Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Jul 09, 2008 9:48 am I need advice on cutting holes in tiles for for pipes and power points.
I found this woderful British forum on just tiling see link http://www.tilersforums.co.uk/tile-dril ... -time.html People there use diamond drills to make all sizes of holes in tiles. My question is what do handy people use here? and where can you ge spiffy tools like the ones they use overseas? Thanks Maggie Re: DIY tiling ? 2Jul 09, 2008 9:56 am i use a cheap masonry drill bit then ust my jigsaw with a diamond tipped blade. The cut is messy but since the power point has a massive margin for error it works. Make sure you secure the tile because if it bounces it will snap.
When i was installing my towel rack my chippy was over and had some awsome bits that kinda looked the spade on a deck of cards it chewed through the tiles so quick and cleanly compared to the masonry bit. You could also use an angle grinder to cut but you may need a bit of practice. We have fancy light switchs which are glass with 4 touch areas with LEDs behind it, we have this sunk into the middle of one of the tiles, to do this i carefully cut the square (i drill the holes in a little from the cut line), then dremeled the exposed edge to get rid of the rather rough line from the jigsaw. Came up ok. Re: DIY tiling ? 3Jul 09, 2008 10:12 am sirgoat i use a cheap masonry drill bit then ust my jigsaw with a diamond tipped blade. The cut is messy but since the power point has a massive margin for error it works. Make sure you secure the tile because if it bounces it will snap. Just make sure the drill is not set on impact......er.....tends to self destruct the tile.... .... mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: DIY tiling ? 4Jul 09, 2008 10:56 am Some tiles are easy to cut, others are complete bastards. Round holes, use a holesaw if you can, but the ones with the adjustable arm work too. Use a pedestal drill if you can, press lightly and go SLOW !!!! Be patient. And wear earmuffs as the sound is horrible. Like fingernails on blackboard x 10
For power points, mark it out and use a diamond blade in a small 4.5" angle grinder. You can cut through most of the way then gently knock out the hole. Power point will cover the rough edges left by the cuts. And do your cutting outside, dust will go everywhere. Wear goggles/glasses and earmuffs too. Re: DIY tiling ? 5Jul 09, 2008 11:07 am _Al_, sounds like you've done this before - which diamond blade would you recommend? The blade sites say their all suitable for tiles but some must be better than others.
Segmented Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Fine rim (narrow serrations) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Continuous rim Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Edit.......sourced off http://diamondblades.com.au/anglegrinder.html for info. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: DIY tiling ? 6Jul 09, 2008 1:28 pm The continuous one is the one for bathroom type ceramic tiles.
I have a serrated one for concrete cutting and it's good for thicker floor tiles and the like. On the packs (in Bunnings etc) it says the best use for each blade. Haven't used a slotted one, but I assume it would be for heavier concrete cutting and the like. Found a link....http://www.diamondway.com.au/diamond_blades.html shows varying types Re: DIY tiling ? 7Jul 09, 2008 2:04 pm to_do_list sirgoat i use a cheap masonry drill bit then ust my jigsaw with a diamond tipped blade. The cut is messy but since the power point has a massive margin for error it works. Make sure you secure the tile because if it bounces it will snap. Just make sure the drill is not set on impact......er.....tends to self destruct the tile.... .... hehe yer very good point. I also like to keep the tile cut wet, especially using the jigsaw i will wet the tile and generally let it cool between lines. I did this for our bathroom which has bloody 10mm thick tiles and required lots of stuffing around and it worked ok. Re: DIY tiling ? 8Jul 09, 2008 2:16 pm sirgoat to_do_list sirgoat i use a cheap masonry drill bit then ust my jigsaw with a diamond tipped blade. The cut is messy but since the power point has a massive margin for error it works. Make sure you secure the tile because if it bounces it will snap. Just make sure the drill is not set on impact......er.....tends to self destruct the tile.... .... hehe yer very good point. I also like to keep the tile cut wet, especially using the jigsaw i will wet the tile and generally let it cool between lines. I did this for our bathroom which has bloody 10mm thick tiles and required lots of stuffing around and it worked ok. Good to see you made it out alive. You know spraying water inside a jigsaw or angle grinder may not be terribly good for it's or your health. Re: DIY tiling ? 9Jul 09, 2008 8:49 pm A few more tips/methods:
- try to locate the powerpoint/etc on edge of tiles. It makes life so much easier. Naturally, with big tiles, this is often difficult. - for larger holes, I use a diamond blade to cut a groove (ie no through thickness of tile) on one side, then do the same on the other side. This method reduces possibility of damaging the tile. - if you're using an angle grinder to do the job, I suggest carefully grinding ('scoring') the glazed surface at the edge first. Once this is done, cutting the centre bit out tends not to chip/damage the tile. - I always sand/file the edge of the glazing when I finish - to get rid of tiny sharp notches that can cause cracking later on. I agree that adjustable arm tool for round holes are good. Tip - add a bit of masking tape helps to prevent drill from wondering. Chris Re: DIY tiling ? 10Jul 10, 2008 8:43 am Thanks guys, this thread has been safely put into favourites . One more question if I may. How do you stabilise the tile, I mean do you put anything under it when you clamp it for cutting out holes?
On one of the tiling sites all their demos where with tiles glued to fibre board, but of course when you want to do tiling they are loose . Maggie Re: DIY tiling ? 11Jul 10, 2008 9:00 am Oh and I forgot, excellent point Chris, re filing the sharp edge, I still have a scar from 32 years ago when I cut off a whole chunk of skin from my thumb after cleaning the bathroom. The tilers left the sharp edge on the outside!!! Not that I would leave it on the outside .
I am still tempted to get those drills from Britain, they will ship them here. We will see what hubby says . Maggie Re: DIY tiling ? 12Jul 10, 2008 9:37 am maggie Thanks guys, this thread has been safely put into favourites . One more question if I may. How do you stabilise the tile, I mean do you put anything under it when you clamp it for cutting out holes? On one of the tiling sites all their demos where with tiles glued to fibre board, but of course when you want to do tiling they are loose . Maggie For grinding, just have the tile on something stable. And wear old clothes/glasses etc. For drilling, I have a pedestal drill with a piece of timber underneath. Anything flat and failry solid is fine. Hold with your hand, let the tile pull away from you. That way you will know how hard you are pushing by how hard the tile pulls away from you. And if you should snag it somehow, it will pull out of your hand and spin, and hopefully not break the tile instead. If the tile is already attached to the wall it makes it a lot more stable and it will take a lot more abuse to crack it. But....you run the risk of cutting into power point brackets etc if you do it this way. And the dust gets into everything inside your room. Re: DIY tiling ? 14Jul 10, 2008 12:19 pm _Al_ sirgoat to_do_list sirgoat i use a cheap masonry drill bit then ust my jigsaw with a diamond tipped blade. The cut is messy but since the power point has a massive margin for error it works. Make sure you secure the tile because if it bounces it will snap. Just make sure the drill is not set on impact......er.....tends to self destruct the tile.... .... hehe yer very good point. I also like to keep the tile cut wet, especially using the jigsaw i will wet the tile and generally let it cool between lines. I did this for our bathroom which has bloody 10mm thick tiles and required lots of stuffing around and it worked ok. Good to see you made it out alive. You know spraying water inside a jigsaw or angle grinder may not be terribly good for it's or your health. ??? i didnt have it under a running tap Re: DIY tiling ? 15Jul 17, 2008 5:17 pm Well guys,
I have ordered the diamond drills and they have arrived !!!!! pretty damn quick . I will keep you posted once we do the job. I am still waiting for the kids to leave for Europe before we gut the kitchen out as despite the fact they do not live with us any more they keep dropping in so I still have to have an operational kitchen Maggie Assuming the structure of your cabinetry is good then I would DIY everything as follows: - replace your counter tops entirely, - replace all drawer runners with soft close… 1 4785 Re my second point – yes exactly. And often it may take additional time if the manufacturer recommends no more than X meters… 3 5659 |