Water pipes      04.03.2020

How to make holes in tiles. How to drill a hole in a tile on a wall - a practical guide. Tile drilling options

Today I will talk about some ways to cut holes in tiles.

In this place it will be necessary to make two holes in the tile for the outlet of the mixer.

And here a socket will be installed, and a hole of a larger diameter will have to be made in the tile.

The bathroom floor may require a hole in the floor tiles for the drain for the washing machine.

Well, the most big hole in floor tiles we may need to exit the toilet.

Today I will show you how to make all these holes.

If we talk about the the best way making holes in the tile, then this, without a doubt, is the use of a diamond-coated bit of the desired diameter.

It gives excellent quality and high speed, but there are some problems with it.

When making holes of a different diameter, you will need a different crown. The cost of each crown is quite high. The service life of such a crown when used on hard floor tiles or porcelain stoneware tiles is drastically reduced.

More cheap analogue for drilling holes in tiles - this is the so-called ballerina.

Among its advantages are not only the price, but also the drilling diameter that can be changed within certain limits.

However, if we compare this device with a set of diamond crowns, then the ballerina is significantly inferior to the crown in terms of the quality of the holes made, and most importantly, in terms of ease of drilling. In addition, the master will need skill in working with a ballerina, and her service life is short.

Now let's move on to practice available ways making holes.

Easy hole marking

We'll start with the markup. Let's attach the tile to the wall next to the places where the future holes should be.

On one side of the tile, with a special pencil, mark the places where we will have the middle of the holes.

Now we will install the same tile on the side of these places, not forgetting the seam.

Again we will mark the middle of the hole, but on the other side.

Now on this tile we will find the intersection points of the marks made on different sides. In addition, you can check the distance between adjacent holes with a ruler.

The maximum diameter of this hole should not exceed the size of the decorative cap that will close the mixer inlet. Therefore, I will select a smaller template for the sample.

I install and outline the template in the center of the drawn lines. So I accurately mark the places where I need to make holes.

And now I will show one of the cheap, but labor-intensive ways to make holes in ceramic tiles. To do this, we need a small-diameter tile drill, and for drilling, I can even use a screwdriver.

All I need to do now is drill holes in sequence along the circle I have drawn. This method justifies itself for a simple wall tile.

I draw your attention to the fact that it is better to put a dense piece of plywood or drywall under the tile when drilling.

When all the small holes are drilled, they need to be expanded from the back.

To do this, we perform the following operation with the same drill.

At some point, the middle part of the hole will simply break off. Using ordinary pliers, you can slightly trim the sharp protrusions inside the hole.

Some people may be ironic about this method, but remember that it allows you to make a hole in a tile of any diameter for a small price. Judge for yourself the quality of the resulting hole.

As a result, on the wall, the tile with holes will look like this.

Hole marking with a laser

If you have a laser, then I will show the marking of the holes with it. Now we need to make a hole in the tile for the socket. Using a laser, we will make precise marks in the right place. I installed the laser in front of the socket and turned on the horizontal and vertical beams.

It is necessary to make sure that the intersection of the rays coincides with the center of the hole. Now I attach the tile to the wall and install it on the appropriate crosses.

The point where the laser beams cross still points to the center of the hole, so I just need to make marks with a special pencil.

We will make this hole also with a small drill, but this time I will use a drill for drilling, and as you can see, it does the job quite well.

Bypass fixed pipes

I will analyze the bypass of fixed pipes as a separate issue. This task is not common, but it does occur. It can be heating pipes or crossbars.

In this case, you can cut the tile into two parts and join it in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe pipe. In this example, we have a support beam in the shower. I decided to make a crossbar-thick cut straight down, since the shower screen would completely cover it. And to close this resulting hole, I will use an insert that you just need to stick inward.

We apply a small amount of glue, install this insert inward and do not forget about the remote cross.

Holes in floor tiles

And now we will analyze another important issue - these are holes in the floor tiles. The problem is that it is not always possible to do it with a tile drill, since floor tiles solid enough. This is especially true for porcelain stoneware. But still we need to make a hole for draining the washing machine.

And then we go to the trick. With the help of a grinder, we create such a semi-oval incision.

We will install this tile in its place, and we will also cut out the missing piece with a grinder from a piece of tile.

When the tile is put on the glue, and the seams are sealed with a fugue, this area will look quite nice.

Another seemingly complicated hole in the floor tile - for sewerage - can be easily made without the use of expensive crowns.

To do this, with the help of a small grinder, it is necessary to apply sectors in the outlined circle.

The more sectors you make, the easier it will be to process inner edge holes.

Then, with the very tip of the circle of the grinder, it is necessary to cut the tile a little along the circle outlined at the beginning to get a small groove.

Then, with the help of pliers or a small hammer, it is necessary to break each of the sectors inward. Do not worry, the floor tiles will not crack from this procedure.

As you can see, the hole is ready. Now it can be polished inside with the same small grinder.

For the convenience of making such a hole, place a piece of foam plastic 5 centimeters thick under the tile.

As it turned out, making holes in a tile is not such a complicated process, even with the use of available tools in the form of a small drill and a grinder.

All rights to the video belong to: DoHow

Laying tiles rarely occurs on a flat surface. smooth surface. Often you have to deal with the fact that there is a socket, a switch on the wall, pipes are laid under the mixer or toilet, so you need to make a hole in the tile. Today we will tell you in detail how to drill a tile to the desired diameter.

Basic drilling methods

There are five main ways to drill holes, which we will discuss in more detail. So, drilling is performed using:

  • special drill bits for tiles. Designed for small holes. These drills do not have a thread, the tip has a pointed soldering. The tips are tetrahedral, but certain difficulties arise when sharpening. These drills work great with mosaics and glass;
  • drill for concrete with a pobedite tip. Available in almost every owner, you can save on the purchase. If it does not have a carbide soldering, then it will do, you just need to regrind the end, giving it the shape of a regular drill;
  • self-tapping screws with LM tip (fleas). They are used to make holes in wall tiles, which are characterized by a certain softness. A self-tapping screw with an LM tip is simply screwed into it. To get one hole, you need to use 2-3 of these screws;
  • bits for tiles with diamond coating. Suitable for large and small diameters, for pipes, sockets, switches. They differ in a strictly fixed diameter, at least 5 mm. The price is from 300 to 1500 rubles, but they are worth it, because they have enough long term operation. Very often used for.
  • circular drills- ballerinas. The pilot drill has a sharp tip in the center, and the rod is equipped with a movable cutter. Thanks to this, any diameter is adjusted and there is no need to purchase crowns for different sizes. It costs from 300 to 500 rubles. With the help of a ballerina, it is easy to make a hole in the central part of the tile.

Regardless of which method you use, the main thing is not to forget about turning off the impact mode on the power tool and setting the minimum speed for operation, otherwise you are guaranteed chips.

Applying a diamond crown

Making markup

Let's consider a typical case. We need to bring out the pipes for the faucet in the bathroom, and for this we need to drill a hole in the ceramic tile.

It is better, of course, to think about this more and make sure that the holes for the pipes fall exactly on the center of the tile. To do this, you can shift the layout or start laying from the right place. If, nevertheless, you were unable to complete the installation of the crane in the center, then it is advisable not to focus on this place and not to lay decor or borders nearby that will catch your eye.

Both tap holes are at the same level, so first we measure the distance from the floor. For both pipes, it must be identical, for this you will have to use a plumb or level, any that is available.

Then measurements are taken horizontally between the center of each point and appropriate marks are applied. We got two points, from the center of each we measure the radius of the desired hole in order to outline the cut line.

Drilling

The drill must be switched to drilling mode with minimum speed. For this work, a diamond-coated crown is used, which is inserted into the cartridge. When buying a crown, be sure to make sure that it is designed specifically for tiles, because its analogues for concrete, wood or metal do not suit you at all. It is desirable that working surface crowns were covered with diamond grit as much as possible. Ideally, use a hole saw with a center drill to minimize the risk of dislodging the hole.

We drill carefully, slightly pressing on the drill. After cutting through the glaze, increase the pressure and speed.

During the drilling process, the working surface of the crown needs to be cooled. At crowns Bosch there is coolant inside, so additional humidification is not required.

If a crown of small diameter is used for work, which does not have a centering drill, then displacement is obtained quite often. To prevent this trouble, you can use the conductor. To make it yourself, you need a piece of board or plywood and one minute of time. In it, you need to cut a hole of the appropriate diameter and use it as a conductor, pressing it with your hand.

We fix the tile

Before laying, you need to check whether the holes in the tile match the location of the pipes. If everything is fine, then proceed to the installation. The wall is covered with a layer of glue, which is then evenly distributed with a comb. The tile is pressed into place.

We work as a ballerina

Making a hole with a ballerina is not difficult, the main thing is to accurately follow all the steps, namely:

  • mark the center of the future circle;
  • set the required drilling diameter;
  • cut through a layer of glaze;
  • make a groove on reverse side tiles;
  • cut a hole on the front side.

One ballerina can make from 20 to 30 holes, this is quite enough for a home. The work must be carried out in compliance with safety regulations: the minimum speed and the perpendicular position of the drill relative to the tile are set.

Cutting big holes

There are situations when it is necessary to cut a large hole, but there are no necessary devices for this.

  • Mark the center of the future hole and draw a circle around the required diameter with a compass or pencil.
  • Take a drill on a tile of small diameter and make a series of holes inside the circle, and place them as close to each other as possible. To prevent the drill from slipping over the surface of the glaze, it is best to cover it with masking tape. Great option for work together - it is easy to make notes on paper and you can see them very well.
  • Remove the drilled part, and remove all irregularities with wire cutters. Parrot cutters will do the job best.
  • sand the cut with sandpaper.

Summing up

Drill a hole in tiles it is possible both in the process of preparation and even after it has already been glued. When working with glued tiles, care must be taken so that both the tiles remain intact and the drill is not damaged.


To cut a hole in a ceramic tile of large diameter, a ballerina drill is often used, even less often - diamond crown and that similar ways. I want to tell you how to get out of a situation when you don’t have anything like this at hand, except for a grinder, of course. But the grinder or angle grinder is still more common than the tool listed earlier. This is a trick that you may and will need in life.

We cut a round hole in the tile with a grinder

First things first, mark the center of the circle that we will cut, and then the full radius of the circle. And you need to do it all from two sides.
From the front side:


From the back:


Now we take the grinder and inside the circle we make cuts as close as possible to the edges of the circle.


So we do on one plane of the entire circle.


Now rotate the tile 90 degrees.


And we make exactly the same cuts with a grinder.


Pieces in the center start to break - this is normal.


When you reach the end of the side of the circle, all partitions will break and you will already have something that looks like a circle.


Next, we grind the edges of the circle, passing along them carefully with a grinder disc.


It turns out an almost even circle, but with an angle in thickness.


Flip the tiles over to the inside.


We also grind the edges.


Then, in order to bring the circle back to normal, and remove the sharp angle formed, we cut it off with wire cutters. Carefully bite it off along the entire diameter.

For finishing, we go through a file.


That's all. A few simple steps and you have a perfect circle in the tile.
Throughout the work, do not forget about protective equipment - goggles and gloves. When working with angle grinders, be extremely careful and careful.
Undoubtedly, the method proposed by me is noticeably more laborious, compared with classical methods, but I'm just suggesting you get out of a difficult situation.

Watch the video

For more information on dimensioning, cutting and processing a hole in a tile, see the video.

Many who are engaged in repairs at home have to face the problem of how to make a hole in the tile. Since the tile is only a kind of ceramics, let's raise the question more broadly: how to make a hole in ceramic tiles. This is not about ordinary drilling, but about a hole of a rather large diameter, which may be needed to install, for example, a switch, pipe, etc.

When working with tiles and trying to drill them, remember that if you use a drill in which a conventional drill is installed, then the tile is extremely easy to prick.



How to make a round hole in ceramic tiles

So, in order to make a much-needed hole in accordance with one of the options below, you need to stock up:

  • with a diamond drill and a ballerina;
  • tiled or hacksaw, where the tungsten cloth is inserted

  • annular drill for ceramics;

  • abrasive bar;
  • pencil and compass.

The methods below suggest the use of a drill. Therefore, we will clarify how drilling should be done. To avoid the drill slipping on the smooth surface of the tile, one of the following operations can be performed in the center of the future hole:

  • make a small recess with a strong spear-shaped drill;
  • stick a piece of masking tape.

At the first moment of drilling, the drill bit should be pressed into the center of the future hole, indicated by a recess or tape. It is impossible to apply great efforts: the tile can easily crack. Drilling should be done only from the face and strictly perpendicular to the tile.

In preparation for making a hole, it should first be drawn on the surface of the workpiece with a pencil.

Method one: we use a ring drill or a ballerina

For drilling, you can use an annular drill of the desired diameter or a ballerina. If this is a ballerina, then with the help of its adjustments, you need to select the desired drilling diameter.

Remember that when drilling, the tile gets very hot, which can cause it to crack. Heating can be reduced if the tiles are constantly moistened. Moisturizing will also help extend the life of your cutting tools. However, be careful with water when you have a power tool in your hands.

Method two: duet drill and jigsaw

Drill a hole with an electric drill. If you only have a hacksaw, then the hole diameter should be 12 mm or more. If there is a jigsaw, then the hole may be smaller. Insert the cutting blade into the hole and grips of the tool and carefully cut strictly according to the markings made in advance.

Remove the adhesive tape from the tile, and wipe its surface. If it is really necessary, walk along the edge of the cutout with an abrasive block.

And now a few useful tips under a humorous title.

Drilling utilities for drillers

Do not use a high speed drill. From it, the tile will probably crack.

If you need to drill a hole on a separate tile, you can use the simple design shown in this photo to hold it:

Moreover, when drilling, a piece of board with a tile attached to it can even be lowered into a basin of water. The swing of the board will not allow the device to rotate in the basin (if the basin is not round), and the tile and tool will be constantly cooled by liquid.

That's all we wanted to talk about how to make a hole in a tile. There are many ways to do this. One of them, in particular, is shown in the attached video. We hope that our recommendations have made it easier for you to complete the task before you.

Do you want us to keep giving you little advice? Write to us about it, please, in the comments.

Having tiled a kitchen or bathroom, the question arises before the tenants - how to make a hole in the tile to hang a mirror, hooks, a shower holder or wall cabinets without damaging it.

Indeed, the question is not easy, since the tile can crack or even break into several pieces. And the need to drill a hole in the tile still remains, so it is necessary to find an acceptable and safe way drilling ceramic tiles.

The structure of ceramic tiles

Clay is the main component of ceramic tiles. It is fired and covered with glaze, which includes glass. Accordingly, the tool chosen for drilling must overcome glass and fired clay equally well.

Tools for the job

The question of choosing an electric tool for drilling tiles is simple:

  1. Electric drill;
  2. Perforator with drilling mode (non-impact mode);
  1. Powerful screwdriver.

A more responsible process is selection. conventional drill for concrete or metal for such work is not suitable.

This requires a specialized tool, originally designed for drilling tiles:

  1. A drill with a spear-shaped tip (indicated by symbols a and b in the figure);
  2. Crown (in);
  1. Carbide drills for concrete (d) with abrasive coating (with reservation).

Warning: Application of drills for concrete is allowed only in cases where there is simply no other tool.
A hole in the tile can be drilled with them, but this must be done with extreme caution.

Depending on the tasks, one or another tool is chosen:

  1. holes with a diameter of up to 12 mm for mounting mounted modules are obtained using a drill with a spear-shaped tip;
  2. holes of large diameter, for example, for sockets, pipes, etc., are obtained using.

Tip: All other attempts to drill a hole in the tiles already laid on the walls very often end in damage to them.
Therefore, the most correct option- purchase a high-quality drill or crown for ceramics, especially since they cost much less than the cost of replacing a damaged tile.

There are also other tools for drilling large holes:

  1. Ballerina (in the form of a nozzle for a drill with a spear-shaped tip);
  2. Universal hole saw with diamond coating (it should be used at low speeds with the addition of water at the point of drilling).

Drilling process

Many are interested in the question: when and how to make a hole in the tile in order to get a high-quality result.

There are 2 drilling methods:

  1. Before laying tiles on the surface of the floor or wall;
  1. After laying and complete drying of the adhesive solution.

Holes in tiles before laying

If you have to make a hole in the tile for the outlet of the water supply, for example, under:

  1. Faucet in bathroom;
  2. Place of connection of the heated towel rail;
  1. Place of withdrawal drain siphon under the washbasin;

and the tile has not yet been laid, it is worth doing this work before laying it. This process is more complicated, since the tile is loose, which means that it may be damaged during operation. But in this way you can achieve a high result.

Moreover, in a tile it is possible to cut geometric figures, though for this you will need a hacksaw or a jigsaw with metal blades.

If you want to make a standard round hole, then the algorithm will be as follows:

  1. We lay the tiles with the applied drilling point on a solid base;
  2. We punch the drilling point;
  3. We begin to drill the tile, trying not to raise the rotation speed above 1000 rpm;
  4. After passing the layer of glaze, you can increase the rotation speed;
  1. The edges of the hole, if necessary, are processed with a needle file to remove irregularities and small chips of the glaze.

After that, the tile is tried on at the installation site, and if the hole turned out to be correct, the work comes down to laying it on the surface.

Holes in tiles laid on walls or floors

Where to start and how to make a hole in the tile, which is already laid on the surface of the walls, in order to prevent its destruction, few homeowners know. You need to start with the fact that you need to accurately determine the place of drilling and designate it graphically (using a marker or pencil).

Then you need:

  1. Pick up a drill with a spear-shaped tip or a core for notches;
  2. Set to the designated point;
  3. Lightly hitting it with a hammer, pin the place of the future drilling so that the drill does not jump off during the drilling process;
  4. Install the drill in chuck electric drills;
  5. Install tools perpendicular to the tile and start the drilling process, making sure that the drill does not slip and does not leave scratches on the tile;
  6. After passing through a layer of glaze and clay, we stop the process and change the drill to another one (for example, for concrete, in order to save the resource of the tile drill);
  7. Further drilling allows shock mode, for example, with a puncher;
  1. Having reached the desired depth, we clean the hole from the remnants of materials and install a fastener in it.

Very often, apartment owners need additional electrical sockets on tiled walls. If the holes in them were not made in the process of laying the tiles, then the process of drilling them in place is ahead. However, the ballerina can only drill through the tile, and the coated bit does not have a center drill.

In such a situation, a special device called a stencil will help. It can be purchased at construction stores and it will make the job much easier.

The order of drilling will be the same:

  1. We put the center point of the future hole on the tile;
  2. Install the stencil on top;
  3. Holding it with your hand, we take an electric drill with a crown for drilling ceramics;
  4. We start drilling at low speed;
  5. After passing the glaze layer, increase the speed;
  6. Depending on the materials under the tile (concrete, brick, wood), we decide on further drilling of the hole - either we replace it with another tool, or we continue to drill further;
  1. Having reached the required depth, stop drilling and clean the hole from the remnants of materials.

Conclusions: armed with power tools and acquiring high-quality equipment, it will be easy and simple for you to drill a hole in the right place and the right diameter, without fear of damaging the tiles laid on the walls.