Apply moderate even pressure to the drill so the bit grinds away at the glaze or the tile. The lowest tile drill bit speed possible, say 100 or 200 revolutions per minute, is perfect to drill standard ceramic tile. You never want to drill ceramic tile with the drill at high speed. The key to drilling regular ceramic tile is to use a brand-new carbide-tipped masonry drill bit and a drill that has a variable-speed trigger. The inner core of these tiles is fairly soft. Once a drill bit penetrates the thin glass coating, it usually drills rapidly through the inner core of regular ceramic tile. In the kiln, this silica coating turns into a hard, thin glass coating and the clay transform into a low-grade slate-like rock. Many common ceramic tiles are made primarily with clay, but then coated with a thin glaze that is primarily silica. The tile drill bits slide around on the tile making it hard to keep the drill bit in place. The shiny glaze on the tile is glass and glass is slippery. Why Does the Tile Glaze Make Drilling Into Tile Difficult? The tile often shatters with conchoidal fractures like glass. The high silica content of porcelain tile also makes it nearly impossible to cut with a snapper-type tile cutter. But when it get's heated, the crystal structure changes and it transforms much like plastic concrete in a read-mix truck turns hard hours after it's poured or cast. Some you can form with your hands but other clay can only be molded by a machine it's so stiff. In the early stages of tile manufacturing, the clay that's used to make the tile is a putty. Just like an oven changes liquid batter into cake, the higher kiln temperature transforms the putty-like clay into artificial stone. The high temperature in the kiln modifies the chemistry and crystallography of the silica-rich raw material. The heating process inside a kiln makes the porcelain tile hard to drill. What Makes Porcelain Tile So Hard to Drill? You might have tried to drill a hole in porcelain with the wrong drill bit and you were drilling far too fast. If the manufacturer fires it at a hotter temperature for longer in the kiln, the silica-rich clay gets almost as hard as granite. Porcelain tile almost always has a high silica content and the tile is dense. Porcelain tile is the hardest tile to drill. The same is true for ceramic tile.ĬLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local tile contractors who can drill your tile for you. Any geologist will tell you that some rocks are far harder than others. Why is Ceramic Tile Hard?Ĭeramic tile is hard because it's artificial or man-made rock. But to do so, you might have to buy a new drill and a few special drill bits. I am going to make you look like a home-improvement super hero. Jonathon O., Los Angeles, CAĭEAR JONATHON: Buddy, you are going to owe me big time. I need to get this job done before my wife comes back from her business trip. The drill bit smoked and turned cherry red. I tried drilling into the tile but got nowhere fast. I also need to install anchors for a new shower door. My wife wants me to install several new towel bars and other accessories in an older bathroom. CLICK HERE to Get Tim's FREE & FUNNY Newsletter!ĭEAR TIM: Drilling ceramic tile just became a priority.Drill slow - use special drill-bit cooling oil.Drilling ceramic tile requires a carbide bit.Porcelain tile almost always has a high silica content and the tile is dense." How to Drill Ceramic Tile TIPS Drilling into tile requires a slow drill speed and a steady hand. Drilling ceramic tile requires a sharp carbide or diamond drill bit.
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