How and how to drill a tile so that it does not crack?

In the process of repair in the kitchen, bathroom, bathroom and other utility rooms, there is often the question of how you can drill a hole in the tile. Of course, you need to do this in such a way that it does not burst and does not lose its external appeal.

At first glance, it may seem that everything is simple, but it's not at all so. The tile is quite slippery and brittle material, so if you are not a professional builder, drilling a tile can be a real test. So how to drill a tile without losses?

How to "hole" tile: 6 practical tips

In fact, everything is not as difficult as it might seem at first. You just need to listen to some tips:

• First of all, choose the right tool. It should fit comfortably in the hand. Keep it you need firmly and confidently.
• The working speed of the selected tool should not exceed 1000, and even better 800 rpm.
• Keep the drill or screwdriver in one position, do not crush or change the angle. This can lead to the appearance of "spider".
• If it is necessary to drill a hole at the junction of two tiles, use an exceptionally thin drill, even if it is not "tiled", but on concrete.
• As far as possible, retreat at least 1.5 cm from the edge of the tile, the corners and edges of the tile are very fragile.
• It is best to drill holes before laying the tile on the wall. Soak the material in water for at least 40 minutes. So the tile becomes more viscous, and there will be no cracks.
• If you do not know how to drill a tile so it does not crack, and never did, it's best to practice beforehand on unnecessary pieces. So you can feel the tool and understand with what effort you need to pressure the drill.

Choose a tool

So, than to drill a ceramic tile? First you need to choose the drill itself. The model should not be either high-speed or shock, because you need to work with a very fragile material. For work with tiles suitable:

• A conventional electric drill included at the lowest speed;
• Low-speed screwdriver, plugged into the outlet;
• Screwdriver of the battery type with a speed of rotation no more than 800 rpm;
• Hand-held drill-turn.

Some nuances of work

To understand how to drill a tile, you need to consider some subtleties:

• In any case, do not allow overheating of the drill or the tile itself, otherwise the entire top layer will be covered with "spider web" and the material will crack.
• To cool the work surface, wet the drilling site regularly with cold water.
• Try to correctly determine the force of pressure. If the pressure is too weak, the hole will not work. If you squeeze - the tile will crack.
• When drilling holes in a tile, never use the reverse mode. Only slow rotation of the drill clockwise is permissible.
• Be especially careful at the joints. There, the tile does not have a protective coating and easily crumbles.

Choose Drills

The science of how to drill a hole in a tile is not too complicated, but it has its own peculiarities. For example, the correct drill bit. If you are at least a little familiar with the construction work, you know that drills are different: wood, concrete, metal and so on. That's "tile" drills have their own characteristics. The process here is based on the friction of abrasives. So for drilling a tile or porcelain tiles you will need a winning or diamond drill. Most often they have the shape of a crown or arrowhead.

If you are not too constrained in the means, then it is better to give preference to diamond-dusted consumables. They, of course, are more expensive, but they do better with ceramics. Spearhead drills with a win are also designed to work with tiles. Due to the shape of the tip and the special angle of the cutting edge, the contact surface is significantly reduced. You have to make less effort, which means that the tile will not crack.

Drilling by all means

• Before you drill a tile, seal the intended place of work with several layers of paint tape. This will prevent the tool from slipping and slightly strengthen the edges of the potential hole. You can also use insulating tape or a conventional medical plaster.
• Use a bright marker to mark up.
• Insert a special "tile" drill bit and set the drill bit to the lowest speed.
• If the device has a shock mode, be sure to turn it off. Failure to do so will necessarily result in tile breaking.

In those cases when it is necessary to drill a deep hole in the wall together with the tile, the work is carried out in two stages. First, drill the tile itself. Then they change the bit to a thinner one and continue to "gnaw" the wall itself to the required depth. This is done so that in the process of drilling concrete do not damage the fragile edges of the tile.

How to make a large hole

And than to drill a ceramic granite tile or a tile, if it is necessary to get a pipe or insert an outlet? For such works there are also special devices:

• Circular drill - "ballerinka";
• Crown with an abrasive edge.

Ideal option in this case is a special crown with a diamond coating on the cutting edge. It is quite expensive, and if you are not a professional builder, buying one does not make much sense. In order to do just a few holes, a more budgetary option - a crown with winning teeth - is also suitable. This printer has several drawbacks:

• One piece is enough to drill about 20 holes, after which the device can be safely thrown away;
• No matter how carefully you try to act, the edges of the hole will never be perfectly even, they will always have scrapes.

Pros for the crown is also:

• Low cost;
• There are many options for diameters, up to 15 cm.

There is another option, how to drill a tile, if you need to cut a hole of considerable diameter. This so-called drill-ballerinka. It is a construction in the form of a spear, in the tail part of which there is a special bracket. The last one is inserted one more - a "tile" drill bit. If you've ever seen a compass, it's easy to understand what's what. It is worth such a device is inexpensive and quite suitable for domestic work. However, there is a small nuance. To work with tiles, try to choose a "ballerinka" whose central drill is in the shape of a hexagon, not a spear. This design is more stable.

We drill the tile with a crown

• Determine the location of the future hole and seal the surface with a paint tape.
• If you are not too confident in your abilities, you can make a stencil out of plywood and press it firmly against the wall in the right place.
• Set the crown to the desired diameter and start drilling at the lowest possible speed.
• Try to keep the tool perpendicular to the wall. So the crown can evenly "bite" into the tile along the entire circumference of the cut.
• If you are using a diamond-plated crown, the speed can be slightly increased. And to avoid excessive heating of the surface, during drilling, water it with water.

A "wet" drilling method is generally much better. Especially if the tile has a glossy glass coating. In this case, any drill will serve much longer, and the risk to overheat and split the tile is minimized.

We work as a "ballerinka"

In order to use the drill-"ballerinka", you need to correctly size. Note that between the lateral and central drills, you need to set not the diameter, but the radius of the future hole.

Install the main hexagonal drill in the center and start working at low speed. Try to hold the drill firmly and smoothly, otherwise it will come off and you will not be able to achieve the desired result. One of the advantages of the "balerinka" is that with its help you can drill a hole much larger than 15 cm in diameter. But larger crowns simply do not exist.

Conclusion

At the end of our conversation, let's once again remember how to drill a tile, so as not to crack and do not spoil the impression of a brand new repair:

• Be sure to wet the place of work with water, for example, from a spray gun. So you can avoid overheating.
• Try not to place holes on the edge of the tile, this creates an additional load.
• If it is necessary to obtain deep holes, change the drill bit to a thinner one after passing the thickness of the tile. This will protect the edges of the hole from damage.
• When drilling, be sure to use only small turns and do not force the drill too much.
• Try to use only special drills for work. Believe me, they are much cheaper than replacing cracked tiles.