Drill tile joints or not? - An overview
Drilling tiles but how? We'll show you when it's better to drill into the tile, between the tiles or into the tile joint!
Difficulty: Easy | Costs: approx. 15 euros | Workload: approx. 10 minutes
Drilling the hole in tiles is part of every bathroom.
Often you don't know how the tile drill works properly or where the tile drill hole should be placed.
After all, bathroom furniture, cabinets and lamps are already installed and neatly cover the drill holes.
In this guide, we tell you how best to drill your tile hole as an owner or renter.
1. Where can I drill how into the tile?
There are exactly two ways to drill into a tile.
1. Drill into the tile anywhere
2. Drill a joint between two tiles in tiles
In order to be able to decide which variant you choose for you, we would first like to talk about the legal aspects.
Because as a tenant, different laws apply to you compared to an owner.
1.1 As a tenant, can I drill into a tile?
Tenants are not allowed to drill tiles into a tile without the landlord's permission (approval) (Deutsches Mietrecht.de) After all, the tile would have to be replaced and you as the tenant then have to pay for it.
Consequences: As a rule, after a cost estimate, the corresponding amount will be deducted from the deposit or charged to you.
1.2 As a tenant, can I drill into the tile joint between the tiles?
This is also forbidden by law. You would also need to get permission from the tenant for this. In addition, drilling joints in tiles can damage several tiles at the same time!
If you decide to drill tiles as a tenant, you should choose to drill between the tiles
The reason you should choose to grout into the tile is because it's a lot easier to cover up and backfill this drill hole afterwards.
Choose a diameter where you can be really sure not to touch or drill into the tile. Normally, a tile joint is 3 - 5 mm wide. So there is not much space to drill into the joint.
Pay attention to the load of a small dowel!
With such a small drill hole, only a fairly narrow dowel can be used. You should take this into account when planning the load capacity.
The carrying capacity will be enough for small items like a toilet paper holder, toothbrush holder etc.
You should be able to refill this hole between the tiles with a little silicone of the appropriate color.
2. Which variant is the better one?
It is always better to drill into a tile.
There is room for small mistakes and in the worst case even one tile is damaged.
You can also drill the second hole right next to the first. Bathroom accessories usually come with a round bezel that covers a certain area next to the drill hole.
3. Very important! Choosing the right tile drill bit
Not every tile can be drilled with a commercially available tile drill.
Tiles are made of different materials such as: ceramic, fine stoneware, granite or natural stone.
Due to the hardness of some materials, a special hard tile drill bit must be used.
Here you can find out more about choosing the right joint drill.
This has a special diamond coating that is able to drill any type of hard tile in a few seconds with a cordless screwdriver or angle grinder.
The diamond drill for tiles is not very expensive and is available from us for €13.90.
The advantages of the diamond tile drill
- Drills any hard tile in seconds
- Leaves flawless and clean tile drill holes. Particularly suitable for high-quality tiles.
- Available in any size from 6mm -130mm diameter. Either as a diamond drill for tiles 6 mm - 14 mm or diamond tile drill bit from 16 mm - 130 mm.
Conclusion - Always clarify the legal issues before drilling tiles or drilling joints
As a tenant, you are not allowed to drill any joints in, between or into the tiles. If you decide to do this, it is best to only drill into the tile joint with a small diameter that does not touch the surrounding tiles.
As an owner and in general, it is the much better option to drill into tiles. It's easier and safer. You can also drill the hole as big as you need or want.