Drilling tiles

[seanf]

We are looking to put up toilet roll and towel holders in the downstairs toilet of our new house. This will involve drilling tiles, not something I have done before. Any tips on how to do this and what drill bits to use please?

Thanks

Sean

 

[Spectric]

First thing is to put masking tap over where you will be drilling, then Do Not Use Hammer mode under any circumstances.

I find these work well, Bosch Expert Hex-9 Drill Bit 6 x 90mm and also in conjunction with these

they are ok but not if you have a lot of holes Erbauer Diamond Tile Drill Bit 6 x 67mm

You need to let the drill grind it's way through but do not apply pressure, just gentle and steady otherwise you may crack the tile.

 

[seanf]

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I will pick up some of the Erbauer bits I think, as I’m likely to need to do other bathrooms when we get to them. Do I need to start with a smaller bit and work up or just carefully and slowly go for it with the actual size I need?

Thanks again

Sean

 

[robgul]

Masking tape as stated - I usually drill a very shallow "pilot hole" with a smaller drill to just get through the glaze before drilling with the required size drill - very slowly with minimal pressure, letting the drill bit do the work.

AND when you fit the wall plug make sure it's not too tight in the hole as when you screw in the retaining screw you might expand the plug to the point that it cracks the tile (I tend to use soft plastic plugs - they often come with the thing you'e fitting - some of the usual red and brown plugs are very hard plastic)

 

[Ozi]

Construction of the wall behind the tile makes a difference, if it's a solid wall I try to push the plug in just past the tile for exactly the reason Robgul says, if it's

a stud wall I use these as long as the item I'm fitting will cover a 10mm hole. Very slow drill speed low pressure and I use vegetable oil as a cutting fluid, don't know if it helps but it's what my Dad did perhaps stopping to dip the drill cools it. These bits work well for me.

 

[redhunter350]

I recently had to drill some tiles fitted by my daughter and traditional tile drills would not even look at them ! harder than Goats knee ! Eventually I purchased some hollow diamond drills on Ebay, still difficult but they did the job - tip ! spay water to lube the drill, messy but improves the cutting immensely.

 

[gcusick]

Depends on what type of tiles you have.

If they are standard ceramic tiles, with a hard glaze but a soft, almost plaster-like body, then the process is much as described in the previous posts. Apply masking tape to prevent the drill point skidding, use one of the ’shield’ shaped glass-drilling bits at slow speed, rotary only and light pressure to drill through the glaze and the tile body. I’ve normally used a size up on the hole I need in the wall - so if I’m using a 6mm diameter plug, I’d use either a 7mm or 8mm glass bit in the tile. Then use the correct size masonry bit to drill into the wall. The objective is to avoid lateral pressure on the sides of the hole in the tile. Simple process, just needs a bit of care.

If, as we do, you have hard porcelain tiles, that process really doesn’t work. You’ll wear out glass bits like nobody’s business, and use whole years’ worth of short words! For these tiles, you need one of the Erbauer self-lubricating diamond bits referenced earlier - there are other similar drills from other manufacturers. Still use masking tape, but start the hole by holding the drill at an angle to the surface then bring it square to the surface once you’ve started the hole. Modest speed, and a fair amount of pressure. Same consideration about the hole size in the tile.

 

[Inspector]

I installed glass shower doors and the tiles were a hard porcelain, 1' x 2'. I went through 8 or 10 of the spearpoint style bits (Bosch I think) to get through. I did them slow, dry and with lots of vein popping pressure until the bit was almost through. Fortunately when being framed it was setup to have studs in those locations. I was happy I didn't have to futz around with wall plugs of any kind.

Pete

 

[seanf]

Thank you all, some great advice as usual. I’m picking up the holders tomorrow and will get bits at the same time

Sean

 

[Tony51]

I use hss drill bits (cheap ones) once ruined discard.
Tony

 

[Wend]

I recently needed to make a hole for a new toilet roll holder. I started off trying to centre-punch a hole and use masking tape with a small masonry bit, but had problems with the drill bit wandering and tearing the masking tape up. What I found worked very well was starting off with a brad point bit, then I made a complete hole with the small masonry bit, before finally enlarging to to full size with a larger masonry bit. I went slow and occasionally dipped the masonry bits in a tub of water. I was probably too cautious; unfortunately there's no way to know how close you are to the edge without cracking a tile!

None of the bits were anything special: They were all from something like a "200 assorted bits" DIY kit I got years ago.

 

[bp122]

I used these when I had to drill holes through tiles to hang a mirror cabinet in the bathroom.

Trick is to keep it slow and slowly erode the hole out and not let the bit overheat.

 

[Sideways]

I use the same as bp122 above.
The trick is to avoid skidding off while starting the hole.
Metabo drills with their patented impuls feature are superb for that. Those can be started with no need for tape. The slow speed control is so good.
Without that feature, I would start my drill in low gear at the slowest possible speed on the trigger while you get the drill to bite and break through the glaze. Speed up once the hole is properly underway.

 

[seanf]

Thank you again everyone for your advice on this. I bought the Erbauer bit, used tape, drilled a 7mm hole in the tiles, a 6mm one for the plugs and all was well

Sean