Drilling holes in tiles.

martin57

Hi folks,

As someone who is not great at diy I would like some advice on putting curtain rails over windows in kitchen where its all tiles. As the tiles are old and I don't have any spares I dont want to break any of them with a drill. There is already a wooden baton above windows with the old style of curtain pelmet attached, but it would be a bit high to attach a rail to I think, unless there is no other option.

Is it a hit and miss affair even for a tradesman possibly leading to cracks in tiles when drilling holes? I have only got a cheap hammer drill from argos and have been adviced on here that really I need a sds drill to go through the concrete lintel above window. A site I found through google said something about using strong adhessive to fix brackets. Is this an option for me?

Any advice on drilling tiles greatly appreciated.

martin57

The_Economist

If you want too drill through tiles there is two ways as far i know,

1) Get a very pointed nail and hammer gently to break the galze then follow through with a drill bit or,

2) buy a drill bit specific for tiles.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Diamond drill bit.

glosman555

Try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zzLQWPHpg

paddedjohn

To drill through the tile first put some masking tape on the tile and mark the spot that needs drilling, this will stop the drill slipping. A normal masonry bit should do the job ok.

SEE BELOW FOR GOOD ADVICE #6

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Oh, & dont use a hammer drill on hammer mode you will smash it

ormus

battery drill (no hammer) going slowly.
ordinary masonry bit. works for me every time.

SailorSam

Start with the smallest drill you've got and drill slowly, once you have the hole you can move up to a bigger drill.

Tucker

As per sailorsam that's what I did in my bathroom and it never broke the tile and I worked upto a 20mm hole size numerous times.

bishop_stoke

Having done a complete bathroom refit and extension, I would agree with 1984 above: diamond drill bit in a variable speed drill, although you MUST spray with water to keep cool and avoid clogging.

That said, you can buy tile drills which are made for the job. They are not dear, and are shaped like an arrow head. This is how I drilled all the holes for basin, shower screen, mirrors, shower fittings etc. Use a bit of masking tape to mark up first, then just take it slowly, you won't go wrong.

DO NOT hit a tile with hammer and nails! You will more than likely crack the tile.

27col

The arrow head drills work quite well. But, as has been said, put masking tape the spot where you want to start the hole.