Standard drill bits don t work on tile but not to worry.
Drilling ceramic tiles for pipes.
How to drill a hole in a ceramic tile.
Drilling holes in wall tiles is a fairly easy skill to master once you know how.
The tile drill bits slide around on the tile making it hard to keep the drill bit in place.
Ceramic tile can be drilled with a carbide bit while glass and porcelain call for a diamond tipped bit.
Before you drill ceramic tile clean the surface with soap and water and put masking tape in the shape of an x over the area you re drilling.
Drilling ceramic tile requires a special drill bit and a steady hand.
Then hold the drill bit over the center of the x and use a hammer to tap it lightly until you ve made a small dent in the tile s glaze.
When you re installing plumbing pipes in tile floors you may need to drill a 2 or 3 inch diameter hole and a ceramic tile hole saw is the tool for that.
It comes with a pilot bit that can wander over the tile surface so don t forget to lay tape before marking the position of the hole and drilling.
Have the right bit for ceramic tile.
Many common ceramic tiles are made primarily with clay but then coated with a thin glaze.
In this example we will be drilling 2 x holes in ceramic tiles to slide over the hot and cold pipework for a new shower valve 15mm copper pipes at 150mm centres.
A carbide drill bit or a diamond drill bit are best for drilling holes in ceramic tile.