Holesaw for tiles!!!

[stevie b]

Does anyone have a holesaw to make a 20-22mm hole in porcelain tiles?Tried everywhere possible in the county and ended up ordering some online but could do with one ASAPIf not any suggestions other than William Wilson allans of Gillock led wd Ross Travis perkins plumb centre home-tec homebase howdens watsits

[david]

If the hole doesnt need to be too neat, use a small tile drill and drill a series of holes round the circumfrence and then knock the waste out, worked okay for me when fitting a shower bar.

[davem]

I'd vote with David - you can get a tile file to smooth round afterwards, good luck.

[Phill]

You can get away with using a small masonry bit also. (not in hammer action mode obviously)

[Bazeye]

If the hole doesnt need to be too neat, use a small tile drill and drill a series of holes round the circumfrence and then knock the waste out, worked okay for me when fitting a shower bar.

Wouldnt it have been easier to just attach the shower bar straight through the tile?

[smithp]

If you go for the drill approach mentioned previously weaken the back of the tile with an angle grinder and diamond blade if you've got one - it saves time and stops possible splits.

[david]

Wouldnt it have been easier to just attach the shower bar straight through the tile?

How do you do that without putting a hole in the tile?

[teddybear1873]

Use a diamond core bit, if none available a carbide tipped triangle drag bit is also good. I use a diamond core bit takes about 30 seconds a hole!

Porcelain is an extremely hard tile, so try and not to spend too much on a drill bit as they get knackered very easily.

[teddybear1873]

You can get away with using a small masonry bit also. (not in hammer action mode obviously)

Masonry bit is no use for porcelain tile.

[Bazeye]

How do you do that without putting a hole in the tile?

You dont, obviously. but you dont have to drill a 22 mil hole, and file it later, you just drill a hole through it, the size of the screw. thats what i did anyway.

[ywindythesecond]

Masonry bit is no use for porcelain tile.

Not true teddybear. Drill a pilot hole in the tile using one of the small excellent tile drill bits available from Hometec in Wick, and then with a 20mm masonry drill bit in a slow speed drill, carefully drill out the hole. The tile should be well supported with a space below just for the drill bit to go into.
Phill, if you still need it drilled, mark the tile and bring it to me and I will drill it for you. It is not cheap though - one can of John Smith's per hole!

[david]

You dont, obviously. but you dont have to drill a 22 mil hole, and file it later, you just drill a hole through it, the size of the screw. thats what i did anyway.

No this is a shower mixer bar which has 15mm pipework to it, hence a 15mm hole required.