Question :After drilling, fitting wall plugs - TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums

Impossible · 02-08-2008

When drilling a hole though a tile, do you make the hole big enough for the wall plug to pass though the tile and into the wall or do you fit the plug flush to the tile?

I would imagine that you would fit the plug into the wall only, as the expanding plug could crack the tile?

Imp

TilingLogistics · 02-08-2008

I drill the initial hole to the size required then drill just the tile a mm or two bigger. This allows the plug to pass through and all the pressure of the expanding plug is exerted in the wall itself so there is no chance of any pressure on the tile for it to crack. Another option is I always try to get the client to use the grout lines if possible for mounting of bathroom furniture wherever possible

Kev

Impossible · 02-08-2008

Speedy reply!

In my DIY mind, I assumed drilling into grout lines were a no no! Is this due to the fact that grout is softer than tiles to drill?

I have a set of 365's drills and the current tiles I am fitting get sliced though easy.

Im putting a shower head rail today and I was going to drill into the center of the the tile (off setting it from the bath center) becasue I thought the grout lines would be fragile....

Thanks for the wall plug info, makes more sence to get the thing to bite into the wall only.

Imp

CJ · 02-08-2008

As with TL drill main hole.........then drill slightly bigger into tile.

Always get the plug to sit flush with the Wall and not the tile. Drilling in grout joints is iffy as they do tend to chip the edges

**365drills** · 02-08-2008

Porcelains are tough as old boots so unlikely to crack even if a screw was over-tightened. Ceramics on the other hand are more prone to cracking if fixings are over torqued. My preference (and its just a personal preference) is to overbore holes at 8mm on porcelains then push the rawl plug beyond the tile into the substrate. I let that take the weight of the fixing rather than the tiled area.

But I am not sure what would be the worse force at play. Is it the downward force of say a fully loaded bathroom cabinet resting on a plug that would pull down on a tile. Or is it the over tightening of a screw?

What I do try to do on both ceramics or porcelains is:

1) dont over tighten screws.
2) The plastic rawl plugs I use tend to break up if screws are over done anyway
3) I dont think any real harm can come with weights of things on a tile. Most loads are spread over a few screws (even robe hooks have two screw holes)
4) As a matter of course I tend to push the plug beyond the tile so that the screw hangs in free space out of habit.

5) that using 365drills (rather than a spade drill) to bore a hole into any tile causes a the hole to become a cylinder (not a cone) so the hole is actually very strong and unlikely to chip out or break up. Even the backs dont blow out.

So the result is that the hole is as strong as it can be. You can see evidence of the strength of the sides of the holes in the pic above by looking at the larger holes.

So there you have it. I use diamond drill bits to form perfect little cylinders in all tiles. Then push plugs beyond the tile so the weight of the article hangs in the air and I dont over tighten screws.

Impossible · 04-08-2008

Thanks for the replys lads!

I ended up putting the plug flush to the solid wall.

On a side note, 365drills... I assume its not healthy drilling though anything but the tile with your item. Im careful not to go into the wall when using your drills, They are doing an great job so far!

Imp

**365drills** · 04-08-2008

Haha good point..! yes well here is the thing.....

Our diamond core drills WILL in fact go through things like wood, brick, plaster even metal but its not supposed to do that. Its not engineered and designed for efficient use on other materials.

Dont get me wrong. Its not that they CANT do it, but they are just not the best at it. Other drills do a better job in wood, metal and brick.

Take for instance this 100mm plug below. YES we used the diamond core and drilled into the wood. And it worked. But it would have been much smarter (and quicker) to use a holesaw for wood.

So if its the case that you do change over to the correct type of drill bits then you are doing the smart thing. But in an emergency, or if you have finished the job, unlikely to use the bit again and are not bothered then go ahead and use them.

Our advice is only to use them on hard materials.