While undertaking repairs in the kitchen or in the bathroom, many owners choose ceramic or glass tiles as finishing materials. It is a brittle and hard coating. If mistreated, chips and cracks appear on it. Therefore, the drill for ceramic tiles must be of a certain type. After all, sometimes it is necessary to make holes in the material, both thin and very large.
For example, in the bathroom, ceramic tiles for hooks for towels are often drilled, and in the kitchen in the coating they leave a place for a gas or water pipe. Before work, it is necessary to choose the right drill for ceramic tiles.
Drill tool
To choose a drill for ceramic tiles, you must first decide on the tool. The correctness of all work depends on this.
To make small holes on glass or ceramic tiles, you will need a thin drill and a hand drill. With this tool you can control the force of pressing and speed of rotation.
The ceramic tile drill is also used in electric drills and screwdrivers that have a smooth motion function. The tool should not have sharp jerks or vibrations during operation.
A hammer or hammer drill with a drill for ceramic tiles and glass will not work. They will split the material. They can be used only after complete drilling of the coating, when it is necessary to make a hole in the base of the wall.
Professional drill
Drills for ceramic tiles, the photo of which is presented below, have one distinctive feature.
Their top is harder than glass or tile. There are professional drills and tools used at home.
If you have to use them often, then you should buy a mill with a diamond coating. It is considered the most expensive. But in the work of the drill for drilling ceramic tiles with diamond spraying the most effective.
A professional repairman, using such a tool in his activities, will quickly pay for the cutter. But at home, such equipment is considered unprofitable.
Home Mill
In the event that you need to drill several holes yourself, it will be expensive to purchase a diamond drill for home use. Therefore, manufacturers produce cheaper equipment designed exclusively for infrequent use.
Their top has a winning tip. The hardness of this cutter is enough to make a hole of various diameters in the tile. However, work using such a drill takes longer.
Actions will need to be performed carefully. Also today, other types of drills are presented by manufacturers . Their tip is not made of victory, but of other heavy-duty alloys. Therefore, when purchasing a milling cutter for tiles, you should pay attention to the purpose of the tool.
Drill for large diameter holes
In order to determine which drill to drill ceramic tile, it is necessary to take into account the diameter of the hole. Sometimes in the tile you need to make a place for the outlet, under the mixer or pipe. In this case, a mill of a certain variety will be required. It is commonly called a crown.
This is a tubular drill with diamond spraying. It also comes in many sizes. A set of crowns will be quite expensive. It is profitable to purchase for professional repairmen.
However, this tool is able to provide the best result. At the same time, the time for conducting actions is reduced, and the efforts of the master become minimal.
Using a tubular drill, you can make holes in the tiles up to 15 cm in diameter.
This type of cutter must not overheat. Therefore, it should be more often immersed in water. Drill or screwdriver should operate at minimum speed.
How to apply a diamond crown
Drills on glass and ceramic tiles according to the type of crowns require proper operation. This method is suitable for tiles that have not yet been glued to the base.
Before starting work, make a mark where the future hole will be located. Drilling is carried out on the front side of the tile. In this case, the drill should not be pressed hard.
If the diamond crown is new and sharp, without much effort, the tile can be drilled in 2-5 minutes.
You should also remember that this type of drill does not tolerate overheating. Otherwise, it will quickly become dull and wear out. Therefore, work with his participation is carried out at low speeds, and the mill itself cools periodically (immersed in water).
Tungsten core bit with center drill
If the tile is already laid on the base, then drilling a large diameter hole in it is very problematic. For this, a milling cutter such as a tungsten crown with a centering drill is used.
Work must be carried out very carefully. After all, a drill for ceramic tiles, used incorrectly, can cause the replacement of an entire block of coating.
When using a tungsten crown, you can get an excellent result, even if the coating is already mounted.
To prevent the cutter from sliding over the surface of the tile, use a template with a suitable diameter. He is pressed against the wall. Then the drill with the crown is pressed against the wall and the drilling process takes place. In the case of tiles already laid, the craftsman has to be especially careful not to damage the masonry.
Drill "ballerina"
If you need to make a hole of non-standard sizes, builders often use a drill for ceramic tile "ballerina". Its cost will be less than a tungsten or diamond crown. But with the help of such a mill, you can even work on the surface of an already mounted coating.
The drill for ceramic tiles called "ballerina" resembles a compass in shape. Therefore, the diameter of the hole can be adjusted.
Such a ceramic tile drill, the photo of which is presented below, has a cutter made of durable alloys.
The cutter in the middle serves to determine the alignment.
The disadvantage of this equipment is the difficulty of its retention when creating holes of large diameter.
Drill hole drilling
The holes for the dowels will need to be drilled, most likely, on the already mounted coating. Such work is performed, if necessary, by hanging a shelf, a mirror, towel hooks, a lamp and other accessories.
For drilling holes for dowels, a number of features should be considered. Ceramic tiles are usually quite slippery. Because of this, the cutter may shift. This will ruin the coating and the result will be unsatisfactory.
To prevent this, masking tape is glued to the tile. This will facilitate the work.
It is also necessary to remember that the drill for concrete is not suitable for tile. So that it does not split, it is necessary to use only special tools. There are recommendations for such work.
Expert Advice
In order for drills for ceramic tiles and glass to fulfill the task assigned to them in the best way, it is necessary in the work to listen to the advice of specialists in construction and repair.
It is necessary to retreat from the edge of the tile to a distance of at least 15 mm so that it does not crack. Before starting work, tiles can be soaked in water for an hour. It will also prevent the formation of chips and cracks. It is allowed to simply wet the drilling site with water.
The safest place to create holes in an already installed coating is considered to be tile joints. If possible, the dowel should be installed here. Although this choice of drilling location is not always possible. Therefore, when carrying out work, you should always adhere to a low speed of rotation of the drill, and also you should not strongly press on the surface.
With the wrong approach to drilling, you can damage the coating. It happens that when you crack tiles, you have to change several coating elements.
After reviewing the recommendations on what should be a drill for ceramic tiles, pick up the necessary equipment is not difficult. Performing all the actions correctly, even at home and with the coating installed, making the necessary holes in the tile will be possible even for lay people. When performing work, one should take into account the recommendations of professionals about the technology of its implementation.