how to cut holes in a tile

[marsaday]

I am tiling in travertine and have come to my wall mounted tap.

I need to cut a 20x10cm tile in two places to get the tap to fit.

They are circular holes, 4cm in diameter and 6cm in diameter.

how do i cut these holes out. i have tried stich drilling, but i cant even do one hole.

i have a table cutter, but not sure if i can use this for this job.

Alternatley i am going to have to make some ugly cuts.

 

[joe-90]

You need diamond drills. Hire or buy.

 

[kevindgas]

i use core drills, first i get a scrap bit of wood and cut that out, then having done that i mark the tile up and place my bit of wood on top, with both flat on the floor i hold them in place with my foot and carefully proceed to cut the tile using the wood to stop the drill skating.

 

[marsaday]

Would this be ok if i stich drill it. Cant see myself using a core as i would need 2 sizes
http://www.screwfix.com/p/diamond-core-drill-8-x-60mm/64977

 

[joe-90]

That would be fine. Keep the work wet and if possible use a pillar drill.

 

[Richard C]

You don’t want to be buying expensive, one size diamond cutters; stitch drill, tile saw & file is probably the safest method & is what I mostly use.

A bit of fun but if you can do this, you’ve got balls & know you’ve arrived;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35c7ig-qMdA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
It’s not me in the video but I've tried & can do it; it's easier than you might think

 

[cantaloup63]

A bit of fun but if you can do this, you’ve got balls & know you’ve arrived;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35c7ig-qMdA&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
It’s not me in the video but I've tried & can do it; it's easier than you might think

So the trick is to carry a WC pan from job to job.

 

[Richard C]

So the trick is to carry a WC pan from job to job.

If you’re going to crap yourself every time you try it then, yes

 

[cantaloup63]

In theory you could use this technique for any brittle stonework, such as a pan or indeed a sheet of glass? The trick seems to be to get the supporting hammer in exactly the right place to limit shock waves to spread? Might have a play around with this tomorrow in the garage. Could be a whole new hobby for me

 

[tictic]

In theory you could use this technique for any brittle stonework, such as a pan or indeed a sheet of glass? The trick seems to be to get the supporting hammer in exactly the right place to limit shock waves to spread? Might have a play around with this tomorrow in the garage. Could be a whole new hobby for me

the trick is how to postion/pressure the claw hammer between your knees,then using the pin hammer and position your fingers under the tile...tap away....we used to use heavy hammers years ago,but i found using a claw hammer alot quicker.....

if you look thro u-tube there is a guy that uses an angle grinder(which i do also) we cut the same size of hole....in my video, the first hole i cut is done just has quick....enjoy your time in the garage....

 

[cantaloup63]

Probably an obvious question, but do you always tap away on the glazed side?

 

[tictic]

Probably an obvious question, but do you always tap away on the glazed side?

yes...


for quarry tiles, you will use a scribe (years ago)...score the front off the quarry tile 3-6 times on the face of it...then turn it over and give it a tap with the pin hammer....and hey presto a perfect cut....


everyday is a school day......

 

[cantaloup63]

What about glass? How on earth do they manage to cut holes in it?

 

[tictic]

What about glass? How on earth do they manage to cut holes in it?

lol....

well if you where a tile fixer then, you would know....

 

[opps]

if you look thro u-tube there is a guy that uses an angle grinder(which i do also) we cut the same size of hole....in my video, the first hole i cut is done just has quick....enjoy your time in the garage....

Why would anyone with a wet diamond tile saw use an angle grinder for anything other than curved cuts? This week I needed to cut a 100mm by 200mm hole in a 300mmx300mm marble tile, I just took the blade cover off and lowered the tile down and cut from the underside.

Far cleaner and safer than an angle grinder.