To drill porcelain tiles with perfection is not the easiest of tasks. There can be many situations when you need to make a hole in your new tiles in the bathroom or kitchen to put up a towel holder or a new wall cabinet.
Drilling through porcelain tile needs the highest level of sophistication and consciousness. The slightest mistakes can mess it up with a broken and deformed-looking tile.
Materials like glass might be slightly harder to drill, yet drilling porcelain tile is not easier either because the porcelain material itself is challenging to get through. But this challenge depends on the hole size you need to drill.
This job becomes the easiest when making a standard small hole for either holding a screw or fixing it. It becomes slightly harder to make a hole for a pipe or something similar.
So here, we guide you through some effective techniques to help you get a perfectly drilled hole while keeping your tiles just fine.
How is Porcelain Tile Constructed?
In my guide, at first, I tried to get an insight into the construction method of porcelain tile. It becomes easier to get through any material if you know its built procedure.
Porcelain tiles have a water absorption rate of less than 0.5 percent. For this reason, they are perfect for wet areas like bathrooms, showers, and kitchens. You can use them to cover both floors and walls, and they are available in either glazed or unglazed looks.
Although the clay used in constructing porcelain tiles is generally denser, it is harder and heavier than the available ceramic tiles. Of its hardwearing nature, people usually use it on floors.
Porcelain tiles are burnt in a kiln. Consequently, they become way harder for solid substances to drill through.
So now you have all the ideas of what you are up against, let’s see some options to help you drill porcelain tile and get the most out of it.
The Drill Bits For Drilling Through The Porcelain Tiles
You can find three kinds of drill bits that can be used to drill porcelain tile, and these are:
- Diamond-tipped bit
- A masonry bit
- A tile bit
See Our Product section for relevant Drill Bits
The ideal choice for this task is to have ‘diamond-tipped bits,’ which might be expensive but worth it. It becomes easier and safer to drill with the proper diamond bits. Although, I have gone for the masonry bit, which works pretty well and saves me the expenses of buying the costly ones.
Then again, it is actually about the tile’s degree of hardness, thickness, and density you want to get through. The higher these degrees are, the tougher it is to drill through.
Another important thing to mention is to spray water while drilling with these bits. You need to spray water on the hole you want to drill to cool the bit down and allow it some more life.
Unfortunately, these bits last for a shorter period, and I suggest you spray them with loads of water while drilling to make them last longer.
After trying out various types and brands for quite some time, I finally came up with these diamond bits from SE, which I tried recently. I must say these are great to use. To my surprise, I experimented with them on a hard material like granite, but they got through easily.
They also seem to be getting great reviews from the customers. These reviews suggest that you can use them on different materials, including porcelain. Having these drill bits in your toolbox is a very useful option. You can find a good range of these handy drilling bits below $7.
If you are looking for a whole set of drill bits for cutting larger holes, you can go for these well-reviewed Diamond City Bits, which are great value.
You find ten unique sizes of drill bits in this kit. You can surely use them on materials like granite, marble, glass, ceramic, and porcelain. They can even penetrate most rock types.
These are amazing to use and worthy of keeping as the stock set. These are the bits I use daily for tough drilling tasks. They are one of the newest on the market though I have had some very good experiences using them in the last few months. All in all, it’s a very good one with regards to keeping the sharpness.
Spending $35-40 for a set of 10 pieces needs a very good amount of drilling to justify such an expense. These would be a good buy for replacing fittings in the bathroom or kitchen.
You have to use them at a moderate speed on your drill, or they might be burned out, even giving you a high-speed jarring. You can buy these in single bits if you are to drill a large hole. Mostly, it would help if you had them for a pipe to get through the tiles or something like this.
For the customer’s convenience, these are found in a single drill bit and a pack of 5-bit sets, according to the required sizes and usage amount.
Some Important Tips for Drilling Through Porcelain Tile
- After marking the place where you want to drill the hole, cover the tile with masking tape and re-mark it to drill through the tape. It will help stop the drill from slipping when the pressure is applied. The masking tape helps protect the porcelain tiles even if the drill slips.
- It would help if you drilled porcelain tile at a slow speed; going too fast can break it.
- Spray water or any available coolant on the hole while drilling
- Refrain from over-exert pressure and keep it to a limited extent; otherwise, the result will end up in a broken or cracked tile.
Conclusion
I hope I’ve clarified the facts on how to drill porcelain tile through this article. My article shows an insight into the construction of porcelain tiles and why it is harder to get through. It also discussed the best drill bits available in the market, especially some great diamond-ripped bits based on the user’s experiences and reviews. Finally, some effective tips have shown that one should know how to drill porcelain tiles. In the main, it comes down to the fact that you need to get the right drill with the right bits and then apply the techniques right. This way, you can successfully drill porcelain tile keeping it undamaged.
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