John Rumm wrote in message ...
John Hearns wrote:

I guess this is asked a lot, so please point
me in the right direction.

I want to drill some holes in large bathroom tiles,
to take screws for a grab bar in a shower.

Others have described the "correct way" (i.e. tile drill) - having said
that I have always found a masonry drill works just fine. Use a bit of
tape to stop it wandering, and drill with a slow speed and no hammer
action.

Another useful tip I found when using ordinary rawlplugs through tiles,
is to insert the plug so it is flush with the surface of the tile, then
insert the screw partially into the plug and gently hammer it so that
you push the body of the plug further into the wall below the tile. That
should ensure that when you fix the final item, any lateral expansion of
the rawlplug will not cause the tile to crack.


Another "incorrect way" that I always use is to use an automatic
centre punch to break through the glaze (to stop the bit wandering)
then use an ordinary masonry bit in a hammer drill (with the hammer
action on). I have never broken any tiles using this method but I
suspect it depends on how and to what they're fixed. I didn't know any
better the first time I needed to drill a tiled wall. It doesn't work
on loose tiles. Haven't tried it with the SDS yet.

Andrew