I want to install a towel hook in my bathroom, but it is all ceramic tile, including the walls. Adhesive doesn‘t work. Is there any way to put screws in the tile with out cracking the tiles? Thanks.
Drill a hole using a masonry bit. THen use a hinged wall anchor to hold the towel hool securely on the wall!Installing a towel bar or toilet-paper holder often requires drilling through glazed ceramic tile, which is no easy task. Use a carbide-tipped masonry bit; regular twist-drill bits can't cut through the fire-hardened glaze. You'll also need to keep the bit from slipping off the glossy surface. The secret: Put two strips of masking tape onto the tile in an X pattern. Then drill through the tape — ou'll feel the bit grind as it goes through the glazing. Drill through the tile and into the drywall or backer board. Just be sure to lighten pressure at the end to ensure a clean hole at the rear of the drywall or backer board to accommodate a hollow-wall fastener.
Yes, you have to use a concrete drill bit and a high powered drill. Also, if possible put your screws into grout instead of the tile.
You have to drill holes, using a masonry bit, thru the tile, and use an anchor of some sort. Best would be some sort of toggle bolt thru the drywall itself. A plastic expansion anchor would suffice. Any force on the tile itself, may cause eventual breakage.
Silicone caulk will adhere tenaciously to ceramic tile. If you are trying to attach metal to ceramic, you could also drill through the tile with a carbide drill and use conventional anchors. I have use both methods but prefer the former if possible.
They make drill bits specifically for tile. They have a sharper point than the normal masonry bits. You can drill through the tile and then into the wall. Make sure that the anchor is in the drywall and not just the tile, any weight on the tile itself will eventually pull it off the wall. Small toggle bolts work, but they require a larger hole to be drilled. Make sure you do not tighten whatever you use too much and crack the tile. The very best thing you could do would be to put screws into a stud behind the drywall, but finding one can be extremely difficult under tile. You don't want to use a hammer drill like you would in drilling into concrete or mortar, the percussion would break the tile, a regular drill will work fine.
