Not only is it a good idea to spray water on the porcelain and bit to keep it cool and increase the longevity of your bit, but it also reduces the dust from the porcelain which contains silica. It's bad to get silica in your lungs.
A good video and he is right about using a diamond hole bit. I don't think I would want to risk cracking my porcelain tiles with a carbide bit. One thing I would add is that dipping the bit in water every 5 seconds or so saves the bit from overheating and in the end saves time and lots of money.
Slow the drill down and keep the bit sprayed with water. I drill in porcelain quite often with those bits and can drill dozens of holes with a single bit.
Thanks for the great advice! I thought I was doing something wrong when my diamond bit required so much effort, but still would not go through the tile completely. I guess it was done since I had already drilled four holes with it previously. I bought a new bit, and drilled four new holes with much less effort. Well worth the price of a new bit. It’s good to know that there are people like you making RU-vid videos who actually know what they are talking about! Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
I appreciate the video but you have some information that is not correct. I actually own a granite fabrication shop and it is true that the one bit that you are using to go through the tile is a good tool for the job howeverI also ran a crew of six tile installers and after years of struggle we found out that using one of the other masonry bits you can make a hole in the hardest porcelain tile in about 20 seconds. I would tell you exactly how we would do and these are masonry bits made by Bosch or DeWalt that you would buy at Lowe's. The whole trick is keeping the bit cool this is not theoretical we have made hundreds of holes using drill bits that would cost $10 or less and you should be able to make anywhere from 10 to 30 holes with each bit if you take care of them We never cracked a tile also using a hammer drill What you will do is set the hammer drill on hammer drill mode in turn it to high. You want to spin it as fast as possible. To get it started in will try to walk on you but once you get it startedit will not take long to make the hole. The trick is you need to have a water sprayer with you and you need to be spraying water the entire time into the hole while you move the drill bit in and out so that it can be cooled down. The drill bit will fail within seconds if it's not cool down. You can use a hand sprayer or small pump up sprayer and this is how we would do it.I'm not asking you to believe it you can try it and find out for yourself we did hundreds of holes using this method Now on another note, the drill bit that you are using works well as you have demonstrated. We use a similar bit to drill through granite to insert anchors and a much better setup is to actually get a bit that screws right onto an angle grinder. You can find these bits at any granite supply house such as regent Stone or Braxton Bragg. These bits actually have a water channel on the inside that will keep the bit cool as you drill but you have to have a water attachment. Hope this is helpful
this was my experience as well, at work today. Was slow and tedius, then I went to the truck and grabbed my other drill with the hammer function. got it started a bit then switched to hammer function, full speed. Went at least 5x quicker. Just had to remember to dip the bit in water. of course I didn't figure this out till the last two holes of the day, lol. I've also seen plumbers drill through tiles to install fixtures with an sds hammer drill.
As I am a Diamond Driller for forty years, water cooling is essential for cooling our bits. Keeping the bit cool during drilling will keep the diamond boart secure in the matrix of the tip for much longer. Heat will allow the matrix become soft and the diamond boart will fall out. does this make sense? How hard you push can also dislodge the boart. Hope this saves you some cash.
I asked a simple question how to drill through porcelain tile and we turned a two minute video into a 10 minute video but I guess that's how RU-vid works
You only get 4 cuts out of your diamond bit is because you are drilling dry. They should be constantly wet. Think of low little life you'd get from a tile saw blade if you cut tile dry.
Does it also help to switch out the diamond bit for a masonry one after you're through the glaze? Or after the ceramic underneath? Seems fine for the wall underneath at least; I don't know if like standard concrete actually diminishes this type of diamond bit fast.
you just taught me the "tip" technique when starting the hole -- thought I had to buy a guide. EDIT -- actually, I did this......buy a fender washer with a hole the size you need and duct tape it. Use that as the guide. Works perfectly.
Hey! Just thought you should know... the new Bosch EXPERT HEX-9 HardCeramic is suitable for ceramic tiles, including porcelain up to grade 5 hardness, roof tiles, non-tempered glass and natural stone with a maximum thickness of 10mm. Might be worth giving that a go too!
holy fking shit..... those things are fast! ive been doing this with masonry bits for years. got a shower screen to fit tomorrow, looks like scroofix are getting my money again
I managed to put up a bathroom mirror type steel cabinet, eventually! It needed four holes and wore out the diamond porcelain drill as predicted. The holes ended up costing more than the Wilko cabinet! Thanks for the tips on drilling.
Nice vlog mate, had some diamond coated bits, but ordered ones now that will do porcelain tiles, in the process of tiling a walk in shower the first tile type was ceramic with a glass tries a few practice holes with non coated diamond bits worked okay then the missus found another tile yep porcelain so have gone for diamond coated wax coated bits, thanks for the advice.
You need to keep the bit wet as much as possible and it will last a lot longer. I drill porcelain a lot and a bit lasts way more than what you are getting.
Don't do what this guy does. 1. He doesn't cool the bit with water 2. He uses it drill into the concrete which absolutely destroys it further. You should always STOP when you have drilled the tile, then swap to a concrete bit to do the rest of the brick behind the tile Seriously bad "advise", that's why he only gets 4 holes. NoobTube
Thx for your informative video. Q1] The larger bits become hollow and not closed tip. can they be used to make holes in tile & concrete in one drilling mode & one drill bit and one push? Q2] Are they suitable for glass drilling? How about stainless steel plate 5mm thick? Will they give better results than those ss steel drill bits ?
4 holes per bit is ridiculous: Electro plated bits are the cheap ones, Vacuum brazed bits - like shown in this video should last much longer than 4 holes: Per website :Graff Diamond: Average Lifespan of Core Drills All diamond core drills have a known average lifespan. On average, these drills can drill up to 100-250 holes before needing to be replaced. With that said, careful maintenance can help extend the lifespan of your drills beyond 250 holes.
Great vid! I bout the diamond bit and drilled 4 holes. Found if I dipped it in water as soon as I saw it getting warm, it cut much more quickly. Thanks!
Instead of drilling dry have someone add water with a small paint brush to cool down and therefore extend the life of the bit. They add water when drilling into rock using diamond tipped drill rig.
After using ceramic bit on my tiles for 1 hour and getting nowhere I checked the order details for when I was renovating the apartment, and sure enough - the tiles are porcelain. Getting the diamond bit then.
1. you took too long to get the actual Drilling 2' You can clean your diamond tool with aTrue Red Diamond Blade Dressing stone, to get more use out of it
Toilet Bowl Final Score: Porcelain Tile: 1 Tile & Glass Bit: 0 Game Recap: Tile & Glass Bit started off well, easily making tiny starting points in all six holes for the toilet flange without walking at all. Confident and coming around again to finish the holes, TGB was stopped dead halfway through the first hole by Porcelain Tile with seemingly no effort. PT snapped off TGB's pointed attack and reduced its flanks right to the shaft. That was the end of TGB's offense, and PT ran out the clock.
Wet drill with water..!!! Have someone spray water while drilling and that drill bit will last very long time. I get well over 60 holes through porcelain tiles. Drill it dry like this guy and you’ll be lucky to get 8 or maybe 10 holes max. Water keeps the bit cool and clean. It doesn’t clogg up with porcelain dust.
Thanks for the video on drilling porcelain. I would disagree with your comment of the shower baskets though. Don’t buy cheap baskets they are steel with a very thin chrome coat. Buy expensive, ensure they are brass with a good chrome coating. We have had ours for years and still looking as good as new. I would not advise to having soap, sponges etc on the floor, showers have many protruding objects where you could bang your head or damage unprotected skin. Blood in a shower should be left for the horror films.
It's clear what style bit is required for porcelain. In my case, however, I am drilling narrow-diameter holes in glazed ceramic plant pots (to facilitate water drainage). My first thought was to buy a pointed bit such as the one you showed and rejected for porcelain. I'm guessing such a bit would be fine. However, if I wanted to be ready for ANY eventuality, including one day drilling into porcelain, may I assume the bits you're recommending would also work well on my pots?
I have the sets from 11mm all the way up to 110mm as well as the jigs and they are very good and the rad pipes were cut in using 16mm bits. However this is really a video for people who will want to drill and hang something once and won't have or need a full tiling kit.
Just watch the video and would like to point out that all these vacuum brazed drill bits should be used with an electric drill due to the speed needed to get the maximum effectiveness from the drill bit and prolong the life of the drill bit. The wax inside the bit will then melt at the correct rate and replacement wax is also available to refilled the wax bit if needed. Not saying using water won't help but not sure its necessary if using the correct drill, its all in the speed of the drill cordless drills are easier to use yes but not the correct drill to be using.
Some good advice, great video. Technology has moved on since this video was made. CorePlus make diamond tile drill bits that can drill upto 40 holes in an 8mm grade 5 Porcelain tile.
Before this video I just watched a kitchen and bathroom fitter use Bosch Tungsten Tip 4 mm bit costing £2 to do this in under 2 mins, he didn't rate diamond tips to put it politely. Just an alternative point of view.
Hi mate, subscribed to your chanel, very good, how would you cut or drill around radiator pipes in the floor or pipes coming out of the wall, also cutting tile around a WC if the customer dont want to take it out and go under it, thanks mate keep up the videos
Well that looks better than mine. Because I bought a Vitrex one from B&Q to drill 8mm porcelain tiles, and each hole takes about 5 minutes and drains the drill’s full battery. And hurts my arm!
also seen another tip, if the bit is taking longer to get your hole its been suggested to drill through something like a brick this re sharpens the diamonds as they get clogged up with tile crap not tried it yet,
Thanks for this video. Right to the point with no nonsense. Very professional. I have to enlarge the mounting holes on my mom’s toilet bowl bc the replacement screws are larger than the discontinued standard ones that hold the tank. I’m shaking in my boots bc the unit is about $1000 and now it’s been discontinued. I can’t mess this up! Thanks again.
Hi looked for the fixing towel rail rad vid but couldnt find one as I have plaster board wall and ild rad was fitted using in screw in fasteners for plaster board but new rad is taller and same as the one on vid any help please our tiles are porcelain too like ones in vid
Do you have to change bits to a masonry one when you go deeper after the porcelain tile? or the diamond bit is good enough for it to traverse the concrete where the tile is attached to?
of course you wear those bits out too fast. You should be using water to cool it. They wear out prematurely when they over heat and the soldered on abrasives melt off.
Nonsense. I use carbide bits to drill through porcelain tiles nearly everyday just keep the bit cool and you'll fit a whole bathroom suite with one maybe two. Your customers most love you charging about £100 in drill bits for a bathroom. Have a day off lad 🤣
Oh ok, I thought I did not know how to drill on tiles or my drill was not capable of drilling on tiles. After watching this, I realized I was drilling on a rigid tiles. I just need a right drill bit. Thanks.
@@bathroomplumbingandfitting7089 ill drop a link here when i have a min to find the shop I buy from. These bits are the dogs. You get ages out of the bigger sizes. 14 mm upwards. The smaller ones you get what you'd expect to cos it's the heat that kills them
A very useful vid with some good information, however, I gained equally as much from reading all (most) the comments below. Clearly the bit is the right one to use, but cooling the bit during and after each hole seems vital to maintain performance and bit life! I think the skill is getting the initial 'bite' in the right place, once you've achieved that, it's a matter of cool gentle grinding. I feel a little more confident about my first porcelain hole, just need to get it started in the right place! Thanks
Perfect! I’ve been stressing about having to drill holes in my tiles for a new toilet. Wondered how I would start the diamond bit I ordered. Many thanks from Montana!
This was helpful. I'm using water to cool off the bit seems to help out (as per the instructions that came with the bit so not my idea). Also, starting at the 45 degree angle is also instructed for using the bit. This video helped me to actually read the instructions before using heh...thanks again
