Cutting holes and recesses into tiles
Laying tiles in the bathroom, kitchen or living room can end up with you needing a recess for a water or electricity connection. A round one with a diameter of six centimetres, either in the middle of the tile or at the edge. Read our article to find out how to easily cut round or semi-circular recesses in tiles.
It should go without saying that your safety is paramount at every stage of the project. Make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You can find everything you need to know about the protective clothing required for each type of task in our guide.
DIY knowledge: Cutting holes and recesses into tiles
Let's go - step by step
Laying the tile on your workbench
Have you already put the first few tiles up on the wall and now need to put up a tile that has a recess for a socket or waterpipe? Then lay a new tile on your workbench or a scrap wooden board and secure it in place with two screw clamps. Make sure that the surface of the tile does not get scratched in the process.
Measuring the drill points
Next, you need to work out where the centre of your hole will be. To do this, first measure the centre of the recess height (image 1). Then, transfer this height to your tile with a washable pen and draw a line with a length of about five centimetres. Remember to subtract the width of the grout from the centre you measured. You can find out how wide tile grout should be and how to actually grout the tile here.
Once you have marked the vertical height, the next step is to mark the horizontal position of where you want to drill. To do this, measure the distance from the edge of the side of the tile to the imaginary centre of your recess (image 2). Don’t forget to factor in the width of the grout here, too.
Now, transfer this measurement to your tile. Where the two lines meet is the centre point for your hole.
Preparing to drill
Before you start drilling, you should prepare everything at your own pace. You first need to determine which diamond hole saw drill bit you will have to use. The diameter of this drill bit is based on the diameter of your recess. Once you have chosen the right bit, align the centring aid exactly with your drilling point. The centring aid ensures that you can drill the hole into your tile accurately without damaging the tile or the drill slipping off the centre.
Drilling a hole into the tile
Once everything is set up, you can start drilling. Clamp your diamond hole saw drill bit into the cordless drill, and then dip it into a bucket of water to make it wet (image 1). This will bind the dust created during sawing, which means less dirt on your clothes and in the surrounding area.
Now, apply the diamond hole saw drill bit and drill through the tile while applying a light amount of pressure (image 2). Once you have started drilling, you can remove the centring aid and then finish drilling the hole while applying a little more pressure (image 3).
Removing the remaining pieces of tile
If you need to make a recess on the side of the tile rather than a drill hole in the middle, you can now repeat the drilling steps in a second place. Once this hole has been drilled, use a multi-function tool with a segment saw blade to apply the finishing touches. Use it to carefully remove the remaining pieces of tile along your marking.
All done creating your recess? Then you can continue putting up your tiles.