than the hardness of the brick or concrete material of the wall itself. When working with such a surface, it is necessary to use special drills that are harder than ordinary ones and than the tile itself.

The surface of ceramic tiles is very smooth due to the fact that they are covered with a special glaze. Such a coating helps to protect the material from moisture and damage, but the drill will slide over it and “break off”, so you need to use some kind of rough material that can be applied to the tiles and which will allow the drill to sink into the glaze strictly perpendicular to the wall.

Despite its hardness, the tile is quite fragile on the inside and it is easy to crumble and split it if the drill gets into the void between the unevenly distributed glue underneath.

Therefore, it is also important to evenly distribute the solution when laying tiles on the wall with your own hands, or choose an experienced craftsman who will do it.

Big

Holes with a diameter greater than 20 mm must be drilled before laying the tiles on the floor or wall. They are usually needed when installing outlets or faucets, installing drain pipes and installing switches. It is necessary to use a special workbench or prepare a suitable place for this from scrap materials. The tile should fit snugly to the surface, remove all debris and exclude the possibility of heavy objects falling onto the tile from above. The center of the proposed hole is determined and drilling is performed directly.

If you need to use a “ballerina”, then first it is better to drill a through hole with an ordinary thin drill. The fixed leg of the “ballerina” is inserted into such a hole and the locking screw is firmly tightened. The movable leg sets the radius of the future hole and the desired hole is drilled at low speeds. It is advisable to use a protective plastic cover to reduce the vibration of the tool. If necessary, you can refine the edges of the resulting hole using ordinary pliers and sandpaper.

When using corundum, tungsten carbide or diamond dust coated core drills, it is necessary to divide them into large diameter drills, which have their own central pilot drill, and small diameter drills, which do not have such a center drill. In the first case, the central drill is installed in the intended center of the intended hole and drilling is performed at low speeds with slight pressure. In the second, it is necessary to use a jig, which is attached to the surface using special suction cups and does not allow the drill to move relative to the center.

If there is no conductor, you can use special templates that are applied to the surface of the tile, but they are more difficult to use.

How to Cut Tile for Beginners

Even if you have one thin drill for a tile, you can drill a hole in it many times the diameter of this drill. It is necessary to mark the circle of the future hole on the tile in advance and drill many small holes along it. The resulting fragment must be carefully removed from the tile and the edges must be cleaned with pliers, a file and sandpaper. This is a rather long and laborious method that requires a certain level of proficiency in the instrument and a lot of patience.

Before gluing a tile that has a hole, it is necessary to check in advance whether it is correctly calculated and executed. It is best to attach the cut tiles to a dry wall directly at the place of their gluing and check everything well. Then glue it and remove any excess glue that may protrude at the edges of the cut out circle.

Small hole

Small holes for a mirror, towel or wall cabinet are usually drilled on an already tiled wall. The glue under such a tile is already frozen, the tile is in an upright position.

In order for the work to look neat, it is better to use dowels with a diameter not exceeding 12 mm. Before starting work, you need to decide on the place in which the fasteners will be located: it should be located either on the seam, or should not adjoin the tile edge closer than 15-20 mm.

The work algorithm will be as follows:

• A drill of a suitable diameter is selected. The hole size must be only 1-2 mm larger than the size of the dowel, otherwise it will move freely inside the tile.
• Carefully place the drill in the center of the intended hole and, starting work at low drill speeds, drill the top layer of glaze on the tile. This is best done with a small diameter crown.
• To pass the subsequent thickness of the tile, the speed of the drill can be increased slightly. Keep the tool strictly on the mowing line, otherwise the hole will not be even and round.

• To drill the wall itself under the tile, it is better to change the drill so as not to spoil the special one. A conventional concrete drill will do just fine. The main thing is not to touch the tile itself, therefore such a drill should be much smaller than the finished hole in the tile material.
• Then you need to carefully clean the resulting holes from debris and dust using an old toothbrush, cotton swab or napkin.
• Insert a dowel into the drilled holes of the tiles and walls and carefully hammer in with a hammer, trying not to hit the tiles, so as not to accidentally split it.
• After that, a self-tapping screw is screwed into the dowel with an ordinary screwdriver or screwdriver and the necessary piece of furniture is hung.

What is required?

Due to their increased hardness, the tiles easily blunt ordinary drills, therefore it is necessary to choose tools made of high-strength materials with a certain sharpening.

It is not recommended to use a hammer drill or other percussion tools to drill holes in the tiles laid on the wall. They are likely to damage the ceramics and have to be redone. Do not put too much pressure on the tool during drilling, make holes larger or smaller than necessary.

Possible options:

• Electric drill. Any one with the ability to smoothly adjust the speed of the drill will do. No need to buy expensive tools, tiles do not need high drilling speed.
• Screwdriver. It is useful both for screwing a steel screw into a dowel and for drilling a tile. Some screwdrivers have a sufficiently powerful power source, which allows, when installing a special drill, to work with ceramics and, in particular, with tiles.

• To drill small holes for fasteners, sometimes even an ordinary brace or a hand drill is enough. This makes it even easier to control the speed of the drill. The hand drill does not vibrate as much and thus greatly reduces the risk of damage and discoloration of the tiles.
• Drills with a victorious arrowhead are called spear drills. These drills are made specifically for working with tiles for making small holes. Due to the specific sharpening and sharp edge, the contact surface with the ceramics is reduced and, as a result, the risk of damage to the tiles is reduced. However, such drills will not last long: 15-20 holes in ordinary tiles and no more than 5 in porcelain stoneware.

• Solid carbide drills. Their acute-angled sharpening in the form of a hexagon easily passes a layer of glaze on ceramics and allows such tools to be used for a long time.
• Core drills look like tubes of various diameters and belong to professional equipment. Diamond or corundum dusting makes it easy to drill not only ordinary tiles, but also porcelain stoneware. The provided waste outlet, into which dust and crumbs accumulating under the drill quietly go away, allows you not to interrupt every 40-60 seconds of work.

• Tungsten carbide-coated core drills are also expensive professional tools. Sold in sets with crowns of various diameters and can even cut holes in natural marble or granite.
• Conventional tipped carbide drills are not suitable for working on the tiles themselves, but are excellent for installing dowels in concrete or brick of the wall itself, when the hole in the ceramic has already been made.

• For holes to which none of the available drills fit in diameter, you can purchase a special “ballerina”. The principle of operation of such a drill is similar to the principle of operation of a compass: a sharp “leg” is installed in the center of the intended hole, and the cutter moves along an even circle with a given radius.
• A professional tile cutter is hardly necessary for carrying out one-time repair work due to its high cost and dimensions, which complicate its subsequent storage. However, with its presence, the process of cutting tiles is simplified several times.

• A conductor is a special device that is fixed on the wall and does not allow the drill bit to deviate from the intended point on the tile.
• A blower for supplying water to the cutting site is needed to cool the drill and material that is hot from contact at such a high speed with the help of liquid.

Useful Tips

If there are several fragments of unnecessary tiles, then you can practice drilling holes in them. At the same time, it will be possible to see how the material behaves under one or another drill, how holes of various diameters are drilled.

To make markings on the tiles, it is not enough to apply the drawing with a regular pencil or marker. The first one is difficult to apply to the tile so that it is clearly visible and it is difficult to damage the drawing by leaning your hand against it. The second one is also easily erased until it is dry, and when dry, on the contrary, it is difficult to remove after the end of work. The best way is to attach a piece of masking tape to the tile and draw on it with any pen, felt-tip pen or pencil. In addition, the sharp drill will slip less from the rough surface of the masking tape, which greatly facilitates the process of drilling into ceramics.

In the outdated instructions for drilling tiles, you can find a recommendation to first knock down the glaze in the place where the tiles are drilled.

However, when using modern equipment, this operation is not only unnecessary, but also increases the risk of spoiling the tile, breaking it with an inadvertent movement when chipping the top layer.

If the tile has not yet been glued, it can be pre-soaked in warm water for an hour before drilling. This will significantly reduce the likelihood of splits and cracks in the tile.

How to make a hole in a tile using a simple drill, see below.

Difficulty drilling tiles

Ceramic tiles are considered the ideal wall decoration option because they withstand decades of merciless use in the humid microclimate of the bathroom. These same qualities make it difficult to make holes in the tile. First of all, the following features of this type of finish represent the difficulty:

• Hardness. Ceramic tiles have a dense, hard structure, as they are obtained by extrusion or pressing. Therefore, it is not at all easy to drill a hole in it, you need a special tool, drills, the hardness of which is greater than the tile itself.
• Smooth surface. The outer surface of the tile is covered with glaze so that it is less porous, does not absorb moisture and shines beautifully. Therefore, when you try to punch a hole in a tiled wall, the drill will slide off, which can damage the tile.
• Fragility. Despite its high hardness, it is quite easy to damage the tiles during drilling. Especially if the glue was unevenly distributed during installation and there are air cavities under the tile. If it gets into such an air. the drill will almost certainly split the tile.

Not knowing how to drill a tile correctly, you can make a lot of annoying oversights that will lead to the need to replace one or more tiles, increase the cost of repairs, and just shake the nerves of the master.

Choosing a drill or drill

Tile is a material with a hard surface and requires a special tool to process it. These are drills of various types:

• tungsten carbide;
• lance-shaped diamond-coated;
• crown (diamond-coated tube);
• drill with SDS shank (for rock drill).

The most affordable option is a carbide tipped drill bit. In a sharpened state, it copes with the task, but quickly “sits down” requires periodic sharpening. Poor contact with concrete and metal.

A spear drill with two or four edges is more expensive due to diamond coating, but also lasts longer. It is used for drilling ceramics and glass.

A drill in the form of a tube with a diamond edge (crown) is more often used for drilling porcelain stoneware. Such a tool has a minimal cutting area, makes the process easier, but requires some skill. The tube is thin-walled, with excessive force, it is easily damaged. But diamond sputtering is capable of cutting any material.

If the power tool has only a hammer drill, then a hole can be made in the tile using a drill with an SDS shank. This is an extreme case that requires more effort.

The drill diameter must match the size of the dowel for which the hole is made.

Don’t forget to cool the instrument.

To extend the life of the drill, the cutting ability of the bit and reduce the risk of cracks, accompany the drilling process with water cooling. If you are unable to water the drilling site continuously while you are working, stop from time to time and spray some water on the drill. Make sure that no water gets on the drill motor. Another method you can use to keep the drill from overheating is to keep a damp sponge underneath.

Methods for drilling tiles without chips

Ceramic tiles are a fairly common finishing material. Advantages of the material: water resistance, a large selection of dimensions, shapes, colors, reliability, etc. During repair work, it is often necessary to drill holes inside the tile. To avoid mistakes, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the key rules.

Drill and drill selection

When the unit is prepared, it remains to choose the type of nozzle aimed at solving certain problems:

• Diamond coated drills. They give the best drilling results even in very hard tiles, but due to the high cost, it makes sense to use them only for a large amount of work.
• Drills with a tip from Pobedit. They do well with soft tiles and tiles of medium hardness. It is recommended to drill ceramic tiles on the wall with so-called feather drills. they have a small sharpening angle that does not damage the tile glaze.
• Lance drills. Suitable for dowel insertion, low cost and enviable service life.
• One-sided carbide drills. These attachments reduce the risk of overheating and make handling very fragile and thin tiles easier.
• Tungsten carbide core drills. Universal accessories that can easily cope not only with the most durable tiles, but also with marble, brick and porcelain stoneware.

What is required for processing?

The best option for working with ceramic tiles is a cordless or cordless screwdriver. Its high rotation speed (800-1000 rpm) allows you to easily cope with the processing of tiles. An alternative to a screwdriver is an electric drill, or its manual modification if you have to drill a small hole.

Drilling tools

There are different ways to drill ceramic tiles. The problematic work lies in the process of creating a tile. It undergoes high-temperature firing, has a high density, the tile is not plastic and fragile enough. If it is not properly cut or drilled, then cracks or chips may form.

Note! When processing ceramic tiles, the material itself has a negative abrasive effect on the working tool. Therefore, a simple drill will become blunt very quickly.

As a result, in order to drill holes in a ceramic tile correctly, you do not need to exert a lot of effort, vibration action or use the tool at high speeds. The drill is purchased from a high-strength material that will drill through a dense ceramic structure and will not become blunt. Consider the tools used for drilling:

• Electric drill. With its help, it is easy to make a hole. It is only important that it has a smooth speed control.
• Powerful screwdriver.
• Hand drill. Although the device is old, it is quite effective. It can be used to make a small hole.
• The drills used are carbide-tipped. This is not the best way to drill a hole in ceramic tiles, as it will be difficult for the drill to penetrate the strongest top layer of the tile. Such drills are used after a small hole has been made in the tile.
• There are special spear-shaped drills (“feathers”), which are designed for drilling tiles. They are ideal for creating a small hole. The shank can be cylindrical so that it can be clamped in a drill. Products with a hexagon are on sale, suitable for a screwdriver. Since the drill is suitable for ceramic tiles, this drill is sufficient to drill holes in a couple of dozen tiles. It is more difficult with porcelain stoneware, enough for only 1-2 pieces.
• Solid carbide drills that are sharpened on one side. Easily sew the entire tile. Ideal for making thin holes.
• Drill bits that are diamond or corundum coated. This is a more professional tool, it is suitable for porcelain stoneware and tiles. Looks like a hollow tube and makes large holes.
• If you need to make a one-time drilling of a tile in a large-diameter bathroom, then a special “ballerina” is used. It is inexpensive and can handle the task. The design is simple-minded. in the center is a spear-shaped drill, and in parallel there is a leg, which has a carbide soldering. Leg overhang can be adjusted to create the desired diameter.

Note! Some tile cutters are equipped with a hand-held compass that closely resembles a ballerina. The principle of operation is the same.

One question is how to drill, but quite another: how to drill a ceramic tile so that it does not crack? Not only do you need to work carefully, but during the work the tool and the tile itself heats up, which leads to cracks. Therefore, in the process, it is necessary to artificially cool the drill. You can simply pour water, or use blowers that supply water to the cut under pressure.

We looked at how to drill a hole in ceramic tiles. Now you need to find out how this is done in practice.

Bits and drills

After you have decided on a tool, you need to choose a drill or nozzle. The choice depends on the size of the required hole and the number of drilling points. You should not use ordinary drills for concrete: spoil the tile, and the drill, and the result will be disastrous.

Possible types of drills and nozzles for working with tiles

Type of attachment Tip material Recommended use

drill	Will win	The most budgetary option. Suitable for working on a pair of holes.
crown	Will win	Can be used to drill holes up to 150 mm in diameter. 1 nozzle for a maximum of 20 holes.
Spear (feather) drill	Wolfram carbide	Suitable for drilling a small number of holes. expensive than winning, but somewhat more effective.
drill	Diamond spraying	An expensive tool. The hardness of the tip material exceeds the strength of the tile surface. Convenient to work with any type of tile.
crown	Diamond spraying	Speeds up the work process. It is worth drilling as carefully as possible, starting at low speeds.
ballerina	Consists of a center pulley, a guide drill, a cross bar and a carbide cutter.	Possibility to drill holes of various diameters. The cutter is set according to the size of the required hole radius.

Which drill to choose?

Drills for brick and concrete are definitely not suitable for installing dowels. they can destroy and damage the tile cladding. As a result, you will have to re-lay the problem area. Coaters recommend purchasing special drills with a spear-shaped tip for such purposes.

Large holes

The best way to create a capacious perforation is to use a ballerina with a tip of the desired diameter. It is preliminarily recommended to practice on the waste tiles in order to “feel” the instrument. If the ballerina was not at hand, a hole saw will come to the rescue, which even an inexperienced owner can successfully handle.

Another way to drill step by step:

• Mark the center of the planned hole and draw a circle of the desired diameter.
• With any drill on the tile, several holes are made along the diameter of the circle, trying to place them close to each other.
• The drilled sectors are carefully pushed through, and the remaining pieces are removed with nippers.
• The edges are sanded into the correct shape.

How to Drill a Hole in Tile on a Wall. A Practical Guide

At the beginning of the renovation, it seems that the most difficult thing is laying tiles on the walls and floor in the bathroom. Therefore, when the installation of the decorative coating is completed, you think that the problematic moments are already behind. However, the bathroom will have to be equipped with plumbing fixtures, cupboards, shelves, and sockets. To put in place each of the listed items in the wall, you need to make a hole, or even more than one.

The craftsman is faced with the question of how to drill a tile on the wall without damaging or spoiling the appearance. In this situation, there are only two options: trust the professionals or learn how to drill the tile yourself.

Difficulty drilling tiles

Ceramic tiles are considered the ideal wall decoration option because they withstand decades of merciless use in the humid microclimate of the bathroom. These same qualities make it difficult to make holes in the tile. First of all, the following features of this type of finish represent the difficulty:

• Hardness. Ceramic tiles have a dense, hard structure, as they are obtained by extrusion or pressing. Therefore, it is not at all easy to drill a hole in it, you need a special tool, drills, the hardness of which is greater than the tile itself.
• Smooth surface. The outer surface of the tile is covered with glaze so that it is less porous, does not absorb moisture and shines beautifully. Therefore, when you try to punch a hole in a tiled wall, the drill will slide off, which can damage the tile.
• Fragility. Despite its high hardness, it is quite easy to damage the tiles during drilling. Especially if the glue was unevenly distributed during installation and there are air cavities under the tile. If it gets into such an air. the drill will almost certainly split the tile.

Not knowing how to drill a tile correctly, you can make a lot of annoying oversights that will lead to the need to replace one or more tiles, increase the cost of repairs, and just shake the nerves of the master.

When drilling is required

During a major overhaul, it is impossible to do without cutting on ceramic tiles. Also, this process is necessary for the beautiful installation of switches, sockets, pipes, as well as faucets. The use of special tools and the experience of the master will help to avoid mistakes.

How to drill a tile on a wall?

Drilling holes in the tiles may be needed already at the last stage of the repair.

Finishing work is being completed, all that remains is to hang or fix the interior items on the wall. An inept approach to tile drilling will lead to such troubles as chips, cracks and scratches. We will tell you how to drill a tile on the wall so that it does not crack, and the result is flawless.

How to drill ceramic tiles on the wall

Methods for drilling tile on a wall or floor so that it does not crack or deform

It is not always possible to foresee all the details during the repair, where there will be an outlet, a mirror or a glass shelf. Therefore, the tile must be cut, sawed and holes made in it. This work must be done with care so as not to damage the fragile material. For this, it is important to consider several important points that the master should know.