How to install a glass shower door or panel in a bathroom with PORCELAIN tiles with 365 tile drills

How to install a shower door or panel

FACT: Shower glass at 10mm is heavy and need a number of fixings to hold that weight!

At some stage you will need to install your shower glass panel and door. Most units come as an assembly pack that make use of
1) Large screws
2) Metal channels to secure the glass
3) Extra lugs or wall braces.
4) Glue
5) Foam Strips
6) Mastic.

And here it is…. This is our wall. We need to drill it twice
1) To fit the frame.
2) To reinforce the frame with lugs.

First we mark out the wall to the area where the metal bar will fit. (Sorry the photo is faint) Look to the second tile in and you will see the dots for the scews. In this case the metal bar has holes pre-drilled to accept the screws. You have to match the holes in the bar to the tile. Remember to lift up the bar a little if it has a 45* angle at the bottom. Thats because you will slide a second bar along the shower tray.

We’ve made a start… This is one of four 8mm holes we are forming into the porclelain tiles.

Now we fit the metal bar to the wall. In this case its glued and screwed.

Now we mark out for the lugs. You can see a lug fitted to the shower glass just in shot on the right hand side. We have fitted the glass into theat channel and then drawn the screw holes on the wall (heavy work)

The template is used to hold the drill steady on the porcelain and prevent wander or drill slip.

Drilling begins…

A perfect set of holes…

Closeup of those holes. Ready for brown plugs

Now all we do is lift this glass sheet and place it into the channel.

__________________
Richard Hazell
t: 01992-410636 24/7 (mobile: 0777 366 4519)
e: richard@365drills.com
w: http://www.365drills.com
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Drilling Tough Tiles – PORSADRILL

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How to install rawl plugs into very hard porcelain tiles with a tile drill 6mm or 8mm Porsadrill 365 kit

How to drill small holes in a bathroom wall tile without cracking it

You know the score! Your bathroom tiles are on the wall and looking lovely… So how do you fix your items into hard porcelain tiles without cracking the tile and having to replace expensive stone tiles? Rawl plugs are used and the most common sizes are small 6mm and large 8mm.

Above is the perfect finished result… AND YOU CAN ACHIEVE THIS AS WELL This picture shows two 8mm holes drilled with mm perfection into very hard porcelain tiles which have even been grouted. The lines marked out are to a 0.5mm tolerance! Wow…

The first task is to measure out the wall. Use masking tape and a spirit level to get a perfect line. You can use pen or pencil to make the marks. Try to use the natural symmetry of the tiles to work with. For example we used the grout line above as the center point for our loo roll holder. Next mark out the tape at the points where you need your holes. Measure twice. Drill once! Please take your time when marking out. If its your home try marking out on one day and sleeping on it. Next day come and look to see if the location is perfect.

If left to drill freehand all core drills (example above) will wander, slip and cause damage to your lovely and expensive stone tiles. I am sure you are keen to prevent drill slip. So how do we do it?

All our packs come with the guide plate. This anti-slip device will prevent the core from skidding and will control its application to the tile. Because your tiles are so hard we have to make hollow drills. The drills go to make a core in the tile. This prevents drilling out too much tile saving you time and money. Take a look at the two examples below. A: is the result of a standard drill made of carbide and with an arrow tip. This “swathes” at the tile forming a rough and chipped hole. The drill bit does not last very long. Imagine it to look like a paddle. B: is the result of our PORSADRILL diamond crown. You can see it is much neater, more accurate and will not chip your tile. Think of even the smallest of our cores as little grinders. Their job is to grind out holes not to drill them.

B: You will get perfect results from our diamond core drills even at 6mm

So once you have set our your drilling pattern on the tiles with tape then its time to use the anti-slip guide plate to get started. Just place it over the hole with your left hand and apply pressure. The plate will grip any type of tile (rough smooth, wet dry) and gets you ready to drill.

The plate has been placed over the hole and is now ready to accept the diamond holesaw. Now is the moment of no return….. Once you start drilling then there is no going back. Even the professionals pause for breath at this point!

At this stage you only want to drill for a few seconds to get a small pit into the tile… Once the pit is formed quickly dip the drill bit into cold water. Get the heat out of the tip of the drill. If you have multiple holes it is better to get the “starting point” sorted out first. Use the yellow plate and the diamond drill to make small little pits into the multiple holes around the bathroom. Once you have completed that stage you can do away with the anti-slip guide plate. The drill will seat itself into the performed socket.

Now we need you to have the patience of a saint…. Use the diamond crown to slowly bore deeper into each hole. The best method is to plunge into the hole for 5 seconds, then draw back on the drill and get it wet.

Hold a very wet sponge UNDER the drill and count to eight. When you hit eight draw back the drill into the wet sponge and give it a chance to cool down. Don’t go beyond eight. Don’t think you can count nine and ten because although you are getting results the head of the drill is being to boil. You do not want to get the drill hot. If you count out loud to five and pull the drill out then its better for the life of the drill but it slows the job down. Eight is a reasonable time count. Ten is too much. If you are on a building site its better to do it quietly!

Remember to go slow! It takes a quick three minutes to drill a hole but it wont FEEL like three minutes. The drills are working. Its just you cant see it working. If it helps get a little egg timer and set it to five minutes. Control yourself and don’t be tempted to speed up at this point. You will find to your surprise that it really has only taken three minutes but it just felt longer because of all installation jobs this one is just not that interesting. Remember most things have two holes so you are really only going to get them done in about ten minutes when you take time out to stop, change holes and clean up.

Hooray! you made it.. So that’s it, the final result. A perky little hole ready to accept your rawl plug. But before you finish up there are a couple of bits to do. The first is following through to get the right depth. If you can avoid at all costs using the diamond drill this will be to your benefit. Why? Its not that the core drills wont work (they will work) its that the junk behind this hole like plasterboard and brick will gum up the inside of the barrel. You will spend ages trying to clean out a tiny little barrel. Its better to pull back and only take out the hard stone. Hard stone is much easier to eject. More diamond cores are wasted by filling up the barrel with debris than burn out. If you don’t go deep you are at an advantage…

Each drill ends up with a small core stuck inside the barrel. Most fixtures and fittings come with a little Allen key to install them. Use this Allen key to poke out the core via the little ejection slots we place inside every diamond drill bit. You see we are so nice to you that we cut slots into the cores so you can get these little bits out !

Some jobs just take a long time. In this case we have three pots to go next to a bath. Shampoo, conditioner and soap. Each bottle has four holes. So this section of tiles is going to want twelve holes all without breaking those lovely looking stone tiles….

Just stick to those rules…. DRILL SLOWLY…. USE WATER…. DON’T APPLY PRESSURE

Other Tips

TIP 1 Block the waste trap on all showers sinks and baths. The stone cores pop out and can be lost down the holes. Also the drill bits can get lost. You don’t want to scratch your clients enamel with diamonds so use cover clothes and clean up after yourself.. But you already do that !

TIP 2 (Actually Note to self) If you are going to plunge the still running drill bit into cold water – remove the yellow sponge first. When the drill bit gets caught into the sponge (and it will) the centrifugal force of the drill bit spinning the sponge will instantly empty the contents of your paint kettle all over the clients floor. Thankfully its only water….

If you follow our advice in this article you will get many many perfect holes into hard stone tiles.

And finally… These articles can seem a little bit dull so here’s something to cheer you up

How to fit a MIRROR to a porcelain tile or very hard stone with Porsadrill diamond holesaw tile drills

Fitting a Mirror to a bathroom wall with large stone tiles

Now your bathroom is getting close to its finish (tiles grouted) walls painted its time to fit those little accessories that make life easier in a bathroom. In this instance we are putting up a mirror.

The main challenge is whether to follow the TILE LINE or the PLUMB LINE. So we make a series of measurements.

This is the working wall. And the mirror has to be fitted above the brown glass tiles but not so high as to catch the pitched roof line. Also central.

Measure, Measure, Measure.

Above are two areas of masking tape “in the general area of the fitting lugs”

First we measure above the tile line then put a level on. The fittings are drawn round on the tape. Is everything the right way up? We draw eyelets on the tape.

The first holes are drilled…. Always nerve racking to start.. Above you can see that we have finished one hole. And started the next.

Lets get rid of the tape to check our work

Looking perfect! – You can see that once we start drilling there is a dimple or ring which the drill bit will seat into.

The drill cant slip now that pit has been formed.
Just remember to add water by holding a sponge under the drill bit

Fit your rawl plugs. I always throw away the supplied plugs and fit my own. Red for 6mm and Brown for 8mm. That way I know for sure I get a secure fit. Buying a lot of rawl plugs in bulk is cheap and saves you time.

Now is the moment of truth…. Did all that measuring make for a spot on job? The tape is pulled back. The screws are tight.. And we have a mirror!

Diamond drilling of any tile in 6mm or 8mm is guaranteed not to split your tile.

Used with a battery drill will ensure a SLOW and CONTROLLED start. Once you are in – then speed up if you want.

How to diamond drill porcelain tiles with holesaws for very hard materials like stone and granite

Simple system to use – PORSADRILL

How to use your Porsadrill tile drill system.

Its easy….

Porcelain tiled wall

1: Locate position of hole

Diamond drill guide

2: Press guide plate on to dry tile

3: Drill for a few seconds

Tile drilling

4: A socket forms.

Tile has a socket formed

5: Discard guide plate. Slot crown into socket.

365Drills diamond drilling

6: Cool crown with wet sponge.

Cool diamond drill with a wet sponge

7: By holding it underneath. Drill slowly.

Wet sponge CATCHES the dust

8: Large holes take approx. 5 mins

Tile has a hole into the porcelain

porcelain tile TIP: Holding a wet sponge UNDER the crown will cool it PLUS it collects the dust keeping the site clean ! 9: Perfect holes.. Fit your items ! how can i drill porcelain tiles An elegant and simple way to easily drill holes without chipping or breaking hard tiles guaranteed. EASY..!

Next learn more about how to cool the drill This picture is of the hardest 300x600mm porcelain tile, not standard ceramic. Quick (30 second) video on how to use a 365 Drills system OTHER TILE DRILLING METHODS (drilling with a fixed drill press) *

Maximum drill size 125mm For a small outlay of £35 you can get a cheap bench top drill. This will you more control and must be used for sizes 70mm-125mm In the picture below you can see everything set up outside so a hosepipe can trickle water over the tile. The drill is set to run at at its slowest rpm (520rpm). The diamond drill is placed in the chuck. Light pressure applied and the hole is formed. This is the quality of hole that can be produced every time

Cutting very large holes is easy.More details here You might be forgiven for thinking we sell bench drills – We don’t! – Because they are too bulky to ship! Help and advice are only a phone call or email away But you can use other suppliers to buy this kit from. You can click this hyperlink to go direct to screwfix (we have no affiliation to screwfix) Search term to use is [Drill Press] For a little extra – professional installers might consider investing in a pillar drill with a wider throat.

Here’s why All pillar drills including the cheap £35 pillar drill above will put a hole through a tile. But if you need the hole deeper into the tile you need a deeper throat clearance. So for a 300mm tile with a 150mm center you need a throat depth of about 190mm plus.

A good Tiler

A good tiler can often plan the job around any type of drill. The good news is for a minimal outlay you can save on the expense, hassle or delays in sending tiles away to be drilled and the freedom to drill your own holes in your own time with our follow our easy guide. If this is just a single project you can always resell the equipment on ebay if you want to save cash. mple system to use – PORSADRILL

How to use your Porsadrill tile drill system. Its easy….
1: Locate position of hole

2: Press guide plate on to dry tile

3: Drill for a few seconds

4: A socket forms.

5: Discard guide plate. Slot crown into socket.

6: Cool crown with wet sponge.

7: By holding it underneath. Drill slowly.

8: Large holes take approx. 5 mins

porcelain tile

TIP: Holding a wet sponge UNDER the crown will cool it PLUS it collects the dust keeping the site clean !
9: Perfect holes.. Fit your items !
how can i drill porcelain tiles

An elegant and simple way to easily drill holes without chipping or breaking hard tiles guaranteed.

EASY..!

Next learn more about how to cool the drill

This picture is of the hardest 300x600mm porcelain tile, not standard ceramic.

Quick (30 second) video on how to use a 365 Drills system

OTHER TILE DRILLING METHODS (drilling with a fixed drill press)

* Maximum drill size 125mm

For a small outlay of £35 you can get a cheap bench top drill. This will you more control and must be used for sizes 70mm-125mm

In the picture below you can see everything set up outside so a hosepipe can trickle water over the tile. The drill is set to run at at its slowest rpm (520rpm). The diamond drill is placed in the chuck. Light pressure applied and the hole is formed.

This is the quality of hole that can be produced every time

Cutting very large holes is easy.More details here

You might be forgiven for thinking we sell bench drills – We don’t! – Because they are too bulky to ship!

Help and advice are only a phone call or email away

For a little extra – professional installers might consider investing in a pillar drill with a wider throat. Here’s why

All pillar drills including the cheap £35 pillar drill above will put a hole through a tile. But if you need the hole deeper into the tile you need a deeper throat clearance. So for a 300mm tile with a 150mm center you need a throat depth of about 190mm plus.

A good tiler can often plan the job around any type of drill.

The good news is for a minimal outlay you can save on the expense, hassle or delays in sending tiles away to be drilled and the freedom to drill your own holes in your own time with our follow our easy guide. If this is just a single project you can always resell the equipment on ebay if you want to save cash.

Discover the world of tile drilling with 365 drills. We produce very hard drill kits for stone materials

365DRILLS® – Diamond tile drill kits

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	Do you need to cut holes into very hard materials? We produce diamond drilling kits for the construction industry, supplying professional installers, tilers, plumbers, builders, electricians and commercial shop fitters. Although diamond is expensive it delivers superior results compared to carbide by cutting quicker and easier through very hard material such as large format porcelain tiles, marble, travertine, solid granite worktops as well as softer material such as ceramic tile, glass, fiberglass, mirror, pottery, fiberglass and more. Perhaps you are involved in a commercial project such as an airport, hotel, restaurant or retail outlet. Or installing a residential bathroom or kitchen. Our tile drills are the ideal solution for cutting all stone including the hardest known grade (C5) porcelain tiles.
	Guaranteed not to chip, damage or break expensive materials either fitted or unfitted. The average bathroom needs up to thirty holes! Our kits improve installation time helping you to achieve neater, faster results. No broken tiles reduces waste saving money for both you and your client.

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Our factory here in England produces over thirty different kits to drill every size hole from standard to bespoke. But our best seller is the all-in-one solution containing seven tile drills in five popular sizes plus our flexible non-slip guide plate critical for accurate drilling. Fixtures & Fittings: The four smaller drills at 6mm and 8mm are used for rawl plugs to fit mirrors, cabinets, sinks, hooks etc. Service Pipes: The larger drills (bottom of pack) cut elegant holes for standard “service pipes” such as radiator pipes, shower heads, sink waste etc. A Perfect Project Solution! Patent application 0601484.9 “I want value for money and with the kit priced at £49.99 it works out at £7.15 per drill. That provides an easily quantifiable cost I can add to my customers’ invoice” Andy Alpin – Commercial London Tiler

Talavera | Ceramic | Porcelain | Glass | Cantera stone | Slate | Marble | Travertine | Mexican Pavers | Limestone | Mirrors | Pottery |