How to Drill a Hole in Ceramic, Porcelain, and Stone Tile

One day after refilling the conditioner in this hanging soap and shampoo Dispenser , The pump bottle refused to snap into place, lurched from the wall, and tried to kill me. I bobbed. It weaved. The bottle crashed to the floor and cracked. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.)

One of the things I like about the Dispenser is that you can buy replacement parts. I did so several times over its lifetime. However, this time I needed so many new parts it ended up costing as much money as if I bought a new wall mounted shampoo and conditioner pump.

Since my Dispenser was looking shabby and I think we got more than our money’s worth out of it considering it was a yard sale purchase, I bought a replacement.

I bought this exact Simple Human Double Wall Mount Shower Pump because we really only use two pumps out of the original four. From reviews, it is sturdier (I see the same dispenser in hotels so it has to be durable to take constant abuse) which means I may not have to replace the pumps over time. I love that!

The only negative according to the reviews is the bracket adhesive is not as strong as the adhesive the Dispenser uses. There were reports of the Simple Human dispenser falling off the wall after all of the instructions were followed. Not a huge deal because the Simple Human dispenser also comes with screws and wall anchors. I grabbed my drill and got ready to answer the question,

How Do you Drill a Hole in Tile?

To drill a hole in tile or stone, you need an electric drill. You probably figured out that part already because you are a smart cookie.

 

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 You can’t use a regular drill bit to drill holes in porcelain, ceramic, or stone tile. Don’t even try unless you want to experience chipped or scratched tile and a whole world of hurt as your drill bit jumps and slides everywhere except where you want the hole to be.

You can solve the problem by treating yourself to some diamonds in the form of a diamond drill bit made to drill through glass, ceramic, and porcelain tile like this kind  or a carbide tipped drill bit made to drill through glass, ceramic, and porcelain tile kind. 

 

Some the carbide and diamond tipped drill bits will list if you can also use it to drill a hole in stone tile. If not, you’ll need a masonry drill bit made to drill through stone like this kind.

 

Getting ready to put a hole in my wall.

 

 Once you have the correct size and type of drill bit, it is just a matter of using the item or its template to mark where you want to make the hole and using the tile drill bit and drill to make it. Easy!

 

Ta da!

After I drilled the holes I filled them with the black wall anchors that came with the dispenser. I peeled the adhesive off the back of the bracket and stuck it to the wall to keep it from slipping while I screwed the bracket in place. 

 

Almost done!

 

I slid the shampoo and conditioner pump bottles into the coordinating slots and added the razor hook which I’ll probably use more often to hold a loofah than a razor.

 

 I buy shampoo and conditioner by the liter which makes using a dispenser a must.

 

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