Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Drilling into Porcelain Tile

What kind of drill bit and drill are the best for drilling into porcelain tile?

A masonry bit works fine. Start with a small one 1/8" or so to create a pilot hole then graduate to a larger one as needed. When you start with the larger bit, it has a tendency to want to wander. A smaller bit is easier to start and control.

Not all porcelains can be drilled with a simple masonry bit. Some are much much too hard.:)

So, a diamond bit is a better choice, right?

Drill bits designed for porcelain tile are cheap, easily available, and work well for small holes. Larger holes will need a ceramic hole cutter bit.

I have successfully tried carbide drill bits for glass.
They look like an arrow (without the feathers of course!!!.) They don't move around. Easier to work with in these cases.

If the hole is large; once you have a reasonable dent, after the glaze is gone, you can use a masonry bit.

Okay, here's a video (credit to the John Bridge Forum)

http://www.constructioncomplete.com...p?v=ObNb7kmv4_Y

Not all porcelains can be drilled with the glass bits.

In some cases diamond coring drills are required. Wet.:)

Ha! So does that reply mean I was right or wrong, Bud? After I said diamond, I wasn't up for a debate, so I just typed the search and copied the link.

Hoppy Easter!

I have had porcelains that nothing but diamond would penetrate, with water added.:)

It may very wll be that no one is either right or wrong. It is most likely that other people have used different techniques or used different products to achieve the same end and achieved success.

It's not a matter of being right or wrong or of different people using different techniques willy nilly. It is a matter of the manner in which any particular porcelain was created. Some porcelains are way harder than others and no steel tooling will penetrate them. It takes something on the MOHS Scale that has a higher rating than the porcelain.:)

If you just take a awl and chip the glaze where you want to drill. Then take a hand drill with any small bit in it. Turn it slow. It will go right through the tile. Do it all the time;)

NONSENSE! We are talking porcelain tile here, not just ceramic floor tile. Most porcelains aren't even glazed any more either.:)

It appears that you missed my point entirely. The forum is called DIY.com. I don't know too many DIY'ers who have a diamond bit, or who know the hardness properties of any or every given tile, or who know where to look for the hardness properties of a tile or have any idea what a MOHS scale is.
And, I doubt they care. You can bet the folks at Big Orange or Big Blue don't and they should.

ejharris2141 just asked a question to solve a problem. He was given several suggestions. Some from a DIY perspective and some that requires more advanced equipment and tooling. Every answer had legitmacy.

My thinking was, what is he likely to have in his tool box or even his neighbors tool box. I assumed he didn't have a diamond bit because if he did, he would probably know to use it.

Just trying to make one aware of what they could be up against. To lead someone down a rosey path is a waste of good money and good time. Try it with the cheaper tools and see what happens! Then if it doesn't get the job done they know what the next step is.

Has nothing to do with DIY. It has to do with practicalities and what it takes to do some things in the real world.:wall:

Wow! Like a hornet's nest in here!

Ej asked, "what is the best tool for drilling porcelain"
We told him.

Every job I've ever done starts with gathering:

1.Information
2.Tools
3.Materials

If I don't have all three of those, or can't afford one of them, I don't attempt to do the job.

Rookies need the very best tools- Pros, can get by with poorer tools, if necessary, because they know all the tricks to compensate.

Since I've been coming here to the forums, I've made a point to be cautious when dispensing advice. If I'm not certain, I leave my reply open, so that someone else more knowledgeable can give a better answer. Often, I research after a reply, so next time, I'll know the answer. Occasionally, I still give an incorrect answer and I appreciate it so much when someone advises me of a better solution.

Connie

What a bunch of condescending mumbo jumbo. In this post,
there are five answers that have worked for five different people.

It is neither nonsense, practicalities, nor research. These methods were all used in the "real world" by real people.

Leaving it to the pros is not always an option. Some folks simply don't have the money to hire a pro. What should they do - nothing? Or maybe they should not live in a house they can't afford to maintain.

The point is, it dosen't always take a backhoe when a shovel will do. If the shovel dosent work - try something else.

From one novice to another.

Just put floor tile on floor, walls and around tub. Needed to drill a hole that fell in the center of the tile for screw holes (shower door install).

I was told you could use floor tile on walls, but not wall tiles on floor. Hence 1 tile- whole room. Floor tile seems quite thicker and so I bought a diamond bit ($18-22), looked like an arrowhead at the tip. SLOWLY drilled away adding water (to keep bit cool) as I drilled. Took a bit, 5-10 mintues per hole.

Also needed sizeable holes for tub & showre spouts. I used my dremel (roto zip / b&D Wizard) tool with special disk. See the big box stores for the disk in tool section. It cut the tile. Again I went slowly, letting the disk do the work. No water added. Once it reached through the tile (nearly the radius of the disk). It was great! Made square hole but it would be covered by dressy collar of plumbing fixtures.

Later I had to drill a hole into thin ceramic tile, thin ceramic tiles used on bathroom walls. THis same diamond bit and water process was applied and was by far easier and quicker (1/10 the time) than floor tile.

Hope this helps.

Mission complete. Used a masonery bit and plenty of water. Went through it like hot butter. Tried a diamond bit first and it didn't last 10 seconds before it burned up. Thanks to all of you for your response.