Drilling Ceramic Tile: Getting Around The Tough Stuff

Drilling ceramic tile is not always going to be necessary, however, if you have an area where you might need to install a fixture and the only thing standing in your way is ceramic tile, well, you may just need to know how you can drill into the tough stuff. It is not as hard as you might think, but you definitely want to know the right steps before you begin.

Before you start drilling, figure out precisely where your fixtures will be installed. You need to plan this out to avoid making any mistakes, which are hard to correct in material such as ceramic tile. You need to get the precision down exactly. If your fixture will require drilling multiple holes, then use a measure tape and level to measure between the holes. Marking the tile is just fine; however, make sure that it can be removed easily.

Now, you need to make sure that you have the right type of drill bit. The best type of drill bit is masonry bit, which is carbide tipped. Another type of drill bit is called a tile drill bit; this is specific for drilling ceramic tiles and is convenient for power drills. You can tell the tile bit from other types of bit because it is slender, with a triangle shaped point.

Using other types of drill bits will do nothing but tear up your tile, it cannot make it through the thickness. The easiest way to start drilling through ceramic tile is to use some masking tape. Put the tape over the area you want to drill, you know "x" marks the spot. If needed, you can pencil or pen in the spot where you need to precisely drill. Now you can begin to drill, make sure you go all the way into the backer or wall giving you a solid anchor to install fixtures.