Drilling and fixing to wall tiles nervous anxiety complex.

[Albumen]

Excuse me if any of this seems a bit over cautious, but having spent ages learning how to tile and then doing a job I'm pleased with I'm ultra nervous about cracking any tiles.

It's round a bath with an overbath shower. Sand and cement rendered wall, then BAL rapdiset flexible as adhesive for Homelux tanking matting, Single Part Rapidset as the actual adhesive for Topps 'bumpy white' 20x20 ceramics, they're about 7mm thick. Can't say for certain, but there should be very few voids, if any, in that adhesive. 6mm trowel on one wall, 10mm trowel on the other.

I've got a shower curtain rail and shower riser rail to put up. Both stainless steel throughout. The curtain rails here, with ss fixings.

My idea was this - use a 10mm ceramic bit to go through the tiles, then 8mm masonry bit into the wall. Why? So that the outwards expanding force of the screw is going into the brick, rather than trying to split the tile (esp if I'm near the edge of the tile). Then I thought - but that effectively means I'm trying to crush the tile, as it's a glorified wasther between the fitting and the wall. I was already thinking that there should be some sort of thin gasket type thing between th plates and the washer. Especially as they're stainless steel which has not give atall.

You're thoughts welcome.

 

[aceone]

hi......use 8mm bit first,then 10mm,and just don,t over tighten,but yes best to be cautious when unfamiliar with a task,hope this helps ....mike

 

[Albumen]

Thanks. Actually I was thinking about doing the opposite - using a 10 mm tile bit just to get through the tile, then an 8 mm masonry bit for the render/brickwork behind. I always find that trying to make a hole a bit bigger you just end up with lots of chatter, which in this case might crack the tile.

But just push the plug in as far as the top of the tile. Somebody somewhere suggested pushing the plug about half way into the tile, to stop rist of cracking.

The rail is one of those Croydex stainless ones. Very well made, and they say use an 8mm bit. I think I'll email them and ask.

I've found a place on 'tinterwebs that sells sheets of 2mm thick white neoprene, so I'll use some of that between tile and fixing to make sure there isn't a point load that might crack the tile. And like you say, not tighten to hard. It's only holding a blinking shower curtain afterall!!

 

[aceone]

hi again..... if you use the 8m bit first you can be sure both holes are in line with each other....push the rawplug through the tile so when you put the screw in it tightens and expands against the brick or plaster and not the tile.....also before drilling put some masking tape where u intend drilling the hole ,mark it and when you drill the bit will not slip and scatch the tile,...and make sure the drill has the hammer action turned off....mike