Unforeseen situations often arise when a couple of holes need to be made on the walls in order to install and fix wall lamps, hooks, shelves or bathroom accessories. During the renovation process, tiles are often cut.
To get started, watch a video with a detailed tile drilling process:
The difference between ceramic tiles and ceramic
Many are interested in the question: what is the difference between tiles from tiles or ceramics. The bottom line is that tile is one of the varieties of ceramic tiles. Tiles and ceramics are made of clay with additional components and do not have any significant differences. And the question arises, how to drill a tile?
What will it take to work?
To make a hole in a tile on a wall, you will need:
- battery-powered screwdriver;
- hand drill.
Drilling Precautions
How to make a perfect hole? It is not difficult to drill through tiles or ceramics, but no one guarantees that numerous cracks will not go. If the tile cracks during operation, the damaged fragment will have to be completely replaced, and this is a dirty and time-consuming process.
Therefore, those who are interested in how to drill a hole in a tile so that it does not crack, you need to try by all means to keep it intact in its original form. Experts recommend marking the surface so that the hole is 15-25 mm away from the edge. Then the risk of cracking or splitting is reduced to zero.
Drilling tiles and ceramics for dowels
Drilling holes in ceramic tiles for dowels implies that:
- The tile surface is slippery, so the drill will not be stable and will slip a lot. You can take a piece of masking tape or scotch tape and carefully stick it to the place of the intended hole.
- It will not work with conventional drills for concrete and brick surfaces, as they will simply crush it into pieces.
What kind of drill to drill tiles with?
How to make a neat hole correctly? To work, you need a drill with a cutting pen harder than ceramic and tile. Drills with a diamond tip are very convenient to use, but they are expensive, so there is no point in purchasing them in order to drill 2-3 holes.
The price of a drill with a victorious tip is significantly lower than its diamond-coated counterpart. Therefore, the latter option is more suitable, especially since the victorious drills have good cutting abilities. Diamond drills are worth getting if you plan on becoming a professional tiler.
Sequence of work when drilling for dowels
Work algorithm:
- Glue a piece of masking tape or tape on the intended place for the hole.
- Use a pencil or pen to mark the point where the hole should be.
- Insert a diamond or victory drill into the tool.
- Drill a hole at low speed.
- Replace the drill with a conventional one designed for working on concrete surfaces.
- Drill a hole.
- Remove dirt and dust from the hole.
- Insert the dowel.
Drilling tiles for mounting a socket or pipe
Drills for ceramic tiles:
- Rotary hammer with diamond core.
Diamond-plated crowns are perfectly drilled, but getting them is not a cheap pleasure. You can use cheaper crowns with victorious teeth instead. The tile is placed on a flat wooden surface, the dimensions are marked and a hole is drilled.
- Drill with diamond core bit.
To begin with, mark the place, then start drilling from the front side. Do not push hard on the drill. Movements should be smooth but firm. A drill with a diamond crown will drill the desired hole in 3-5 minutes.
- Tungsten core drill.
If the tile is already installed and you have a tungsten crown with a centering drill at hand, you can easily drill a hole with a drill. For neat cuts, it is advisable to use a special template. The template is pressed tightly to the surface, press hard with a drill. The hole is ready.
- Circular drill for tiles - "ballerina".
It is convenient to drill round holes with a "ballerina" - a special attachment for a drill, acting on the principle of a compass. It is necessary to set the required diameter (that is, if a hole of 4 cm is needed, then 2 cm is set between the drills). Mark and drill a hole. In the process of work, do not swing the tool. You need to hold the tile firmly and work at a low speed.
- Drill with a drill bit with a diamond tip.
If you don't have a crown on hand, you can try drilling a hole with a diamond tipped drill. This method is more complicated and requires care and accuracy. You need to mark the place, drill a hole along the contour. Knock out the middle, and gently break off the remaining teeth, burrs and irregularities using pliers. Then the edges of the hole are carefully sanded with sandpaper.
Safety engineering
Safety precautions must be observed when working with power tools that cut tiles. It is advisable to wear safety glasses so that the smallest fragments of the tile do not get into the eyes. It is also better to wear gloves on your hands.
If a hole is being drilled in a tile that has not yet been laid, a wooden board must be placed under it. This will make the job easier.
Useful advice: before drilling, you can soak the tiles in water for an hour, this reduces the likelihood of cracks. It is best to make a hole in the seams, it is much easier and more convenient, but it is not always possible to accurately calculate such an arrangement. It is possible to drill a hole in a tile, as well as in other materials, and you are now convinced of this too! Now you know how to drill tiles on the wall!
