How To Drill A Hole In Ceramic Tiles Properly? DIY Guide For Beginners

The answer to the question of how to drill tile so that it does not crack is of interest to many home masters, independently engaged in repairing their homes. The main difficulty of such a procedure as drilling tile is that this product is fragile. So, it can easily break even from a minor mechanical impact. How to drill a hole in a ceramic tile and not face its breakage?

To do this, we recommend using the appropriate tool and adhering to our tips. Almost any specialist in tile work will tell you the main secret. You must perform such a process at low revolutions of the drill bit. After all, the efficiency of drilling depends on the rotation speed of the drill.

How to Drill a Small Hole in Ceramic Tile?

Before you fix any object on a surface decorated with ceramic or tiled tiles, it is necessary to know how to drill a small diameter hole in such material where the dowel element will be fixed. Perform this procedure in the best way to drill through ceramic tile following our tips:

1. You need to put a plaster or masking tape over the place of the future hole. It helps prevent the drill from sliding on the tile surface.
2. The center of the future hole is at least 15 mm from the edge of the tile. It is advisable to outline the point using an ordinary marker for this purpose.
3. You insert a suitable drill bit into an electric drill to drill holes in ceramic tiles.
4. You set the drill strictly perpendicular to the tile. This way, you need to set the device to the least RPM beforehand.
5. Work the concrete or brick substrate with a hammer drill, using the percussion mode. It is necessary to drill through the ceramic tile on the wall.
6. For the resulting hole, you need to clean the dust, pieces of concrete, or bricks. And only then insert the dowel.

How to Drill a Large-diameter Hole in Ceramic Tile?

There are several ways to solve the question of how to drill a large-diameter hole in ceramic or tile tiles. For example: 

• You can drill through the tile with a ballerina. Practice on unnecessary pieces of ceramic pre-wetted in water. If you don’t know how to drill ceramic tiles with a “ballerina.”
• Drill a large hole in the tiles can also be a circular saw, which a layperson can use. Using such a tool and applying medium pressure, it is possible to drill a large hole in a tile in five to seven minutes.
• In an extreme case, you can use a small-diameter drill, mark the desired circle and make a series of holes.

For quality cutting holes in ceramic tile, you can soak the tile in water, making the material softer and more pliable. It is enough to observe the following rules when performing tile drilling:

• It is necessary to choose the right tool with which you will carry out the processing.
• Set the drill for drilling to the minimum speed.
• It is necessary to moisten the treatment area with water constantly. It is important to avoid overheating both the tool and the tile.
• You shouldn’t do the hole in the tile or ceramic tile too close to the edge of the workpiece.

How to Choose Equipment for Drilling Ceramic Tile?

Drill a tile so that it does not crack. You can also use a hand drill if there is no possibility of using an electric one. Of course, quickly drilling tiles in the bathroom or toilet when using a manual drill will not work. However, you will notice that the result will be accurate and precise. Remember that a hand drill will not allow you to drill a large hole in the tile. As such, a device cannot work at high speed.

Drills are also essential tools. Below you can read a description of the different options for drilling holes in ceramic tile:

• You can use quality drill a hole in ceramic tile by using a lance-type drill bit, which has a long service life. If you are thinking about how to drill a tile for a dowel, choose a tool of this type. It is not unimportant, and the fact that lance-shaped drills are affordable.
• Drill bit with a carbide plate sharpened on one side is used for a high-quality result. Sharpening the cutting part at an acute angle reduces the risk of overheating the drill and allows drilling holes in ceramic tile more easily, characterized by high strength and brittleness.
• Quite often, it is necessary to drill a tile to get a large diameter hole. You need it to install pipes and electrical outlets. Such a hole in a tile can have a diameter of 10 to 70 mm. In this case, it is best to use core drill bits, the working part of which has a diamond coating. You can use the tool with leveling drill with a hand-held electric drill. If you don’t have one, take a stationary drill.
• Tungsten carbide-tipped core bits offer an easy solution to this problem. You can also use them for porcelain, marble, and brick. The most significant disadvantage of such a tool is its high cost, but given its versatility and high efficiency, such a price is quite justified.
• Solving the question of how to drill tiles in the bathroom to obtain a large diameter hole, many home masters choose the so-called “ballerina”. You can use this drill for cutting holes in ceramic tile  with 30-90 mm diameters.

Bottom Line

We hope that our tips helped you. Use this information to make your life easier. Remember that you should not disregard safety precautions. It is one of the most important thighs to know when drilling ceramic tile. Also, you can use the services of professionals.

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