How to Drill a Hole in Porcelain, Ceramic, or Stone Tiles - Video 1 of 3

A step by step guide on how to drill through granite, marble, porcelain, ceramic or terracotta tiles using a diamond-ground tip geometry drill bit.

Today's Tool Kit

Electric drill
Tile drill bit:
Either Standard drill bit £5-7 from any DIY store
Dust pan (to catch the debris from the hole you're drilling)
Water Tub or other receptacle - to keep drill bit cool

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The tiles drilled in this video are glazed clay (from Marlborough Tiles), but the Armeg drill bit featured in the video works for Granite, Marble, Ceramic and all softer tiles, so watch this video and then apply what you see to whatever you've got to drill.

You might like to check out my other tile drilling videos:

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LET'S CONNECT!
Charlie DIYte

[ExtremeShez]

Im still using this video as a reminder for the last 4 years, thank you Charlie.

[trig]

Pace a small damp sponge in the dust pan to cool the drill bit as you work.

[DAVADMDAVAD]

Another great video. Why would anyone give a thumbs down? it proves the adage, "You're not doing it right unless 50% of the people think you're doing it wrong."

[sarnieparsons]

Great set of videos - thanks so much, just fitted a blind through tiles - perfect! Never done anything like it before so really happy 👍

[BudiArsana]

Dip in the water is a great idea to also to make sure the dust not fly around.

[yensabi]

I use the Bosch multi construction blue drill bits and have no problem drilling even in the hardest tiles
I use a 5mm to pilot the hole then a 7 mm for the finished hole and just use a wet sponge to keep the bit cool when drilling , this method works very well .
Another tip is to make sure you knock your wall plug past the tile otherwise there's a chance you will crack the tile when putting the screw

[noelwrightpersonal]

Great advice as always! Thanks Charlie.

[jerrywillimann]

Thanks Charlie. Great video that gave me the courage to try and install a rangehoood canopy myself. I was seriously worried about drilling tiles. Cairns, Australia

[AccountantDoesDIY]

Nice vid. I've always used a bit of tape over the hole mark to stop the bit jumping, but from your video it looks like that's not actually necessary (although that might be because you're using a good quality drill bit). Probably about time I upgraded from B&Q's own brand ones!

[SKSK-nzjv]

Hi Charlie what if I want a bigger hole than the 6mm armeg?can I just use a masonry bit through the hole made with the armeg bit to make it wider

[DragonWolfZen]

If needed could you use the bit to widen a hole as you would a normal masonry bit?

[ayodeleadenuga]

You already had a mark on the spots you drilled which stopped the drill bit from bouncing around. My question is, how did you make the initial marks on the tiles?

[mikelemire]

Hey Charlie, nice work; however, you need to point out that the way you performed it is not for novices! You recall the saying "that looks really easy to do", especially since you were so close to the edge, you were fortunate. Most contractors and experienced DIYers will agree that it is good (or best) practice to afix some tape to the area first to prevent the bit from skating and the tile from cracking. As you know, the pressure and drill speed combination is somewhat of an art. Other than that, nice work mate!

[theyorkshireninja]

Wouldn't heating and sudden cooling harden the drill bit, making it more brittle?

[CharlieDIYte]

True, as I didn't have any porcelain or granite to hand, but the Armeg drill bit drills through these with ease - as I say in the video - exactly the same principle applies. Thanks for the comment.

[matthewcunliffe]

Could you do a tutorial on tiling a wall?

[whocares]

I have done this before and while it wasnt hard to do i didnt realize i needed to cool the drill bit and it took me literally 2 hours to drill two 1/4 inch holes through ceramic tile! I am now ready to do it again and some have suggested i drill into the grout instead of the tile. I am worried about doing that because the grout isnt as strong as the tile itself, right? I think i will drill into the tile like last time, only not press as hard on the drill and keep dipping it in water to cool it. I hope that makes a difference because the last time was like Chinese water torture!

[scottdraper]

I haven't found those spade-type bits very effective. I got about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way through my tile before the bits stopped working. I've had a bit better luck with the diamond grit hole saw bits, which could do maybe 1 1/2 holes before wearing out. In the end, I'd bought six bits (this includes testing on a spare tile). Either your Armeg bits are lot better than what I can find or your tile is softer.

[SKMusic]

Hi Charlie - sorry to pester you again! I’m having an engineered oak floor (18mm) laid tomorrow morning with thick underlay, and I’ve just realised that it’ll actually be taller than the tiles on my Victorian fireplace. Can I just lay tiles on top of the current tiles? They are really thick, almost like outdoor, slate tiles. They unfortunately go all the way into the fireplace, which I can’t reach to retile. I am also worried about adding a fire grate because if I tile on top, there will be a smaller gap for it to slot into. Is there a way around this? Maybe a wooden plate, like a door plate, that would blend down into the tiles? Or am I screwed?! 😂

[edj]

Can a regular drill bit be used to drill a hole in the ceramic floor tile? I need to feed a wire from the basement to the main floor for the dishwasher.