Wednesday 16 July 2014

How to: drill through tiles

OK...so maybe not the most exciting post ever, but very useful!

When I finished tiling my kitchen the other week (Oh boy! that was a BIG job!!!), I was very pleased with myself: It looks great!! But then to my horror I realized that I would now have to drill through my beautiful (If I say so myself...blush)new tiles!! 
This filled me with utter dread: I suffer from "hole-in-the-wall phobia" anyway, but drilling through tiles....!!! What if they crack and I ruin all my hard work??
But it had to be done!!

After consulting with anyone I could think of....(and Mr Google) i took a deep breath, and got to it!
And do you know what? It was easy...not at all scary, and I didn't damage a single tile!!


Turns out this is one of those jobs that simply requires the RIGHT TOOLS!!

A small masonry drill bit(2-3ml), some masking tape, a fully charged drill...
....and most importantly: A tile cutter drill bit!! (that's the one with the arrow head!!) They come in different sizes according to what you need! They cost between £3-4, and its definitely worth the money!!
...Oh and a bowl of water(?)

First mark where you need to drill the holes with a marker pen on the tiles, then cover each spot with a cross of masking tape.(This will give the drill bit something to grip into, instead of sliding around on a smooth tile!!)

Then use the small masonry drill bit to drill a pilot hole in the tile...Go slow with an even pressure!! This WILL take longer than expected!! Every now and then dip the drill bit into the bowl of water, to cool it down! (the friction will make it red hot, and could cause it to melt!!??)

That's all the hard work done!!

Next: Using your arrow-headed tile bit, place it into the pilot hole and watch it drill through the tile like a knife through butter!! Soooo good!!


When you're through the tile,  swap to a drill bit (same size) suitable for whatever your wall is made from (I used a masonry bit as my wall was bricks) and drill the hole deeper!
Job done!!
Remove the masking tape to reveal your perfectly drilled holes in the tiles!!
Now just add wall plugs and off you go!!

Not so scary after all!!??

On Saturday I will show you the reason why I needed to drill these holes...
...and I promise you: It looks amazing!!



2 comments:

Jodie_DIY’r said...

Thank you! I too, just had the exact same dilemma! Lol. Thx for doing your homework so I didn’t have to. Much appreciated. :)
Jodie

B Materials said...

cordless drills are good. It helps to reduce our time. I have written a similar article on high performance cordless drills for home

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