Pro Handyman Blog

There may come a day when you need to cut a hole in ceramic tile. If you install shower doors in a tub enclosure, or want to install a shower grab bar, or even some decorative item, like a hand towel holder, you’ll need to drill a hole into the tile to mount it to the wall. Drilling through grout is a lot easier than ceramic tile.

Ceramic tile has a glaze on it that makes it difficult to get a drill bit to bite in. In some cases you can attempt to break through the glazing by tapping something hard and sharp into it, but that is risky. You could crack the tile and then your quick weekend job just got much longer. Once the glazing is penetrated, you could use a masonry bit to chew through the tile.

There is, however, an easier way. The right tool makes the job much easier. Use a glass and tile cutting bit chucked into your drill. The bit is shaped like the tip of a spear and cuts wonderfully. The tip bites into the glazing and keeps going through the tile. The sharp tip makes it so that the bit doesn’t wander all over the surface of the tile, but instead stays in place and just plows a hole.

Once the hole is drilled you can mount whatever it is you have to the surface and into the wall stud, or you can use a wall anchor.