How do you drill into the tile without cracking it? Tape the area and slowly drill, but that is not all; keep reading so you will learn the process I use for myself and other companies.
Drilling into tiles is always a bit tricky. Mostly, tiles can break very easily if you handle them incorrectly.
In today’s article, you will learn practical tips on how to drill a tile properly without cracking it, learn which drill is the right one, and learn what you should do to prevent the tiles from cracking.
I also address the question of whether you need the hammer drill function or not.
If you want to know how to drill walls correctly without cracking them 👉click here now.👈
Before You Start Drilling
Before thinking about how to drill through tile, here are some important things to note: Drilling into tiles is always a bit tricky.
The first rule is that the tiles can easily crack. If a hole is drilled incorrectly, it is more difficult to correct than in masonry, for example.
The hole or its filling will always be visible on the tile later – unsightly!
The most important rule in advance: Avoid drilling through tiles if possible – especially if you live in a rented apartment.
There are now good adhesive solutions that you can use to attach sanitary accessories or hooks to the wall, for example.
Sometimes, drilling through tiles cannot be avoided. Below 👇 are instructions on how to drill into tiles without the tile cracking gently.
Second rule: if you insist on drilling through the wall, always dictate for pipe and electric cable.
👉Click here now to find out how to dictate electric wire in the wall [Link]👈
👉Click here to read how to detect a pipe in the wall before drilling.
Third rule: If drilling cannot be avoided and if you are afraid or a novice, always drill into the joints instead of directly into the tile.
This is much easier and less problematic because, with joints, you don’t run the risk of the tile shattering. And incorrectly placed drill holes are easier to conceal afterwards.
But if your measurement falls outside the joining, there is no problem. I am here to help you out; it is only an advice.
Everything You Need For Drilling Tile Without Cracking
To drill into tiles, you need:
- Drill with hammer drill function that can be switched off
- Center punches, including hammer
- Tile drills, glass drills, universal drill bits, and stone drills
- Pen for marking
- Clear Tape
- Line locator
Which Drill Is The Best For Tile
- You can drill into tiles with a hammer drill, provided the hammer is switched off.
- You can use important drills, which is more convenient.
How to drill through tile When drilling into tiles, tact is required so that the glaze neither cracks nor the tile bursts.
However, you don’t need to be afraid of drilling into tiles.
A normal drill in conjunction with a tile, glass, or stone drill is suitable for drilling.
Clamp the drill bit into the drill and set the machine to the lowest speed. The lowest speed.
It will prevent the tile from being damaged by excessive contact pressure.
Which Drill Bit Works Best For Ceramic Tile?
To determine which drill is suitable, the scratch hardness of the respective tile is crucial.
One to ten is the range of the scale, with 10 being the hardest possible case.
Diamonds, for example, have a scratch hardness of 10; for fine stoneware, the scratch hardness is usually 8.
👉Click here now to read the types of drill bits and their buying guide.
Tile and glass drill bit: You can easily drill through tiles up to and including a scratch hardness of 3.
Use a tile drill to scrape off the material. Friction produces a lot of heat. This heat can also cause stress cracks.
Therefore, always drill at slow speeds and with little pressure and, if necessary, cool the drilling site with drilling oil.
Diamond drill: Higher degrees of hardness require special measures, so you should use a diamond drill for scratch hardnesses beyond 3.
Some models are filled with cooling wax. For even longer service lives, it is advisable to cool the drilling site with a coolant or water when drilling.
Drill for porcelain stoneware: Porcelain stoneware has a very high hardness of 8. For this material, you should definitely use drills that are made for this purpose.
When purchasing, you should make sure that the drills are also suitable for fine stoneware. Drills that are used with drills with a small cooling tank are optimal. But not everyone has that at home. Alternatively,
Click here to read how to drill and penetrate porcelain material. [Link]
By the way, if you drilled through the tile, you should switch to a different bit for the material behind it.
As a rule, this will be a stone drill, depending on the construction behind the tile. I wouldn’t drill any further with a tile or diamond drill.
These are then usually broken unless the respective drill is explicitly designated as a universal drill for both materials (that also exists).
Should I Drill Tiles With Impact?
Suppose you want to drill a hole in tiles or penetrate other ceramic materials. In that case, the question quickly arises as to whether impact drilling should be used or not.
After all, many people are rightly afraid that the tile being drilled will break.
In this section, I would like to explain whether drilling tiles with or without impact makes more sense, what you generally have to consider, and which drills are useful for ceramic materials.
👉Click here to read my impact drill review
If you use a tile or glass drill bit, you cannot use the hammer drill function because this type of drill bit works differently than a stone bit.
The ceramic material is scraped off in a similar way to sandpaper. This doesn’t work with impact drilling. In addition, speed and pressure should be kept quite low.
If you try to drill through the tile with a stone drill, it would theoretically be conceivable to use the hammer drill function. Still, I don’t recommend it in this case either.
There is a possibility that the tile may break due to the vibration and hitting, especially if the adhesive behind it has been applied inadequately. In many cases, you cannot even know that.
Diamond drills should also not be used with the hammer drill function on a tile.
These drill heads are designed so that you can get through ceramic materials even without a hammer drill function.
By the way, you can also work with hole drills that have diamond trim.
In summary, it would only be conceivable to switch on the impact drilling function with masonry drills.
But I don’t think much of making a hole in a tile with a masonry drill.
If you are already considering this, then you should definitely avoid hammer drilling. The risk of the tile breaking would be too high for me.
In my opinion, it is always better to use special tools to prevent consequential damage.
How To Drill Through Tile Without Breaking Step By Step
Step 1: detect for pipe or cable behind The Wall with a line detector
If you don’t know how to detect pipe, click here to learn how.
Also, click here to learn how to dictate for electrical wire behind The Wall. [Link]
Step 2: First, stick masking tape on the area to be drilled, preferably several layers.
The rough adhesive tape prevents the drill from slipping on the glazed surface.
Or Mark the area to be drilled with a marker pen and Tape over the marked area with translucent painter’s Tape.
This way, you can see the drilling point and better prevent it from splintering during drilling.
This isn’t a 100% guarantee that the tile won’t break, but it helps!
Step 3: Use a nail and hammer to make a drilling point over the sellotape, as it helps prevent the bit from sleeping on the wall.
In my opinion, this process is not necessary, but it is recommended to guide your drill bit over the tile.
Note: If you have a diamond drill bit without a tip, you obviously don’t need to pre-punch.
Step 4: insert a tile or diamond drill bit; place the drill at a right angle in the pre-drill area and drill through the tile at low speed and low feed ( drill through the tile without the hammer drill function)
Under no circumstances should you press the drill hard, but guide it carefully with light pressure and let the drill do the work.
Once you have drilled through the tile, change to the masonry drill and switch to the hammer drill function If necessary.
Place the drill at a right angle and continue drilling through the wall. Keep your hands straight so you won’t crank the ties.
Warning 1: if the tile heats up, cool the temperature with water and continue drilling.
Warning 2: Keep an eye on the temperature of your drill. If the drill becomes too hot or even smokes, you may want to cool it down with a short water bath.
Step 5: Once the hole is finished, pull out the drill and vacuum the hole.
This means that nothing stands in the way of inserting a dowel (or whatever you intended the hole for).
My Tile Is Cracking During Drilling, What Should I Do?
If your tile is cracking and you notice that the tile is at a high temperature, use water to cook it first, and the cracking will stop.
If the tile is already cracked, you should seal it with joint adhesive if there is minor damage and use tile Polish to paint the line.
If the damage is more serious, you should replace the tile; otherwise, water can penetrate the joint through the crack.
Since tiles are often used in damp rooms, this can be a problem. If you need to replace the tile, use a hammer and chisel to get the tile out.
Then, apply tile adhesive and replace the old tile with a new one.
Drill holes that are too large or have failed can be closed again with a special filler for tiles.
Slightly peel off the excess compound and smooth the surface with sandpaper after it has hardened.
How Fast Can You Drill Through The Tile?
How fast you can drill through a tile depends on the tile’s hardness and the type of drill machine you have.
Not all time has the same hardness. A wall tile is lighter than a floor tile, so a marble tile is harder.
It takes between 1 and 2 minutes to penetrate through a tile and 2 and 3 minutes to drill through the wall. In total, it takes between 3 and 4 minutes to penetrate through the tile and wall.
Applying hard force on the tile or using the hammer drill function at the beginning causes the title to break.
It takes between 2 to 3 minutes to drill into marble tile, depending on the bit and the hardness of the marble. Make sure to apply water when drilling a marble to avoid cracks.
Should You Drill Tiles Fast Or Slow?
It would help if you never drilled into tiles at high speed; always switch your drill to the normal drill function and drill into tiles at low speed.
Using the hammer drill function, we crack or break your tile and always do things slowly to get the best results.
Why Is My Drill Not Going Through The Tile?
Suppose your drill is not going through. Check if the bit is sharper. Click here to learn how to identify a blunt drill bit and how to sharpen them.
The possible problem for your drill not to go through when drilling through tile are:
- A blunt drill bits
- You are using the wrong bit
- Your hand is not in a stretch position
- If you have a bad drill chuck, click here to learn how to repair a drill chuck.
- The title is Sleepy. Use a nail to make a small hole for the bit to balance
- Your drill machine is not at the right speed settings
Conclusion
Knowing how to drill tile without breaking is important to cool the tile with water when it gets hot.
In my opinion, hammer drilling is often a good option, but this is not the case when drilling through tiles.
The chance of the tile breaking is so high that the risk of impact drilling is not worth it.
In addition, drilling with special tile drills also works differently than with stone drills. Tile or glass drills scrape off the material.
Here, you would be at a loss anyway with the hammer drill function.
Also, read how to remove a broken drill bit for wood, metal, wall, etc.
