It is impossible to do without holes in the tile - it is necessary to fix various cabinets, shelves and hangers. The easiest way out in this situation is to turn to professionals, however, for those who prefer to carry out repair work on their own, such a question is far from being idle.
If the seams between the tiles are wide enough and the holes required are small in diameter, then it is better to calculate the fasteners in such a way as to drill them directly into the seam.
What is required for work
The quality of work directly depends on the choice of tool, namely drills and drills. It is most advisable to drill in a tile with a hand drill, since in this case you can control the speed of the drill, as well as the pressing force. The low speed, coupled with the absence of vibration, avoids damage to such a fragile material.
In the absence of a hand tool on the farm, you can use an electric drill or a screwdriver with the ability to operate at low speeds. A tripod for a drill will not become superfluous, with which the tool is attached so that the drill is directed strictly perpendicular to the surface.
In addition, the following tools are required for drilling holes:
- masking tape;
- marker or pencil;
- perforator;
- drills for tiles, as well as concrete;
- a hammer.
In the place where the recess will be made, a piece of adhesive tape is attached. This will prevent the drill from slipping, making it much easier to get started. With a marker or pencil, a drilling point is marked on the adhesive tape. When working with an electric drill, it is imperative to ensure that the drill does not smoke during operation. If smoke occurs, stop work and cool the overheated tool.
To avoid overheating of the contact surface before work, it is recommended to spray it with cold water.
Then, resuming drilling, it is better to switch to a lower speed. After the tile is drilled, the drill is put aside and the puncher is taken. A drill designed for drilling concrete and stone walls is inserted into the tool, and the direct process of drilling the wall begins.
To avoid splitting the material, the drill for the wall must be chosen thinner. To make the hole the desired depth, you should stick a piece of electrical tape on the drill.
The wall is drilled to a depth that corresponds to the size of the dowels, which are then inserted into the recesses made. This cannot be done with bare hands - for this purpose you will need a hammer. You need to drive in the dowels with a hammer very carefully, because any wrong movement can ruin the fragile surface of the tile.
Drill
There are two types of special drills that are designed specifically for tiles and are made from tungsten carbide:
- swept drill;
- drill with a diamond edge.
In the absence of such, you can use ordinary drill bits, sharpening them better in advance. When the surface of the tile is drilled and you need to go deeper into the wall, it is recommended to change the drill to a hammer drill with a carbide drill.
In order to arrange a hole in a tiled wall, several small holes for dowels, brackets, it is enough to purchase an affordable swept drill. Although the diamond tool has a high degree of strength, it costs much more than the arrow-shaped tool and it is not entirely practical to purchase it for the sake of a couple of holes in the wall. For holes with a large diameter, diamond crowns are used.
Diamond crowns
If there is a need for holes for sockets, hoods, pipes, then you can not do without diamond crowns or special circular nozzles (“ballerinas”).
Drilling with a crown is performed as follows:
- Mark the location of the hole.
- Install a drill bit of the required size on the drill.
- Start drilling tiles.
If you use a good quality crown, the work will take no more than 5 minutes. If you need to make a hole of a non-standard size, then for this purpose it is better to use a circular drill, the so-called "ballerina". To complete the job, you must first mark the desired size and narrower, then start drilling at low speed.
To protect yourself from flying fragments, you need to use goggles.
During operation, the drill must be held perpendicular to the surface. Do not allow the tool to swing during drilling. To facilitate this task, you can use a tripod specially provided for this case - then you do not have to keep the tool on weight.
It is desirable to make holes on the tile away from the edges - this will avoid chips and cracks. The drill, in relation to the surface, is located at a right angle. At first, the drill runs at minimum speed, then the speed must be gradually increased. Press the tool against the tile with minimal pressure.
To make a hole in the tile on the wall, provided that you have the necessary tools, some skills in this type of work, as well as caution, then there are no difficulties. However, if the walls are covered with expensive tiles, while the owner is not confident in his own abilities, then it is better not to risk it, but still resort to the help of a professional who will do the job at the proper level.
Modern ceramic tiles are an excellent finishing material, actively used in construction and repair.
Its excellent characteristics make it an almost indispensable material for finishing walls and other surfaces.
It is beautiful, durable, waterproof, practical, hygienic, easy to care for, and reasonably priced. If desired, anyone can learn, albeit not professionally, but accurately and efficiently lay tiles.
Is it possible to drill tiles with your own hands? After all, whatever one may say, sooner or later holes will be needed: for and various accessories, for hanging, for carrying out various, for, and for other possible needs.
What can complicate the work with the material? Let's take a look at how it's made.
Material properties
The simplest, already forgotten by some, manual. For making small and not too deep holes, it is usually quite enough. In addition, there will definitely not be any problems with adjusting the rotation speed. In some cases, even a banal brace is used.
Special devices - conductors: they can be used to facilitate the process of drilling even holes. With the help of suction cups, they are attached to the surface, preventing the drill, especially at the beginning of work, from going to the side.
Special superchargers. Under low pressure, they supply water to the workplace, which cools the hot tool.
Drill
Special spear-shaped (feather) drills specially designed for tiles. They are very convenient to make holes of small and medium diameter (for dowel fasteners).
For secure clamping in the chuck, the tool can be equipped with a cylindrical shank. Drills with a hexagon are produced to the size of standard bits - they are used in working with.
In an ordinary tile, such a drill can make an average of no more than thirty holes before failure. If you have to work with porcelain stoneware, then this figure is reduced to two or three pieces.
Core drills with corundum or diamond coating, which are included in the category of professional tools: they will do an excellent job not only with tiles, but also with porcelain stoneware.
Such drills are like a hollow tube, thereby significantly facilitating the workflow. Waste is removed through the cavity without interference. Usually made for making sufficiently large holes.
Drill "ballerina". It can be used for one-time work when you need to make a hole of a significant diameter. It has a low cost, and easily copes with the task.
Drills with heavy-duty tungsten carbide tips. This option is not one of the most successful, since it may be difficult for the mechanism to pass through the upper, most durable tile layer. They are more suitable for deepening holes that have already been made by other nozzles.
Carbide heavy-duty drills with acute-angled single-sided grinding. The hardest, outer layer of the tile passes perfectly. Such products, made by a good manufacturer, will work for quite a long time.
Reminiscent of those just mentioned tungsten carbide coated drills. They are used not only for drilling ceramics, but also hard natural materials, such as granite and marble. They go on sale mainly in sets of various diameters, they are used more often by professionals.
How to drill through tile
How to drill small holes in wall tiles?
Such holes are usually needed when you want to place a cabinet, shelf, mirror, hanger, piece of furniture or other accessory on the wall. Most often used plastic dowel pins up to 12 mm in diameter.
Consider the option when the wall is already completely tiled, under which there is a completely cured mortar or glue.
What kind of drill to make a large hole in a tile?
Large holes (from 20 mm or more) are usually made in the material before it is laid on the floor or walls. The tile is placed on a workbench, after which a thorough marking is carried out.
Unfortunately, ceramic tiles most often have to be laid where there are many obstacles, and the tiles have to be drilled and cut. We will tell you how to drill through a tile without damaging it. Ceramic tiles - the material is quite fragile, so when working with it, you need to consider several important points.
How to drill tile correctly: preparation for work
If you think that you can drill a hole in absolutely any tile, you are mistaken. The drilling method is used only when holes of small diameter are needed. To test the tile for drilling, lightly tap it. If the sound is deaf, then there are no voids in the tile, and you can safely drill it. If your tile “rings”, there are voids in it, and you have every chance of losing this element during drilling, the tile will simply break into several parts.
Prepare the necessary tools before drilling tiles. You will need special drills - spear-shaped with tungsten carbide. If you need to drill a tile already attached to the wall, you can use glass drills. The drill can be taken both electric and manual. If you have a hammer drill, you can use it, but be sure to turn off the hammer mode feature first. And high-speed tools are not recommended.
How to drill a hole in a tile: how to work
Drill bit with pobedite tip
First, mark the center of the hole to be drilled. The main problem when drilling ceramic tiles is the bit slipping. Keeping it in the right place is quite difficult. This problem can be solved in several ways.
- Beating the enamel in the right place with a drill set to minimum speed. You can slightly tilt the tile or install a small conical recess in the place of the proposed drilling. This is done with a hardened self-tapping screw or the sharp edge of a file. Scratch a small dot into the glaze of the tile.
- Using a conductor (a thick plate of steel with different holes). It is applied with a hole of the required diameter in the right place and pressed as tightly as possible to drill the tile through the hole in the plate. If you do not have such a device, you can make it yourself from a wooden plate.
- Stick strips of adhesive plaster or mounting tape on the drilling site. These strips will help keep the drill in the right position during the first moments of drilling.
- Mark the point to be drilled on the surface of the tile with a stationery corrector (a pencil or bottle of white liquid and a brush resembling nail polish). Apply a dot, let the product dry. The surface will become rough, so the drill will not slip from the intended point during operation, but will remain in place.
Starting directly to drilling, try to act very carefully. It is recommended to periodically cool the drill with water. When the lance drill goes through the tile, replace it with another one that is suitable for drilling plaster.
If you want to make a hole of a large diameter, first make a smaller hole, and then gradually expand it to the required size, because you are unlikely to succeed in making a large hole in the tile right away.
If you follow all of the above conditions, you can avoid breakage of fragile tiles. But there are other recommendations as well. This is a selection of drills and drills, as well as tile drilling tricks shared by experienced tilers.
Choosing the right drill
If you have never held a drill in your hands and do not know what kind of device it is, and you have already laid the tile, and it is, moreover, expensive, you should not think about how to drill the tile yourself, but it is better to contact the master, who There is a necessary drill and drill bits. He will do everything quickly, efficiently and with a guarantee. If you have some experience drilling holes in walls or ceilings, you might want to try ceramic tiles as well.
Tile drill
To drill a hole in a tile, it is better to take a hand drill, because then both the pressing force on the tool and the speed of rotation of the drill are in your hands. The work will be smooth and slow, which will prevent the tile from cracking and breaking. A hand drill does not vibrate at all during operation, which is very important for high-quality drilling. But now electric drills are more common on sale. Choose one where the speed is controlled very smoothly.
After choosing a drill, find a suitable drill. Now you can buy special drills for ceramics and glass. If you do not have a special drill, you can try to get by with a simple concrete drill with a pobedit tip, but since drilling tiles without some skill is difficult, practice first on unnecessary scraps of material.
Drilling a hole in a tile
The biggest difficulty in drilling tiles is getting through the top layer (glaze). This is usually a very smooth layer that is susceptible to scratches. If you decide that you can handle the work yourself, take into account the advice of experienced tile masters.
- If using an electric drill, do not set it above 1000 rpm. It is better to focus on personal feelings.
- Do not overheat the drilling site and the drill itself. Wet rubbing surfaces with cold water so that there are no cracks in the outer layer.
- Don't push the drill too hard. The pressure should be enough to drill, but not enough to break the tile.
- If you are drilling a tile that is already attached to the wall with a ceramic or glass drill, once the element is drilled, you need to replace the working drill with a concrete drill and make a hole of the required depth in the wall with it.
- Drilling tiles is recommended with a larger diameter drill, and for concrete under the tiles, use a smaller diameter drill. If the drill for ceramics is 8 mm in diameter, then for drilling concrete you need to take a drill of 6 mm.
- Drilling holes in the seams of ceramic tiles is possible only if you are sure that the diameter of the hole does not exceed the width of the seam, otherwise the tile may crack.
Video instruction
In this article, we will tell you how to properly and accurately drill a tile.
There can be many reasons for drilling tiles: this is the installation of a water pipe, a socket is installed in the bathroom or in the kitchen, it is necessary to hang a shelf on the wall, a heated towel rail, etc.
It seems that drilling a tile is quite simple, but it must be done in such a way that it does not crack or split completely.
For such work, it is only necessary to follow a few simple recommendations, and you will be satisfied with the result, having completed the work quickly and in the right way.
Of the tools you may need the following devices:
- electric drill (for an accurate result, choose the minimum number of revolutions);
- cordless screwdriver (the maximum number of revolutions for a tile is from 800 to 1000);
- power screwdriver (also low-speed);
- hand drill (if you need to make a hole with a diameter of up to 12 mm).
What drills are better to choose?
In this section, we will look at which drill is best for drilling tiles. It depends on the right choice how neat the hole will turn out and whether a piece of tile will need to be replaced.
Before you start drilling tiles in the bathroom or in the kitchen, you need to remember two points.
Firstly, the tiled surface is rather slippery, so it is difficult to hold the drill in the required position in order to avoid slippage.
Secondly, in order to do everything right, you need special drills of the right type, tips for brick or concrete will not work here - the tile will immediately crack.
In order to solve the first problem, you just need to take a piece of masking tape and stick it on the drilling site.
This way you get rid of the slippery surface.
Choosing the right drill is a responsible matter in this matter. The following types are ideal.
Diamond Drill
Of course, a tool with such a drill will allow you to drill any tile most successfully, but do not forget that this method is the most expensive.
It doesn't make sense to buy an expensive drill if all you need it for is making a small hole in a wall or floor.
On the other hand, almost everyone who professionally performs apartment renovations has such tips.
Perhaps, in this case, the purchase will be appropriate.
Drill bit with pobedite tip
Also an effective tile drilling tool, this is a more affordable alternative.
If you at least occasionally use a drill at home or in the country, then purchase such a tip, it is sold in any building supermarket or just on the market, and the result is very accurate.
Special drills
The store can advise you on even cheaper sets or separate tools for drilling various materials, including tiles.
However, there is already a danger of choosing such a tip, which, despite all the efforts of the seller, will be completely useless.
Therefore, in order to make a hole in a tile in a floor or in a wall, we recommend the second tool from this list.
How to drill tile without cracks?
The algorithm of actions is quite simple, you can drill a tile with your own hands quite easily even if you have no repair skills at all.
When you calculate the drilling space, do not approach the edge closer than 15 mm. This will minimize the risk of cracking.
Before proceeding directly to drilling the tile, soak it in water for 30-60 minutes. This will further reduce the chance of cracking.
If a piece of facing masonry was not previously soaked, then you can at least wet the drilling site. This method is suitable if the tile has not yet been glued to the wall.
The best way to work is not to drill the tile itself, but to make a hole along the seam.
Drilling a tile for a dowel
In fact, the instructions are very simple, you just need to follow all the steps:
- Stick a small piece of masking tape on the spot where the hole will be drilled in the tile;
- Calculate the location of the hole (at least 15 mm from the edge of the tile) and mark it with a cross or a circle directly on top of the glued piece of masking tape;
- Install the required drill. Remember that ordinary drills will not work for this case, you should choose them from the list above;
- Start drilling by holding the hammer (or drill) strictly perpendicular. At the same time, set the lowest number of revolutions;
- The finished hole must be adjusted to the size of the dowel. To do this, take a regular concrete drill bit and carefully drill it out. In order not to miscalculate with the depth of the hole itself, you can use a special limiter, but if you don’t have one, then make a mark on the drill itself;
- When the hole is adjusted to the dowel in diameter and depth, blow it out, remove dust and remains of concrete crumbs;
- Now you can insert the dowel. Please note that it should enter the tile itself by a couple of millimeters.
How to make a hole with a puncher using a diamond-coated bit
Of course, diamond-coated crowns are not a cheap pleasure.
So, the price largely depends on the quality of the material. You can choose the most affordable option, but the cost will still remain quite high.
As a cheaper alternative, you can use a crown with victorious teeth. Such a tip is quite enough for 20-25, or even 30 holes.
To work with such a tool, you need to know a few subtleties. Pieces of tiles must be laid out on a flat and smooth surface. It shouldn't be too hard.
A good choice is wood. After that, mark the place of drilling from the front side. Using the above recommendations, carefully make a hole of the desired size with a puncher.
Do not press too hard on the tile, otherwise it will be difficult to avoid cracks. If the coating or teeth are of good quality, then the hole will be ready in a couple of minutes.
How to make a hole in a large tile
The easiest way to really quickly drill a hole is to use the so-called ballerina.
This is a special drill designed for drilling holes in tiles of various diameters.
This tool has a special moving ruler, thanks to which you can adjust the width of the hole.
However, it should be borne in mind that if working with a conventional drill or puncher is not difficult, then using a ballerina requires certain skills.
Therefore, before making a “fine” hole, practice on unnecessary pieces of tile, just do not forget to moisten the drilling site.
Another tool that can come in handy for drilling large diameter holes is a circular saw.
In use, it is easier than a ballerina, and it will take about 6-8 minutes to work, taking into account the average pressure on the drill. We advise you to drill the tile before you install it on the wall or floor.
Firstly, in case of failure, you will not need to replace the entire sector, and secondly, it will simply be more convenient for you to work.
Before you start drilling, be sure to briefly immerse a piece of tile in water, so you avoid overheating.
Thus, there is nothing difficult in making a hole in a tile of any diameter on your own.
The main thing is to choose the right drill, set the minimum speed and do not forget to moisten a piece of tile with water, otherwise overheating is inevitable.
Pay attention to the choice of the position of the future hole, do not place it too close to the edge.
The appearance of a particular visit, as well as comfort indicators, directly depend on the quality of the finishing. Usually, after finishing the bathroom with tiles, the question often arises of how to drill tiles in the bathroom in order to hang or install such important interior items as mirrors, hangers, and so on.
The difficulty lies in the fact that the tile is a very fragile material that is afraid of mechanical stress and with one wrong action it can simply crack. There are certain methods that allow you to drill the most accurate hole, while leaving the tile intact.
Tools and materials
In order to drill the tile as successfully as possible without damaging it, you need to prepare certain tools that are suitable for the size of the drill, as well as materials. Among them, it is worth noting such pieces of equipment as:
- manual or electric drill;
- a special drill drill, preferably with an annular tip;
- a special drill for processing the base;
- mounting tape is sticky;
- marker;
- vacuum cleaner.
If it is necessary to drill a large hole in the tile, for example, for pipes or for a socket, you can use a special ballerina drill or cutter.
Basic secrets in drilling
As elsewhere, where a certain responsibility is required, tile drilling has its own characteristics and nuances. Some of these little tricks include:
- The hole does not need to be drilled at the very edge of the material, in the gaps and in the crosshairs, the likelihood of chips in this case is quite high.
- When drilling, it is worth moistening the drill bit with water from time to time. This will help avoid overheating.
Important! The device must first be disconnected from the network.
- If for some reason a drill of the required size was not on sale, you can use a certain “artisanal method”. For example, it is quite possible to use a drill or drill of a higher professional level. The drill is clamped into the cartridge, first it drills the tile in shockless mode, therefore this mode is switched and the wall surface itself is drilled.
- For drilling tiles at low speeds, you can use a special drill for metal. But it is worth remembering that it will only be enough for one time.
Work procedure
Important! Before performing work, you should lightly act on the tile, if the sound is dense, you can fearlessly start the drilling process, the tile will not crack. You also need to first mark out those areas where future holes will be located.
The question of how to drill tiles in the bathroom is solved as follows:
- At the site of the hole, the enamel is slightly chipped, which can be done with a file;
- After that, adhesive tape or masking tape is glued, which will hold the drill at the very beginning of work;
- To prevent slipping, you can use a jig, that is, a plate made of wood or steel. It is applied to the tile in the required place, pressed and a hole is already glued through it;
- Having reached the base of the tile, the drill used must be changed to something that will correspond to the material of the wall, that is, concrete or wood.
Important! The second drill should not be larger than the first, otherwise damage to the material is inevitable. The drilling process is not laborious, but requires mandatory accuracy.
Useful video on the topic: 5 easy ways to make holes in tiles