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Hello all,

I was wondering how the best ways to drill a hole through a tile is without it cracking? I ned to fix a shower curtain tie back to the tiles. Would covering the tile im drilling with duck tape stop it or is that a tale?

J

Tape helps but you need a tile drilling bit which looks like a spear tip. I use a cordless and blip the trigger and allow the tile to slow the bit each time. This tends to give you better control and accuracy. Once you are through the tile switch to a conventional drill for the wall.

DWD

Thanks very much for that tip. Its helps alot

Also.......drill hole in tile........then using a slightly bigger drill bit.......re-drill JUST the tile. That way the rawl plug sits flush with the wall and NOT the tile.....less chance of breaking, especially if near an edge

Thanks for the tip mate

You have probably done it by now, but if not this is how I do it:-
Mark the spot on the tile where you want to make the hole.
Draw a cross with a ruler/marker (not permanent) which centres on the spot.
Stick a section of Duck Tape over the centre but leave the outside of the cross uncovered so you can now join up the lines and find your mark again.
Drill "slowly" and without much pressure with the correct size and type of bit as mentioned before.
The tape will stop your bit sliding off your mark.
Once the hole is started you can speed up a little but let the bit do the work and don't press too hard.

There are a few pages on here about tile drilling

tile drilling

drilling large holes in tiles

A lot depends on the material of the tile guys, for instance a ceramic tile can be drilled with a new masonry bit, most natural stone, granite & porcelain will require a diamond due to the hardness, a normal masonry bit on these types of tile will eventually burn out well after the cramp has set in your arms.

The only time we use the tape method is for glazed tiles to reduce the risk of the glaze chipping or cracking.

We use Marcrist bits as they are made with real diamonds but also very expensive, you can buy cheaper synthetic diamond bits but don't last as long, once costed out at £ per hole drilled the Marcrist win every time - 50-60 holes in porcelain where the cheaper ones would be lucky to get 20 especially with the harder tiles. 365 also make some decent cheaper alternatives.

Always start the drilling on the slow speed setting & use a water feed bottle on the drill if possible, if not any water sprayer would do but easier with both hands on the drill for control. Use a small bit to start to get through the first couple of mm, this is always the toughest part of the tile then switch to the correct size for the hole required.

Never overtighten the fixing as this can either pull the tile from the wall or crack the tile.

Thanks for all the tips guys. I havn't done it yet. Its weekends first job ha

Good luck JTBW83, just out of curiousity what type of tile is it?

Just a plain ceramic. Its just for a shower curtain tie back.

A good quality masonry bit will do then, the newer the better