Material guide
Porcelain & ceramic tile
What works on porcelain and ceramic tile: the right drill bit, blade, mortar, anchor and edge finish, plus the silica dust rules for cutting it.
Quick facts
- Water absorption
- Porcelain: 0.5% or less (ANSI A137.1). Ceramic wall tile soaks up more.
- Best drill bit
- Diamond bit or diamond hole saw, kept wet. Carbide tile bits for small holes only.
- Best blade
- Continuous-rim diamond blade, made to limit chipping
- Setting mortar
- Modified thin-set rated ANSI A118.4 or A118.15
- Fastening
- Anchor into the wall behind the tile, never into the tile itself
- Dust hazard
- Contains crystalline silica. OSHA treats tile saws as masonry saws.
Porcelain is a dense, fired clay tile. It soaks up 0.5% of its weight in water or less, which is what makes it porcelain. Ceramic wall tile is softer and more porous. Both have a hard glazed face over a brittle body.
That mix is what makes tile tricky. A normal bit skates on the glaze, then chips it. A blade that's too coarse breaks the edge. Too much push, heat or hammer action can crack the whole tile.
The fix is the right abrasive. Diamond tools grind tile instead of chopping it, and water keeps them cool. Go slow and let the tool do the work.
Tile is also a skin, not a structure. It can't hold a screw by itself. Anything you hang goes through the tile and into the wall behind it.
Not sure which tile you have? Check the box or the maker's spec sheet for the water absorption rating.
Drill into porcelain & ceramic tile
Use a diamond bit or a diamond hole saw. Start at an angle to cut a notch, then stand the bit up. Keep it wet, or use a dry bit with a wax core. Turn hammer mode off. Carbide tile bits drill small holes but wear fast in porcelain.
What to use: Diamond bit sized to your anchor
Guides
- Best drill bit for porcelain tile: which type for which hole
- How to drill porcelain tile without cracking it (coming)
- Drill bit slipping on glazed tile: how to start the hole (coming)
- Drill a large hole in tile (diamond core vs hole saw) (coming)
- Can you use hammer mode on tile? (No. Here's why.) (coming)
Cut porcelain & ceramic tile
For straight cuts in ceramic or thin porcelain, score once with a manual tile cutter and snap. For thick porcelain, notches and L-cuts, use a wet saw or an angle grinder with a continuous-rim diamond blade. Use tile nippers for curves. Cut with water or dust collection.
What to use: Manual tile cutter; wet saw for thick porcelain
Guides
- How to cut tile without a wet saw (4 methods, ranked)
- How to sharpen a diamond blade (dress it, don't grind it)
- How to remove tile from a concrete floor (and the thin-set under it)
- Best blade for cutting porcelain tile (coming)
- Cut tile with an angle grinder without chipping (coming)
- Cut an outlet or pipe hole in tile (coming)
- Can an oscillating tool cut tile? (coming)
- Wet saw vs snap cutter: which one for your job (coming)
Glue porcelain & ceramic tile
To set tile, use thin-set mortar, not glue from a tube. For porcelain, pick a modified thin-set rated ANSI A118.4 or A118.15. To fix a chipped or broken piece, use a two-part epoxy on a clean, roughened surface.
What to use: Modified thin-set to set; two-part epoxy to repair
Guides
- Glue for a broken ceramic mug or plate (food-safe, dishwasher-safe) (coming)
- Does Gorilla Glue work on ceramic? (coming)
- Heat-resistant glue for metal and ceramic (coming)
- Mounting tape vs glue on tile, glass, and painted walls (coming)
- Is cured super glue or epoxy food-safe? (coming)
Screw or anchor into porcelain & ceramic tile
The tile can't hold a screw. Drill through it with a diamond or tile bit, hammer off. Then drill the wall behind with the bit that wall needs. Choose the anchor for that wall: drywall, cement board or block.
What to use: Anchor matched to the wall behind the tile
Guides
- Screw won't go into the wall? Find the cause and fix it
- Wall anchor types explained: which one for which wall and weight (coming)
- Adhesive hooks vs anchors: what actually holds on tile and painted drywall (coming)
Sand or finish porcelain & ceramic tile
Smooth a cut edge with a rubbing stone or a diamond hand pad. Rub along the edge a few times, then check it. Porcelain is denser than ceramic, so it takes more work, and a diamond pad is the better pick.
What to use: Diamond hand pad (porcelain), rubbing stone (ceramic)
Safety basics
- Control the silica dust. Tile contains crystalline silica. Cut with water or dust collection, and work outside when you can.
- Wear safety glasses. Snapped edges and grinder chips are sharp and fly fast.
- Use the right guard. An angle grinder with a diamond blade needs the guard its manual calls for.
- Turn hammer mode off. Diamond tile bits are made for rotary drilling only.
Sources
- Porcelain ceramic tile: ANSI A137.1 and ASTM C373 definition, 0.5% water absorption (ANSI blog)
- Porcelain Diamond Drill Bits (Easy Dry): wax insert, dry drilling in porcelain, for rotary drill/drivers (Bosch)
- Glass & Tile Bits: carbide tip, 2,000 rpm max (Bosch)
- 2-1/4 in. Diamond Max hole saw: dip in water, start at 45 degrees (Milwaukee Tool)
- 3 in. Continuous HP Tile blade: continuous diamond rim to minimize chipping in ceramic and porcelain (DeWalt)
- How to use a manual tile cutter: score once, caution above 3/8 in (Rubi Tools USA)
- Porcelain Tile Professional Thin-Set TDS-117: impervious porcelain, ANSI A118.4 and A118.15 (Custom Building Products)
- J-B Weld Original twin tube: bonds ceramic, metal, concrete; clean, degrease and roughen first (J-B Weld)
- SNAPTOGGLE heavy-duty toggle bolt: compatible surfaces include tile over drywall and concrete block (TOGGLER)
- Smoothing out rough tiles: rubbing stones, diamond hand pads, porcelain is denser (This Old House)
- 29 CFR 1926.1153, Respirable crystalline silica (construction), Table 1 (OSHA)
- Standard interpretation, 25 July 2019: tile saws cutting porcelain, stone and tile are stationary masonry saws (OSHA)