Drilling Ceramic Tiles For Pipes

Many common ceramic tiles are made primarily with clay but then coated with a thin glaze.

Drilling ceramic tiles for pipes. 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. 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. 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.

The tile drill bits slide around on the tile making it hard to keep the drill bit in place. Have the right bit for ceramic tile. How to drill a hole in a ceramic tile. Ceramic tile can be drilled with a carbide bit while glass and porcelain call for a diamond tipped bit.

Standard drill bits don t work on tile but not to worry. 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. Drilling ceramic tile requires a special drill bit and a steady hand. Drilling holes in wall tiles is a fairly easy skill to master once you know how.

While that sounds expensive a inch diamond tipped tip costs under 20 and a carbide bit of the same size can be had for less than 10.