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Was using the wrong drill bit for tile for 2 years and only found out when my bathroom floor cracked
I was putting in a new toilet flange in my bathroom in Denver and used a standard masonry bit on the porcelain tile. After the third hole, the tile just split right down the middle and I felt like an idiot. My neighbor came over to see what the noise was and told me I needed a carbide-tipped bit with a pilot for tile work. Has anyone else had a similar facepalm moment with the wrong tool for the job?
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fionanguyen2d ago
Water is what made your tile crack actually. You were drilling dry which creates heat but the shock of cold water on hot porcelain is what causes the fracture. Masonry bits work fine on tile if you keep them cool with a constant stream not a splash. The neighbor probably set you back a hundred bucks for no reason. A diamond hole saw is overkill for a toilet flange anyway.
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xenam842d ago
The real facepalm is that you probably could have gotten away with the masonry bit if you'd just used a little water to keep it cool and went slow. Dry drilling on porcelain with any bit is risky, but the water acts as a lubricant and helps the bit bite without shocking the tile. I've seen guys drill porcelain with a regular bit before, they just have to treat it like glass and not push down hard. But yeah, carbide tipped ones are way safer... that crack must have been a gut punch.
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