How to cut a round hole in ceramic tiles. How to cut a hole in a tile with a grinder

Often the question of how to make a hole in a tile quickly and accurately takes inexperienced home craftsmen by surprise. But there are plenty of options for this. Indeed, the need to make a hole in ceramic tiles can occur at any stage of repair, as well as long after it in everyday activities. This, as well as the diameter of the circle being made, largely determine how to act in each specific situation and what is best to use to cut holes in ceramic tiles.

What is this article about?

Using hand tools

If you don’t have a power tool and don’t know how to cut a hole in a tile, you can use the most primitive method - using a tile cutter and tongs (or pliers). The sequence of actions here is as follows:

1. Before cutting a hole in a tile, the boundaries of the future hole are marked on its surface;
2. To make the material of the element softer, it is pre-soaked in water for a short time;
3. Taking a glass cutter, run it along the markings without lifting the cutter from the base. In order for the groove to be cut, sufficient force should be applied to the handle, but so that the tile remains solid and does not crack (especially in a situation with glazed glossy tiles);
4. Along the cutting line, tap a groove with the back of the tool to deepen it further;
5. Using forceps, the material is broken off piece by piece until only smooth cut according to the markings;
6. If there are jagged marks on the edges, sand the cut circle with fine-grained sandpaper.

Using a jigsaw

Quite successfully when working on ceramic material A tool such as a jigsaw with diamond wire has also proven itself. Using it, it is possible to make any through figure in the tile either in the central part of the tile or on its outskirts. What is necessary for installing a socket. However, for the first case, it would be good to have a drill and a bit to cut a hole in the tile in the area where the socket is installed.

So how to make holes in tiles using a jigsaw?

1. WITH outside draw a round hole;
2. They immediately begin to cut out if the element to be cut is located near the edge;
3. For the central location of the hole on ceramics, first drill a hole with a drill large diameter on the plane of the future hole. A cutting thread is passed through it and the tool is brought to the edge of the cutout;
4. The device is driven slowly along the marking line. They step back slightly from the line inward, trying not to capture an additional area. It is possible to work in a similar way with a regular hacksaw, but on good quality In this case, you can not count on cutting.

Using an angle grinder

Often thoughts about how to make a hole in a tile arise at the moment of laying the tile and the need to place it under pipes, a faucet, or a toilet. The grinder allows you to process ceramics when it is not yet fixed to the wall. Such a tool would also be appropriate for cutting shaped cutouts on the edges of tile squares.

How to cut a hole in a tile using a grinder:

1. Mark a line that will serve as a guide when cutting;
2. They put it on the grinder diamond blade for cutting “dry”;
3. Start cutting from any convenient side. The tool is moved slowly, away from you;
4. In case of inconvenience working area make a semicircle, and then begin to move the grinder in a different direction. But here you need to make sure that the cutting points coincide.

Tiling of tiles

The second option for making tile holes assumes that the tile is already fixed to the wall. In such a situation they operate classical method, hammering the wall under the socket, using a drill. When working on cladding, use either standard spiral or cone-shaped drills.

To make holes in tiles using simple drill, necessary:

1. To reduce the sliding of the cutter, apply masking tape to the treated ceramic surface in the drilling area. This will keep it in its original position;
2. They put a point in the place where they are going to drill;
3. Drilling is done by slowly rotating the drill;
4. To prevent overheating of the nozzle, wet it from time to time. It is also possible to spray the finish, but after some penetration into the wall to avoid the drill slipping. If necessary, perform big hole do things differently. Getting started here will coincide with the same principle described above. Next, the drill is replaced with a large one. It is recommended to expand the diameter of the hole gradually, which will reduce the risk of chipping to zero.

You can make a large notch in another way. Many holes are made along the border of the future hole with a thin drill. Then carefully knock out central part, and the jags are sanded.

Working with specific attachments

In addition to the basic ones for tiled and glass surfaces, there are also alternative attachments for drills. Diamond-coated bits are used when it is necessary to make cutouts for sockets, taps for bathroom faucets, etc. Drilling is carried out using a rotating bit mounted on a guide drill. The accuracy of the opening here is largely determined by the properties of the diamond coating and the size of the grains. The downside of this method is that the crown itself is not cheap.

Using the crown, the hole is made as follows:

1. A piece of tape is glued to the ceramic;
2. Outline the cutting contours;
3. By applying a tool with a crown, they gradually begin to penetrate deeper and deeper;
4. To avoid overheating, the crown is periodically moistened.

A tile drill, called by the sonorous name “ballerina”, makes it possible to create rounded openings of larger diameter. Operating principle of this device boils down to the following: a power tool sets the pilot drill in motion simultaneously with a movable cutter mounted on a rod. As a result of the fact that it is possible to move the cutter and move it along the rod, the tool can be set to the parameters of any circle within the reach of the dimensions of the rod. The convenience here is that you can avoid spending on purchasing a large arsenal of crowns with several diameters. Another advantage this method lies in the cost of the device, which is affordable for a wide range of users.

Drilling is performed in several sequential steps: 1. Place a point in the center of the diameter of the circle.

1. Carry out the required settings circular drill according to the selected diameter;
2. They pass through the glazed thickness;
3. A recess is made on the other surface of the element;
4. They cut the circle from the outside.

Despite the undeniable advantages of this method, its disadvantages are: - this device cannot perform plural res. The number of cuts is limited by the manufacturer and is about 30-40 holes. But for home repairs this is quite enough. Another disadvantage is that the drill must be used extremely carefully when cutting, turning it on only at low speeds. Otherwise, the possibility of even small chips cannot be excluded.

If you decide to use any of the described methods, you must not use a percussion instrument. Its participation can have a detrimental effect on the integrity of the tiled elements. Knowing the methods of drilling tiles, you can choose the right one for independent work.

When finishing any surface with tiles, the master is always faced with the need to make a hole in the ceramic tile for a pipe, electrical outlet. Holes can be divided into internal, located inside the perimeter of the tile, and external, which extend beyond the tile. Also, according to their shape, they are divided into radius and rectangular. The method of cutting a hole in a tile for a toilet, pipe or electrical outlet depends on its shape and location on the surface of the tile.

Using a grinder

Bulgarian is universal tool wide-use, which is available in everyone's arsenal home handyman. It can be used for cutting tiles instead of a tile cutter, which is considered a special tool, and not every craftsman has it. To work on the grinder, install a metal diamond wheel for dry cutting.

Grinder with a circle and stone discs

The peculiarity of the grinder is that it only makes straight cuts. Therefore, an angle grinder can easily make rectangular holes or make a large cutout with a radius shape if the contour arc has a slight bend. It will not be possible to create a smooth arc or a perfectly round hole right away. First, mark the outline of the radius cutout and draw many chords. An inscribed polygon should appear inside the contour. After marking, several cuts are made along the chord line, after which the contour is finalized with sandpaper.

Important! The tool must be equipped with a protective casing. It is necessary to work with gloves and safety glasses.

In this case, the grinder does not make a progressive cut, but makes a point cut through the tiles from the front side according to the markings. Thus, if you plan to cut a round hole, you need to take a diamond wheel with the smallest diameter possible. How larger diameter holes, the more accurately you can make the cut. The chords along the radius contour will be short, and the cut will be as close as possible to the radius and you will have to work less with a round block with sandpaper to refine the edge.

Work as an angle grinder

This method works well with tiles. To make radius holes in porcelain stoneware, it is better to use the special tools described below.

Video of the master at work:

Using a jigsaw

Most craftsmen also have a jigsaw, but it provides more options for figure cutting ceramics. To do this, insert a diamond file into the tool and you can cut a hole in the tile of any shape. To cut internal holes, you will need a drill with a fine diamond drill. They drill a hole with inside contour. The jigsaw file is inserted into it.

Cutting with a jigsaw

Working with a glass cutter and pliers

Manually, without using power tools, you can make a straight or radius cutout for a pipe or socket from the edge of the tile.

Chipping with pliers

In addition to a glass cutter and pliers, you will need a straight or round block with fine sandpaper. The work is done like this:

• Using a marker on the front side, mark the outline of the future cutout.
• Before cutting a hole, it is recommended to pre-soak the tiles in water. This will reduce the risk of splitting.
• After this, a glass cutter is used to make a cut along the marked line. To make the furrow deep, it is necessary to apply sufficient force. At the same time, you need to be careful not to overdo it and split the tiles.
• To ensure that the glaze completely cracks along the cut line, the tile is tapped with reverse side.
• Then, using pliers or special tongs, bite off a piece of the tile, as if biting into it. Gradually, having reached the intended line, the tile will break off along the cut contour.

With this method, it is possible to obtain lines of any configuration, but small jagged edges will always remain on the edge. They need to be removed using sandpaper.

Drilling

You can drill small holes (up to 15-20 mm) using a drill by inserting a conical or spiral bit into it. Victory drill corresponding diameter.

Drill with cone drill

Drilling is convenient if the tiles are already glued. But usually a hole must be drilled before the tile is glued in order to route the wire through it or put it on the pipe. Therefore, the tiles must be well fixed on a flat surface. Drywall or chipboard sheet is used as a substrate. To reduce the risk of the ceramic breaking during drilling, it needs to be wetted. It is recommended to fill the slats onto the chipboard to form a box. The slats are glued with silicone. The tiles are placed in the box and filled with water. They drill ceramics right in this box. Water will soften the tiles, there will be no internal tension, and the drill will be constantly cooled.

The technology for performing drilling work in tiles is as follows:

• The first problem is that during the first revolutions of the drill, the drill slides along smooth surface tiles Adhesive tape, which is glued to the drilling site, will come to the rescue.
• Mark the drilling point. It should be on tape.
• Drilling begins with slow rotations of the drill, so that the jerk does not cause the drill to float across the glaze and make a scratch.
• After the drill has caught on the tile, the drilling site is moistened with water. As you operate the drill, make sure that workplace always remained wet.

Using a drill, you can make a large diameter hole for a sewer pipe. But this method can be used when you need to make one or two holes, since the process is labor-intensive and the quality leaves much to be desired.

Drilling along the contour

To do this, many holes are drilled along the contour of the cutout with a thin drill. Thus, a perforated contour is obtained. After finishing inner part the holes are knocked out, the remaining teeth are cleaned with pliers and smoothed with sandpaper.

Drilling with a crown and ballerina

If you need to efficiently and accurately cut a circle of any diameter, professional tools for drilling tiles will come to the rescue. These include diamond-coated crowns and ballerinas with Pobedit incisors.

It is easier to work with a diamond bit, since it is a cylinder of a certain diameter with a cutting diamond edge. To center the crown, a conventional Pobedit drill is located in the center of the cylinder.

The ballerina is a regular drill, which has one or two L-shaped pins with a cutter at the end. The pins are secured using a clamp. By extending the pin, it is exposed required diameter. This is the advantage of the nozzle over diamond crowns, which have a fixed diameter.

Ballerina

Despite the fact that this tool is the simplest and most accessible, working with it requires some skill:

• Models with one cutter are more durable, but during operation such a ballerina becomes an eccentric, which leads to vibration.
• Models with two cutters are less durable; it is difficult to set both cutters to the same radius. Because of this, the tool cuts two circles, making a double cut.
• When working, it is necessary to maintain a right angle between the axis of the drill and the surface of the tile, otherwise the ballerina will begin to bury itself on one side of the circle. To ensure that this angle is maintained constantly, ballerinas are produced with a plastic basket. It functions as a control stop and can help the master maintain the angle.

When working as a ballerina, double-sided drilling is performed. First, a protruding drill bit makes a hole in the ceramic tile. As the drill goes deeper, the cutter begins to cut the glaze. Having cut through the glaze, continue drilling from the back side.

Crown

Crowns are sold in sets under standard sizes. Before using a crown, you must first drill with a regular drill the central hole into which the core bit is inserted.

Video of using the crown:

Modern plumbing fixtures are equipped with decorative facing washers on the pipe, and sockets have linings that can cover a hole cut by hand or with a grinder. Therefore, it is not always necessary to cut an even circle; sometimes you can do without special tools.

At the beginning of the renovation, it seems that the most difficult thing is laying tiles on the walls and floor in the bathroom. Therefore, when installation decorative covering completed, you think that the problematic moments are behind you. However, the bathroom will have to be equipped with plumbing fixtures, cabinets, shelves, and sockets made. To put each of the listed items in place, you need to make a hole, or even more than one, in the wall.

The craftsman is faced with the question of how to drill tiles on the wall without damaging or spoiling appearance. In this situation, there are only two options: trust the professionals or learn how to drill tiles yourself.

Difficulty drilling tiles

Ceramic tiles are considered ideal option wall decoration, because it can withstand decades of merciless use in the humid microclimate of the bathroom. These same qualities make it difficult to make holes in tiles. First of all, the difficulty is presented by the following features of this type of finishing::

• Hardness. Ceramic tiles have a dense, hard structure, as they are produced by extrusion or pressing. Therefore, drilling a hole in it is not at all easy, you need special tool, drills whose hardness is greater than the tile itself.
• Smooth surface. The outer surface of the tile is covered with glaze so that it is less porous, does not absorb moisture and has a beautiful shine. So when you try to make a hole in tiled wall, the drill bit will slip, which may damage the tiles.
• Fragility. Despite its high hardness, it is quite easy to damage the tiles during drilling. Especially if the glue was distributed unevenly during the installation process and there are air cavities under the tiles. If it hits such an air pocket, the drill will almost certainly split the tile.

Without knowing how to drill through tiles correctly, you can make many annoying mistakes that will lead to the need to replace one or more tiles, increase repair costs, and simply fray the master’s nerves.

Tool selection

To make a hole in a tiled wall you will need quality tool. You can rent what you need, borrow it from friends, or purchase it, because it will come in handy many times during the renovation process. One way or another, you need to get a good drill and hammer drill. They must meet the following requirements:

1. The drill must support various drilling modes, be able to operate at low speeds, and have sufficient power. Pay attention to battery-powered models, which are easy to use due to their light weight; they are not “tied” to an outlet.
2. It is not advisable to use a hammer drill to process tiles, as this impact tool creates vibration, which can lead to cracks on the surface of the tile. It is useful for drilling into the wall under the tiles.
3. The master must be able to control the force of pressing and the speed of rotation of the drill. It is advisable to start work at low speeds, gradually increasing the rotation to 200 rpm.

Worth paying attention! A little trick: if you have an old hand drill lying around, don’t rush to get rid of it, because hand tool Ideal for drilling tiles as it is muscle driven and therefore does not vibrate.

Selecting a drill and auger

You need to take care of purchasing a special drill and a drill suitable for working with tiles. They must be very hard and sharp, usually professional finishers, to make a hole in ceramic tiles, use:

Very important! The diameter of the drill is selected to match the size of the dowel, and the diameter of the drill for the hammer drill should be several mm smaller so as not to touch the edge of the tile during operation, otherwise vibration will damage it.

Purchasing a low-quality, unsuitable drill is a dubious saving that can come back to haunt you with chips, cracks and much higher costs.

Tile drilling technique

In addition to a power tool, to drill a hole you will need building level, masking tape, marker, tape measure or ruler. Having prepared everything you need, follow the steps in the following order:

Be careful! The drill should not overheat during operation; smoke that appears is a sure sign that you need to stop and cool it.

Large diameter holes

Sometimes it becomes necessary to drill a large hole in the tile. For example, to install an outlet or connect plumbing. Other attachments are used to perform this task:

If you have planned in advance the locations for installing sockets and connecting communications, it is easier to drill the tiles before laying them on the wall, as they say, on the shore. Since it is more difficult to work with large diameter holes.

Knowing how to drill through tiles on a wall will help you avoid being intimidated when asked to hang a mirror or shelf in the bathroom. After all main secret success - a quality tool, accuracy and consistency!

Video instruction

Today I will talk about some ways to cut holes in tiles.

In this place you will need to make two holes in the tile for the mixer outlet.

And here a socket will be installed, and a hole of a larger diameter will have to be made in the tile.

Bathroom floors may require a hole in the floor tiles for the washing machine drain.

Well, we may need the largest hole in the floor tiles for the toilet to come out.

Today I'll show you how to make all these holes.

If we talk about the the best way making holes in tiles, then this is, without a doubt, the use of a diamond-coated crown of the required diameter.

It provides excellent quality and high speed, but there are some problems with it.

If you are making holes of a different diameter, you will need a different crown. The cost of each crown is quite high. The service life of such a crown when used on hard floor tiles or porcelain tiles is sharply reduced.

More cheap analogue for drilling holes in tiles - this is the so-called ballerina.

Among its advantages are not only the price, but also the drilling diameter that can be changed within certain limits.

However, if we compare this device with a set of diamond crowns, then the ballerina is significantly inferior to the crown in terms of the quality of the holes made, and most importantly, the ease of drilling. In addition, the master will need skill in working with a ballerina, and its service life is short.

Now let's move on to practice and accessible ways making holes.

Easy hole marking

We'll start with the markup. Let's place the tiles against the wall next to the places where future holes should be.

On one side of the tile, use a special pencil to mark the places where we will have the centers of the holes.

Now let's install the same tile on the side of these places, not forgetting about the seam.

Let's mark the middle of the hole again, but on the other side.

Now on this tile we will find the intersection points of the marks made on different sides. In addition, you can use a ruler to check the distances between adjacent holes.

The maximum diameter of this hole should not exceed the size of the decorative cap that will cover the inlet of the mixer. Therefore, I will select a smaller template for the sample.

I set and outline the template in the center of the drawn lines. This way I accurately mark the places where I need to make holes.

Now I will show you one of the cheap but labor-intensive ways to make holes in ceramic tiles. To do this we need a small diameter tile drill, and I can even use a screwdriver for drilling.

All I need to do now is drill holes sequentially along the drawn circle. This method works well for simple wall tiles.

I draw your attention to the fact that when drilling, it is better to place a thick piece of plywood or drywall under the tiles.

Once all the small holes have been drilled, they need to be widened on the back side.

To do this, use the same drill to perform the following operation.

At some point the middle part of the hole will simply break off. Using regular pliers, you can lightly trim the sharp edges inside the hole.

Some people may feel ironic about this method, but remember that it allows you to make a hole in a tile of any diameter at a low cost. Judge for yourself the quality of the resulting hole.

As a result, the tiles with holes on the wall will look like this.

Marking holes using a laser

If you have a laser, I will show you how to mark holes using it. Now we need to make a hole in the tile for the socket box. Using a laser, we will make precise marks in the right place. I installed the laser opposite the socket box and turned on the horizontal and vertical beams.

It is necessary to make sure that the intersection of the rays coincides with the center of the hole. Now I apply the tiles to the wall and install them on the corresponding crosses.

The intersection of the laser beams still points to the center of the hole, so all I have to do is make marks with a special pencil.

We'll also make this hole using a small drill bit, but this time I'll be using a drill when drilling, and as you can see, it does the job quite well.

Bypassing fixed pipes

I will discuss bypassing fixed pipes as a separate issue. This task is not common, but it does occur. These could be heating pipes or crossbars.

In this case, you can cut the tile into two parts and join it in the area of ​​the pipe. In this example we have a support bar in the shower. I decided to make a cut as thick as the bar, straight down, since the shower curtain would completely cover it. And to close this resulting hole, I will use an insert that just needs to be glued inside.

Apply a small amount of glue, install this insert inside and do not forget about the spacer cross.

Holes in floor tiles

Now we will look at another important issue - holes in floor tiles. The problem is that it cannot always be done using a tile drill, since floor tiles quite hard. This is especially true for porcelain stoneware. But we still need to make a hole for the drain of the washing machine.

And then we use a trick. Using a grinder we create such a semi-oval cut.

We will install this tile in its place, and we will also cut out the missing piece from a piece of tile using a grinder.

When the tiles are installed with glue and the seams are sealed with a fugue, this area will look quite nice.

Another seemingly complex hole in floor tiles - for sewerage - can be easily made without the use of expensive crowns.

To do this, using a small grinder, you need to apply sectors in the outlined circle.

The more sectors you make, the easier it will be to process the inner edge of the hole.

Then, using the very tip of the grinder circle, you need to trim the tile a little along the circle outlined at the beginning to create a small groove.

Then, using pliers or a small hammer, you need to break each of the sectors inward. Don't worry, the floor tiles will not crack from this procedure.

As you can see, the hole is ready. Now you can sand it inside with the same small grinder.

To make it easier to make such a hole, place a piece of foam plastic 5 centimeters thick under the tile.

As it turns out, making holes in tiles isn't such a big deal. difficult process, even with the use of improvised means in the form of a small drill and grinder.

All rights to the video belong to: DoHow

The tiles are different high strength, water resistance, relative cheapness and practicality in care. You can easily lay it on the wall or floor yourself own home. However, when performing tiling work, novice craftsmen have to seriously rack their brains - how to drill tiles correctly and so that they do not burst in the process. After all, standard concrete drills cannot be used here.

What drill and what tools should I use?

Holes in ceramic tiles are made for pipes, sockets and fasteners for installing furniture or plumbing. Even in a small bathroom you have to drill a lot. However, at the slightest mistake by the master, the tiles crack and split, because the ceramics itself and especially its top layer of glaze are fragile. And then the resulting fragments can only be thrown into the trash, since it is often impossible to use them elsewhere.

What tools should you use?

To drill a hole in tiles, you will need:

• electric drill or powerful screwdriver;
• drills are spear-shaped and with one-sided acute-angled sharpening;
• diamond bits-crowns;
• ballerina with sliding cutter.

You can even use it for drilling hand drill. But if you need a lot of holes in the tile, then it would be best to replace it with an electrical analogue. Also, for drilling work on tiles, you will need a pencil for marking and water to cool the working tool. If drills and bits are not constantly moistened, they will quickly become dull or crack from overheating.

Types of drills

What to do to prevent ceramic tiles from cracking?

Not every pencil can leave a clearly visible mark on the tile. Therefore, it is recommended to first stick paper tape in place under the hole, and then draw a cross on it to indicate the point of drilling the hole. The glued paper will also make the work easier, since the drill will slide less on the smooth glaze.

Use masking tape to make work easier

To minimize the risk of ceramic chipping when drilling tiles, you should:

1. Turn on the drill only at low speeds - the norm is 100–400 rpm.
2. Drill ceramic tiles a couple of days after gluing, when the glue has firmly set, or on a flat and stable surface with a board or gypsum board underneath.
3. Work without excessive pressure and with constant wetting cutting tool for cooling.
4. Forget about the presence of the hammer drilling function in the drill (a hole in the tile can only be drilled in non-impact mode).
5. Keep the drill strictly perpendicular to the surface of the ceramic.
6. Move the drilling point at least 15–20 mm from the edge of the tile - the closer to the center the hole is drilled, the less likely it is to split.

If your skills in handling a drill are minimal, then you should first practice on an unnecessary piece of tile. It's easy to split tiles due to inexperience. Drilling holes in it is a responsible task and should not be rushed. If the incorrect installation of beacons for floor screed will require only a small addition of concrete, then if the fragile ceramics are handled incorrectly, it will instantly crack.

If you don’t have the skills to work with tiles, it’s better to entrust the job to a specialist

How to drill holes for dowels in tiles?

Depending on the required sizes It is recommended to drill holes different instruments. In some cases you will have to use a crown, while in others a drill of 8–16 mm is sufficient. But a situation is also possible when it will be difficult to do without an angle grinder.

To drill tiles for dowels, you need a tile drill 1–2 mm larger plastic insert for self-tapping screw. They first need to carefully drill through the glaze layer without unnecessary pressure. And then we slowly go through all the remaining ceramics up to the wall.

The wall surface itself, especially if it is concrete, should be drilled with another drill of a slightly smaller size. Wasting a specialized and expensive tool designed for tiles is not worth it and is simply pointless.

Which drills to use for different surfaces

How to drill a hole for taps or sockets?

To drill holes larger than 20 mm for pipes or socket boxes, a thin drill will not be enough. Here you will have to use crowns or a ballerina. The first option is more expensive, but also easier to work with. And the second option allows you to get by with one tool, with which you can drill holes of different cross-sections in diameter.

If ballerinas or crowns suitable diameter no, you will have to drill several small holes around the perimeter of the large one. After drilling them out, you will need to carefully use pliers to cut out the center outlined in this way and trim its edges with a rasp.

You can also resort to using a grinder. But it will be difficult to drill an even round hole with it. This is more of a tool for cutting tiles to required sizes or cutting rectangular pieces from them.