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How to drill a hole in ceramic tile?

I

IaLeo

Well-known Member
Studying putting up hand rails in a ceramic tiled bathroom (circa 1957) without ruining the whole works. Any suggestions?

Leo
 
Hello IaLeo,

Chip the glaze off first, then use a masonary bit.
You may be able to use a regular bit too,

Guido.
 
I haven't bought one in a very long time, but the last time I needed a ceramic drill I was able to buy one at Home Depot. Worked well - don't have any idea what I did
with it, so if I need to drill anymore holes in ceramic tiles, I'll be heading back to Home Depot.

Tom in TN
 
Put some in for my Mother-in-Law a few years back. You need to break the glaze on the tile at the point you intend to drill. I used a very sharp ice pick
and followed up with a carbide bit. Drill slow and steady.
 
With cutting ceramic, stone & glass, the thing that will get you in trouble is not controlling the feed rate as the
drill breaks thru the back side. Plunging uncontrollably thru can allow the drill to take a big bite, causing a
crack.

And, as others have said, take your time & let the drill work.

Good luck....
 
I have used bits (HD origin, I think) specifically designed to drill glass and tile. Moderate speed and light pressure. I have drilled 1/4" mirror glass for pull handles (on drawer fronts) successfully, as well as ceramic floor tiles. For grab rails and hand rails, ensure any fasteners you use go into studs or a 2x4 backer of some sort; at least two inches into the stud. Rails attached directly to the wall with no additional support can pull off/out very easily. A 125 pound person can generate a lot of force when slipping or falling. zuhnc
 
Whoa slow down a little. Do you have a Dremel tool? You can buy these little
Diamond bits on Ebay. I have drilled through glass and industrial grade ceramic
plates. There is a guy who shows up at the flea market too. He has a pretty
good assortment of them . From 8 to 15 dollars depending on size. I have a
little dribble of water running on the bit at all times. They work quite well.
Don't push these too hard. Let them do the work. When you are almost ready to
break through back off. Very very small chipping if you watch your pressure.
Hold your dremel still with care.
cvphoto6405.jpg
 

I tried a lot of different bits when I was doing my bathroom. The best by far were these Milwaukees. A masonry bit is likely to chip and deform the hole, might even break the tile. These produce a good, clean hole and work quickly.
mvphoto49842.jpg
 

I used what gregww posted I brought them in signal packs at lowes... At that time one bit was in the $7/8 range some would do 4 holes and some only one hole I brought a hand full I think I used 8 total I had a bunch of holes to drill... BTW you use them dry if you put any coolant on them they will not drill and become useless...
 
Thank you, everyone! Falling in the tub is getting more real everyday!

Yeah, using the stud finder on a tiled wall might work, I know it works on plastic surrounds, but, well, learn something new daily, it seems. Leo
 

We had many light fixtures to hang in a new school. We used our awls to center punch which broke the glass, then drilled with 1/4" masonry bit, and inserted plastic anchors.
 


I was taught this at work 45 years ago. Nick it first with a small puncture wound punch then masonry bit. Simple. Have done it many times. You have no worries about cracking it with the proper small puncture wound punch because it takes just a slight tap.
 
When I wanted to drill larger holes in the floor with a core drill I make a hole in a piece of plywood that the core drill just
fits in, and glue it down. Then I pour water in it and drill away, drill doesn't wander around or wear out, works well.
 
(quoted from post at 05:43:40 02/26/20)

I was taught this at work 45 years ago. Nick it first with a small puncture wound punch then masonry bit. Simple. Have done it many times. You have no worries about cracking it with the proper small puncture wound punch because it takes just a slight tap.
Click to expand...

I don't know where "puncture wound punch" came from because I have auto-correct disabled. It was supposed to be "small puncture wound punch".
 
(quoted from post at 19:13:28 02/26/20)
(quoted from post at 05:43:40 02/26/20)

I was taught this at work 45 years ago. Nick it first with a small puncture wound punch then masonry bit. Simple. Have done it many times. You have no worries about cracking it with the proper small puncture wound punch because it takes just a slight tap.
Click to expand...

I don't know where "puncture wound punch" came from because I have auto-correct disabled. It was supposed to be "small puncture wound punch".
Click to expand...

Ok, it is apparently a YT site auto correct. Anyway it is simply a punch with a sharp point. It is named for what you do to your skin with a needle.
 
Late to the conversation but drilling tile is very easy with a glass and tile bit or a hole saw made for tile. The hard part
will be locating the studs if there isn't bare wall above the tile. A stud finder won't work through tile. A metal detector
might help but you wouldn't know if it was sensing drywall screws, wires or pipes. Sometimes if there is space between the
tile you can drill a small hole in the grout line to probe for the stud. You may also be able to get dimensions from the other
side of the wall.
 
(quoted from post at 07:38:42 03/13/20) Everything depends on tile quality. Plus the quality of the tool you are going to use to make a hole. The tile may crack and it is the worst scenario. It would be best to invite some specialist who has a modern drill. In each area code, there are small companies dealing with small repairs at a very affordable price level. Try to find them on the Internet. I know a few in my area.
Click to expand...


Fertoos your statement makes no sense when one reads through all of the responses that the OP has gotten.
 
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