How to drill a hole in the tile

Making repairs in the bathroom, almost always there is a need to drill holes in the tile, which is decorated with walls (for example, to hang a shelf, make an outlet for a washing machine or fix the towel rail).

Drilling large holes in the tile can be made with a diamond crown.

At the same time, the main danger lies in the fact that the tile is a rather fragile material, therefore, when drilling, its surface may cause a crack. To avoid this, you need to know how to drill the tile correctly.

How to drill tile?

The choice of tool for drilling will depend on the diameter of the hole to be made in the tile. If you need to drill a small hole diameter, you can use a hand drill. When working with it, it is possible to fully control the speed of rotation of the drill and the force of pressure. Also fit and electric drill with the function of adjusting the speed or screwdriver with a low speed of rotation. Due to the fact that the top layer of the tile is very fragile, percussion devices for drilling are not suitable.

Drills with a spear-shaped tip are perfect for creating holes of small diameter. When choosing a drill, you should consider the fact that its cutting edge should be harder than the surface of the tile.. Therefore, the best option would be a diamond-coated drill bit. Due to the high price of such a tool, it is advisable to buy it when you need to drill a large number of holes. If you need to make a few holes, then you can get by with a conventional drill with a soldered bit, sharpened on a diamond wheel.

Technical specifications tile.

Sometimes it is necessary to drill a large hole in a tile, for example, under a mixer or a socket. For such purposes, a special drill, called a crown, is well suited. Its high cost is compensated by saving time and effort, as well as excellent results. Using the crown, you can make a hole with a diameter of up to 150 mm.

If you know the exact location of the installation of communication pipes, then the holes in the tile are drilled before it is laid. For these purposes, you can use a special device called a ballerina. The main advantages of such a drill include low cost and long service life. It is worth noting that when creating large holes it is quite difficult to keep the drill in a strictly upright position.

Drilling tiles under the dowels

To drill a hole in the tile, you need to prepare such tools and materials:

The pattern of drilling tiles.

• drill (screwdriver);
• drills for concrete and tile;
• adhesive tape (masking tape);
• marker.

Before starting work, it is important to consider that the surface of this facing material is smooth and slippery, so it will be hard to keep the drill in one place. To get out of this situation, you can take an ordinary adhesive plaster and stick it to the place of drilling. For greater accuracy, on top of the adhesive plaster this place can be marked with a marker.

Then a drill of the required diameter is inserted into the drill or screwdriver and drilling is carried out at low revs. After the tile is drilled, it is necessary to replace a drill on a tile with usual on concrete. Having drilled a hole of the required depth, the drill is retracted, and the hole is thoroughly cleaned from debris and dust. This method allows you to create holes with a diameter of not more than 15 mm.

Large hole drilling

In this case, you can use a diamond-coated crown or ballerina. The cost of crowns will depend on their quality, but in any case it is too expensive for home use.

The order of work is as follows:

• put the facing material on a flat surface;
• mark the place of the future hole on the front side;
• to drill.

“Balerinka” for drilling tiles: 1 - central pulley; 2 - guide drill; 3 - transverse carrier rod; 4 - cutter with carbide tooth.

If the crown is in good condition, then in a few minutes you can make a hole of the required diameter.

If you want to make a hole of a non-standard size, you can use the ballerina:

• set the required hole diameter (for example, if it is 60 mm, then a distance of 30 mm should be set between the drills);
• mark the place of drilling;
• carry out drilling.

It should be noted that it is necessary to work as a ballerina at small revolutions, holding tightly to the material in order not to accidentally get hurt by fragments that can fly out from under the drill.

When carrying out work, the drill must be kept in a strictly vertical position.

To achieve this, you can use a special tripod.

Tips for drilling a tile

1. In order not to break the drill on the tile after it has passed the tile and abuts the concrete base, you can install a kind of stop on it (for example, wind a piece of electrical tape, stepping back from the tip at a distance equal to the thickness of the tile).
2. If the tile has not yet been laid, it is recommended to make the required holes in it in advance, fixing the material securely on a flat surface.
3. The probability of breaking the tile increases significantly if there are voids under it. To determine them, you can tap the veneer with a hard object. If there are voids, move the drilling site slightly to the side.

At observance of all rules and recommendations you will be able to drill a hole of the required diameter without damaging the veneering material. If you have never had to work with a drill before, it is not recommended to drill the laid tile, as there is a great chance of damage.