Tile and Glass Drill Bit (10mm)

Ten millimetres takes pipework, cable, shower and tap supply lines, waste connections and larger fixings through a tiled surface, and that changes what matters. A hole that will be covered by an escutcheon or a fitting forgives a slightly rough edge. A hole that stays visible does not.

For a clean result, two things help. Work from the finished face, and slow right down as the tip approaches breakthrough, because the last of the glaze on the far side is unsupported and will chip out if it is pushed rather than cut. And where you can, back the tile with something, though on a fixed wall that is rarely possible.

The bigger the bit, the more heat it generates and the more important cooling becomes. At 10mm on porcelain, drilling dry is asking to throw the bit away. Keep water on it.

One finishing step matters in a bathroom or kitchen and is almost always skipped. Once the hole is drilled and the pipe or fixing is in, seal around it with silicone. A hole through a tiled surface is a direct path for water to get behind the tiles, and water behind tiles loosens adhesive, blows grout and eventually brings the tiles off the wall. The failure appears months later and nobody connects it to the hole.

There is a limit worth knowing at this end of the range. For holes much larger than these, in tile, the right tool is a diamond hole saw rather than a spear point bit, because a spear point has to abrade away the whole area of the hole while a hole saw only cuts the ring. If you regularly need large holes for pipework and mixer bodies, that is what to buy, and we can talk about it.

YG6X cross carbide tip, medium carbon steel shank, 1/4 inch quick release hex shank.

Buyers are plumbers, bathroom and kitchen fitters, tilers, shopfitters and hardware shops.

Message 94 77 111 8880 with the pipe or fitting size and we will confirm the hole you need. Island-wide delivery.