Have you noticed at what point people are thinking about how to drill a tile? Correctly. At that moment, when she already cracked due to inept actions or an illiterate tool. Agree that it is better to devote a few minutes to acquaintance with the technology than to spend money, effort and time on the purchase of a new product. Which, by the way, is quite difficult to find: very often the shades of batches of one manufacturer differ markedly.
The network posted a lot of instructions and step-by-step algorithms. Wizards shoot videos, write articles and comments. Someone focuses on the material, but to someone the principles of working with the tool seem important. One way or another, a huge number of professionals and amateurs are involved in this process.
However, as practice shows, not all the methods posted on the Internet are applicable, not each of them guarantees a positive result. Therefore, we conducted a special study, aimedly interviewed experienced tilers and compiled the most competent and detailed report. From it you can learn how to make holes in the tile, and what you need for this.
List of necessary equipment
First of all, you need to prepare a tape measure and pencil for marking. If there are two or more holes, then the level is most likely to come in handy.
This is especially important when work is carried out to place shelves, cabinets, hangers, heated towel rails, toilets, mirrors.
When marking on a dark or bright glossy tile, it is better to take a marker instead of a pencil. It’s easier for them to draw, and you can see it much better
As the main tool, a punch with a disabled impact mechanism, an electric drill or a screwdriver is suitable. The declared rotation speed in this case should be from 300 to 1000 revolutions per minute.
The next item is drills. It is possible to give preference to products with a diamond coating, as well as to pen and core drills sprayed with tungsten carbide. As practice shows, they do an excellent job with all kinds of tiles.
When drilling holes of large diameter (up to 9 cm), it is necessary to stock up on a “ballerina”. This is the name of a circular drill with adjustable teeth: by fixing the teeth at the right distance from the center, you can get a hole with the desired radius.
Very often, the glossy surface of the tile causes the drill to slip. In order to avoid such incidents, experienced tilers are advised to paste over the drilling zone with tape. And mark the top on the tape
A glass of cold water is also useful. It must be prepared to cool the drill during operation.
This will be especially true if diamond coated products have been selected. They demonstrate fast heating and a significant reduction in cutting properties.
The main stages of work
Drilling is possible only on the front side of the tile. Otherwise, there is a high probability of chips.
After making the necessary measurements and marking, you can begin to work:
- Set the drill exactly perpendicular to the tile surface.
- Slowly, at low speeds, beat the enamel at the drilling site.
- To remove the appeared dust, to be convinced of correctness of actions.
- Start drilling at high speeds by regularly cooling the drill in water.
Having drilled the hole completely, you need to change the drill bit to one that is suitable for the material behind the tile (wood, brick, concrete).
The diameter of the second drill must completely match the first, not be larger, since in this case the tile may be damaged.
If after repair there are unnecessary tile samples, you can first practice on them: get used to the tool, feel the features of the material, choose the optimal mode and pressure
At the same time, neither when working with the first drill, nor after replacing it with a second one, you cannot turn on the reverse mode on the tool. This provokes a sharp change in the angle of drilling, fraught with the appearance of cracks and chips.
Useful tips for different occasions
Knowing the features of various materials, the rules for drilling holes of different sizes, you can give a lot of useful tips.
This is exactly what builders and tilers do with experience in cutting and drilling tiles. The most valuable we have collected in this section.
Drilling large holes with a small drill
When drilling holes for pipes, sockets, fixtures, they usually use a "ballerina" or special crowns. However, both are worth the money. And making a purchase for one time is pretty expensive.
Crowns are considered consumables, as they quickly become unusable. However, some rental outlets for power tools still rent them out. To save money, you can use this offer
Therefore, many use a simple drill, solving the problem in this way:
- draw a circle;
- pick up a simple or feather drill of small diameter;
- make many holes around the perimeter of the circle.
Then it remains only to carefully release the resulting circle and align the edges of the circle in the tile.
About choosing a hole location
If the marked hole is close to the seam between the tiles, it is worth shifting it to the seam itself or moving it closer to the center.
The fact is that drilling near the seam is fraught with a split of the tile. Especially if it is covered with a layer of enamel.
In situations where you have to drill near the seam or in places with difficult terrain, it is recommended to use a hand drill at the initial stage. It carefully removes the top layer, outlines the funnel of the future hole
In addition, drilling near the seam is quite difficult, since the sloping edges of the tile provoke the displacement of the drill.
Experienced craftsmen advise to keep a distance between the seam and the future hole of 2 cm. This allows you to perform quality work, to avoid damage to the product.
Dowel drilling
The preparation and sequence of stages of the workflow in this case are no different from conventional drilling.
Difficulties arise only if the drill diameter is chosen too small or the hole is too deep - the dowel “sinks” and is far from the surface.
When installing the dowel, it is important to clean the recess from dust. This can be done using a vacuum cleaner or pre-soak the tile in water for 30 minutes - so it will dust much less
The first incident is easy to fix with a reamer, carefully expanding the edges of the circle to the required parameters.
The second is best foreseen in advance: by measuring the length of the dowel, put a mark on the drill and go deep exactly to it.
The ability to drill tiles can also be useful if you decide to build an inspection hatch in the bathroom.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Surprisingly, many chips and cracks appear at the stage of marking. This happens when a hammer and a sharp nail are used for these purposes: when trying to leave a mark on the surface of a tile, inexperienced users poorly calculate the impact force. The result is a cleavage, fault or deep crack.
Other common flaws include:
- illiterate choice of the operating mode of the power tool - too high revs, the use of shock mode;
- improper selection of the drill;
- poor fixation - slipping of the drill at the beginning of drilling.
Another common omission is ignoring the search for voids. Professionals look for hollow spaces by tapping the tiles.
If the void is located near the edge of the tile, you can try filling it with glue. To do this, make a liquid adhesive solution and with a gun or syringe drive it through the seam into the hollow space
The sound of a muffled sound indicates that the tile fits snugly to the surface of the wall or floor, and a loud one indicates the presence of voids.
Void areas should be avoided, as cracks often form on them when drilling.
We also offer to watch a video on the topic, shot by an experienced master. Pay attention to how carefully he approaches the removal of the top layer and at what stage he applies the puncher, only after the tile has been drilled:
So, we got acquainted with the list of necessary tools, the main stages of work and the advice of the masters. We conclude that the correct selection of the drill, the correct choice of the operating mode of the tool, carefully made markings, surface preparation, and the angle of inclination of the drill during operation are important.
If you have any questions or your experience allows you to give advice - please use the form below. There you can write comments, attach photos, drawings and diagrams.