How to drill or enlarge holes through tile without cracking it
Drilling or enlarging plumbing holes through tile risks cracking the entire piece if done incorrectly. Using tools like a small diamond core drill to make a series of overlapping holes or an angle grinder with a tile blade provides the necessary relief without destroying the tile.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 22.1× more often in r/HomeMaintenance than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Asking the plumber during the initial call if tile drilling is within their capabilities
- 2Attempting to drill the tile yourself
- 3Using an angle grinder with a tile blade
- 4Using a die grinder
- 5Drilling a series of overlapping holes with a small diamond core drill bit
- 6Buying a larger escutcheon plate to cover the rough cut
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“What’s the best way to shave off a bit more of that tile without cracking the whole thing?”source ↗
“Tile nippers would be appropriate before the pipe went in. Probably hard to use with the pipe there. Now an angle grinder with a tile blade.”source ↗
“I first traced the trim ring with crayon. Only a couple dots really, the wax polishes off the tile with a dry rad. I then used a small diamond core drill, bought for hanging the shower rod so probably 5/16, and made a bunch of overlapping holes to give the needed relief.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Microwave mounting bracket doesn't fit over tile backsplash
- 5How to make circle cuts and hard cuts in tile yourself
- 2How to install a vanity over floor pipes in a tight space
- 5Toilet flange too low after raising tile floor
- 12Why are my floor tiles cracking and tenting?
- 3How to fix falling shower tiles on old drywall backing