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How do you drill a hole in a wall tile?

Drill a wall tile by marking the spot, stopping the bit skating on the glaze, and going slowly until you are through the tile and into the wall behind. Stop if you do not know what is behind the tile, because a pipe or a cable is not a DIY guess.

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By the QuoteZila editorial team. Editorial policy.

What are you actually drilling?

A tiled splashback in Crewe, a bathroom wall in Nantwich and a kitchen in Sandbach raise the same question before anyone picks up a drill: is this a small hole for a hook, or is it the start of a plumbing or electrical job? Post either job. Cheshire is covered, and so is the rest of the UK.

A wall tile is a hard skin. Behind it is the real wall, and sometimes a pipe or a cable. The hole you want is usually for one of three things:

  • a hook, a rail or a mirror
  • a fitting that a plumber or electrician will finish
  • a sample, which you should not take if you do not know the wall

This page is the first of those, done carefully. It is not a guide to moving a shower, adding a spur or opening a consumer unit.

How do you stop the bit skating?

The glaze is smooth. A spinning bit wants to wander, and a wandering bit is what chips the face.

  1. Mark the centre with a cross of masking tape, or a piece of tape wide enough for the bit to bite. The tape gives the tip something to grip.
  2. Use a sharp bit made for tile or glass. Start the hole upright, not at an angle.
  3. Keep the drill slow, and lean steadily. Do not bounce the drill.
  4. Leave hammer mode off until you are through the tile.
  5. When the bit breaks through, ease off. The plaster or board behind is softer, and a sudden push cracks the back of the tile.
  6. Let the bit do the work. If the tile is getting hot, pause. Heat is a sign you are spinning too fast or the bit is blunt.

Porcelain is denser than a standard ceramic wall tile. It takes longer, and a worn bit will polish a dent instead of cutting. If you are not sure which tile you have, treat it as the harder one and go slower.

Floor tiles and quarry tiles are a different thickness and a different job. This page is about wall tiles. Standing on a floor tile while you drill it is also a poor idea, because the tile can split under your weight.

What might be behind the tile?

Before you mark the hole, look at the room.

  • Above a socket, a switch or a light. Cables often run vertically or horizontally from the fitting. If the hole is on that line, do not drill it yourself.
  • On a shower wall, behind a bath panel or beside a basin. Pipes are common. A nick in a pipe is a plumber's visit, not a dab of sealant.
  • On a party wall or a wall you cannot picture. If you do not know the construction, a hook can wait.
  • Into a textured coating. If the surface is a textured coating rather than a ceramic tile, stop. HSE says textured coatings were used to produce decorative finishes on ceilings and walls, and that in the past they have had trade names such as Artex [S2]. Work on textured coatings can be carried out by non-licensed workers, but they must be trained to recognise and work safely with asbestos [S2].

Electrical Safety First strongly recommends a competent registered electrician for electrical work you need done. With the exception of some minor tasks, electrical work must either be reported to the local authority building control body or carried out by a registered electrician who is a member of a government-approved scheme [S1]. Drilling a hook is not that electrical work. Fitting a light, a fan or a new circuit is. Electrical Safety First sets this out on its building regulations page. Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.

When should you hire a tiler instead?

Hire a tiler, a plumber or an electrician when:

  • the hole is for a shower, a tap, a valve or a waste
  • the tile is a large porcelain slab and a crack would mean replacing a whole wall
  • you have no spare tile and the wall is a matched set
  • the drill has already cracked one tile
  • you would be working over a bath where a dropped tool or a fall matters

HSE says you are working at height if you work above ground or floor level, and that work at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury [S3]. A hole at shoulder height in a bathroom is not that description. A hole reached by standing on the rim of a bath is a bad plan. Stay on the floor.

Citizens Advice says to get a written quote rather than a spoken one, because accepting a quote is a binding agreement and the writing is what you can check if something is disputed later [S4].

Jobs you might post

These are examples, not taken from real job posts.

  • "Kitchen splashback, ceramic tiles. Please drill two holes for a rail, away from the socket. I have no spare tiles."
  • "Bathroom, porcelain wall tiles. Please fit a toilet-roll holder. Please check for pipes before you drill. I do not want the shower moved."
  • "One cracked tile next to the basin after a DIY hole. Please replace it if you can match it, or say if the wall needs more than one tile."

Posting a tiling job

Say ceramic or porcelain if you know, and add a photo of the whole wall, not only the spot. Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].

Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

Posting a job is not open yet

See our tilers, plumbers and electricians pages.

What else are people asking?

Can I use an ordinary masonry bit?

A sharp tile bit or a glass bit is the usual tool for the glaze. A blunt masonry bit can skate and crack the tile. Once you are through the tile, the wall behind may be plaster, plasterboard or block, and that is a different bit. This page does not name a brand of bit.

Should the drill be in hammer mode?

Not while you are on the glaze. Hammer mode is what cracks a tile. Turn it off until the bit has broken through the tile, and only then decide whether the wall behind needs it. If the tile is porcelain, stay slow the whole way. Porcelain is harder than ordinary ceramic and it punishes a rushed hole.

What if the wall is a shower or next to a basin?

Assume a pipe may be in the wall until you know it is not. A small hole for a hook is still a hole. If you are fitting a shower, a tap or a light, that is a plumber's or an electrician's job, not a hook. Electrical Safety First says that, with the exception of some minor tasks, electrical work must be reported to the local authority building control body or carried out by a registered electrician in a government-approved scheme.

The tile cracked. What now?

Stop. A crack can run, and forcing the bit makes it worse. A tiler can replace one tile if you have a spare, or advise if you do not. Do not fill a structural crack in the wall with glue and pretend the tile was the only problem. See our tilers page.

Does QuoteZila check tilers and electricians?

No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.

This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.

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Sources

  1. QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and FAQ copy.
  2. QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
  3. S1: Building regulations, Electrical Safety First. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-a-registered-electrician/building-regulations/
  4. S2: Where asbestos can be found, textured decorative coatings, HSE. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/location-materials.htm
  5. S3: Work at height: frequently asked questions, HSE. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/faqs.htm
  6. S4: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-29. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/