During the repair process in the kitchen, bathroom, bathroom and other utility rooms, the question often arises of how to drill a hole in the tile. Of course, this must be done in such a way that it does not burst and does not lose its external attractiveness.
At first glance, it might seem that everything is simple, but it is not at all. Tile is a rather slippery and brittle material, so if you are not a professional builder, drilling a tile can be a real challenge. So how to drill a tile without loss?
How to “hole” a tile: 6 practical tips
In fact, everything is not as complicated as it might seem at first. You just need to listen to some tips:
- First of all, pick the right tool. It should fit comfortably in your hand. You need to hold it firmly and confidently.
- The working speed of the selected tool should not exceed 1000, and even better 800 rpm.
- Keep the drill or screwdriver in the same position, do not push or change the angle of inclination. This can lead to the appearance of a "spider web."
- If you need to drill a hole at the junction of two tiles, use an exceptionally thin drill, even if it is not “tiled”, but on concrete.
- If possible, back off at least 1.5 cm from the edge of the tile; the corners and edges of the tile are very fragile.
- It is best to drill holes before laying the tiles on the wall. Soak the material in water for at least 40 minutes. So the tile will become more viscous, and there will be no cracks.
- If you do not know how to drill a tile so that it does not crack, and never did, it is best to pre-train on unnecessary pieces. So you can feel the tool and understand how hard you need to press on the drill.
Choose a tool
So, how to drill ceramic tiles? First you need to choose the drill itself. The model should be neither high-speed nor shock, because you need to work with very fragile material.
To work with tiles fit:
- ordinary electric drill, turned on at the lowest speed;
- low-speed screwdriver plugged into an outlet;
- a cordless screwdriver with a rotation speed of not more than 800 rpm;
- manual drill-rot.
Some nuances of work
To understand how to drill a tile, you need to take into account some subtleties:
- In no case do not allow the drill or tile to overheat, otherwise the entire top layer will be covered with a "spider web" and the material will crack.
- To cool the work surface, regularly moisten the drilling site with cold water.
- Try to correctly determine the force of pressure. If the pressure on the drill is too weak, the hole will not work. If you press it, the tile will crack.
- When drilling holes in a tile, never use reverse mode. Only slow rotation of the drill clockwise is permissible.
- Be especially careful at the joints. There, the tile does not have a protective coating and crumbles easily.
Choose a drill
The science of how to drill a hole in a tile is not too complicated, but has its own characteristics. For example, a correctly selected drill.
If you are even a little familiar with construction work, then you know that drills are different: on wood, concrete, metal and so on. So "tiled" drills have their own characteristics. The process here is based on the friction of abrasives. So for drilling tiles or porcelain tiles you need a victory or diamond drill. Most often, they have the shape of a crown or arrowhead.
If you are not too shy in the means, it is better to give preference to consumables with diamond spraying. They are, of course, more expensive, but they do better with ceramics. Lance-shaped lance drills are also designed for working with tiles. Due to the shape of the tip and the special angle of the cutting edge, the contact surface is significantly reduced. You will have to make less effort, which means that the tile will not crack.
Drilling according to all the rules
- Before drilling the tile, cover the intended place of work with several layers of masking tape. This will prevent the tool from slipping and slightly strengthen the edges of the potential hole. You can also use electrical tape or regular medical plaster.
- Mark with a bright marker.
- Insert a special “tiled” drill and set the lowest number of revolutions on the drills.
- If the device has shock mode, be sure to turn it off. Failure to do so will necessarily lead to a split of the tile.
In those cases when it is necessary to drill a deep hole in the wall together with the tile, the work is carried out in two stages. First, the tile itself is drilled. Then they change the drill to a thinner one and continue to “gnaw” the wall itself to the desired depth. This is done so that in the process of drilling concrete does not damage the fragile edges of the tile.
How to make a large hole
And how to drill porcelain tiles or tiles, if you need to start a pipe or insert a socket? For such work, there are also special devices:
- circular drill - "ballerina";
- crown with an abrasive edge.
The ideal option in this case is a special crown with a diamond coating on the cutting edge. It is quite expensive, and if you are not a professional builder, buying one does not make much sense. In order to make just a few holes, a more budget option is also suitable - a crown with victorious teeth. This consumable has several disadvantages:
- one piece is enough to drill about 20 holes, after which the device can be safely thrown away;
- no matter how carefully you try to act, the edges of the hole will never be perfectly smooth, they will definitely remain chipped.
The winning crown also has advantages:
- low cost;
- There are many diameter options, up to 15 cm.
There is one more option, how to drill a tile if it is necessary to cut a hole of considerable diameter. This is the so-called drill-ballerina. It is a spear-shaped construction, in the tail of which there is a special bracket. Another one is inserted into the last one - a “tiled” drill. If you have ever seen a compass, you will easily understand what's what. Such a device is inexpensive and is quite suitable for homework. However, there is a slight nuance here. To work with tiles, try to choose a “ballerina” whose central drill has the shape of a hexagon, rather than a spear. This design is more stable.
We drill a tile with a crown
- Locate the future hole and seal the surface with masking tape.
- If you are not too confident in your abilities, you can make a stencil from plywood and press it firmly against the wall in the right place.
- Set the crown of the desired diameter and start drilling at the lowest possible speed.
- Try to hold the tool perpendicular to the wall. So the crown can evenly “bite” into the tile around the entire circumference of the cut.
- If you use a crown with a diamond dusting, then the revolutions can be slightly increased. And in order to avoid excessive heating of the surface, water it during drilling.
A “wet” drilling method is generally much preferable. Especially if the tile has a glossy glass coating. In this case, any drill will last much longer, and the risk of overheating and cracking the tile is minimized.
We work as a "ballerina"
In order to use the drill, "ballerina", you need to correctly set the dimensions. Please note that between the lateral and central drills you need to set not the diameter, but the radius of the future hole.
Place the main hex drill in the center and start work at low speeds. Try to hold the drill firmly and evenly, otherwise it will come off and you will not be able to achieve the desired result. One of the advantages of the ballerina is that it can be used to drill a hole with a diameter much larger than 15 cm. But a larger crown simply does not exist.
Conclusion
At the end of our conversation, let us once again recall how to drill tile so that it does not crack or spoil the impression of a brand new repair:
- Be sure to wet the place of work with water, for example, from a spray bottle. So you can avoid overheating.
- Try not to place holes on the edge of the tile, this creates an additional load.
- If you need to get deep holes, change the drill bit to a thinner one after you pass the thickness of the tile. This will protect the edges of the hole from damage.
- In the process of drilling, be sure to use only low revolutions and do not press on the drill too much.
- Try to use only special drills for work. Believe me, they are much cheaper than replacing a cracked tile.