Drilling into tiles.

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

We have a bathroom cabinet that has been sat on the floor in the bathroom since it was tiled nearly 3 years ago. DH asked FIL for help, both keep promising to get round to it. Not FILs responsibility I know, very kind of him to offer to help. I'm fed up of waiting so I'm going to do it myself next week.

The brackets will be hidden inside the cupboard, so I'm pretty sure if I manage to shatter a tile, I can hide it. I've never tried drilling into tiles before. I've had a google, but I trust MN more! Do I have to use a special bit? Can I drill anywhere on the tile, or do I need to avoid going near the edges? They're cheapish ceramic tiles, not porcelain.

Best tip for drilling into tiles is to avoid the edges and use tape. So tape across one way and they the other with that thick plasticky type tape and then drill in the middle of the cross. This prevents the tiles from cracking

HTH

Make a cross with masking tape and mark a dot on it where the screw is going. Use a masonry drill bit and the tile should not shatter.

Ah masking tape / that's it!!! Lol

Thank you, masking tape I have. I will see where I can fit it avoiding drilling near the edges and see if I can still cover the whole tile in case I mess it up.

Get a tile drill bit. They're cheap and in B&Q

Is the tile bit very important? B&Q could be a little tricky.

A tile drill bit will make it much easier to drill into the tile without cracking it - you can get them at any DIY shop (the hardware corner shop up the road from me sells them), it doesn't have to be B&Q if that's a long way away. They probably cost less than a fiver, well worth it.

A masonry drill bit and the masking tape is all you need if you can't get anywhere to buy a tile drill bit. Works every time for me!

tile bit is best. but you can use a masonery drill bit but you need to drill on a slower speed and dont push to hard against the tile or it will crack. if you can wait you can buy a tile drill bit on ebay for about £2.

We have porcelain tiles, they were much, much harder to drill into, so check what yours are made from. We bought several specialist drill bits, they were all ruined before a single thing was out up. I certainly don't recommend b and q stuff!

Thank you all for your advice. I looked up and visited a local independant diy store, who sold me a tile bit and a sharp masonry bit, for less than £5 total. Marked up carefully, used masking tape, and drilled very slowly. The tiles survived, the holes were really neat, and the bathroom cabinet is now up on the wall (and level!) and the windowsill is clear for the 1st time in 3 years! It looks lovely and I'm feeling a little bit proud of myself.

Thank you all again.