How to Drill Tiles Without Using Hammer Mode

The sound is sharp, almost more violent than expected. The drill bit has barely touched the bathroom wall when the tile cracks in a star pattern, sometimes reaching the neighbouring grout line. You are left holding the drill, with that all-too-familiar feeling that fitting a small shelf has just become an expensive repair job. We all know the moment: you thought you were only putting in “two screws”. Yet in most cases, tiles do not break through bad luck or necessarily because they are poor quality. One commonplace mistake in the first few seconds can cause a clean chip. It is often hidden behind a simple button on the drill.

Hammer mode: the reflex that breaks tiles

When faced with a tiled wall, many DIYers pick up their drill and automatically switch on hammer mode. It is the setting they use for concrete, brick or breeze block, so it seems like the natural thing to do. But a tile is not a standard masonry material: its glazed surface is hard, smooth and rigid, yet it copes very badly with repeated impacts. Hammer mode produces a series of micro-impacts that spread beneath the glaze. The tile may hold for a few seconds, then suddenly give way. The drill must never strike the tile.

Julien, who wanted to fit a towel rail in his flat, says he heard a “crack” almost as soon as he started. The hole initially looked neat, but then a piece of ceramic the size of a two-euro coin fell away around the drill bit. His error was not dramatic: after drilling into a wall the previous day, he had left the selector on the hammer symbol. That small detail is often enough. On thin wall tiling, the crack may even remain subtle before widening as you tighten the screw or fit an oversized wall plug.

The trap is also that tiles offer genuine resistance at first. It is tempting to press harder, increase the speed or assume that the drill lacks power. In fact, you need to do almost the opposite. A suitable bit removes material gradually by abrasion or cutting, whereas hammer mode places sudden stress on the surface. The right drilling method feels slow, and can sometimes be frustrating, but it costs far less than replacing a tile. Let us be honest: nobody really does this every day, which is exactly why the wrong setting is so commonly used.

The simple step that prevents cracks around the hole

Before drilling, switch off hammer mode completely and select a drill bit designed for tiles. For ceramic wall tiles or porcelain stoneware, a carbide-tipped bit may be sufficient; for very hard tiles, a diamond bit delivers a cleaner result. Put a cross of masking tape over the area: it stops the bit from slipping and makes the mark easier to see. Begin at a low speed, without excessive pressure, while keeping the drill perfectly straight. The first millimetre is the most delicate stage.

Once you have passed through the tile layer, the wall behind it changes the rules. If you reach concrete or brick, you can then withdraw the bit slightly, switch to hammer mode and continue with a bit suited to that substrate. This change must happen only after the tile, never before it. Many cracks also occur because people force the drill to save time, particularly when the bit becomes hot. Take short breaks, allow it to cool and lightly moisten it if the bit manufacturer permits this. A clean hole often comes down to a matter of seconds.

The choice of location matters just as much as the quality of the drill. Drilling through a grout line can sometimes work, provided it is wide enough and the fitting does not require substantial strength. Avoid tile edges, corners and areas already weakened by an earlier crack. A tiler often sums up the rule like this:

“You do not defeat tiles with force; you go through them with patience.”

• Use rotation-only mode when the bit touches the tile;
• Start at a low speed;
• Choose a specialist tile or diamond drill bit;
• Apply light, steady pressure;
• Use hammer mode only once the surface layer has been penetrated.

An intact tile starts with two minutes of preparation

Before taking out the drill, spend time checking what lies behind the wall. In a kitchen or bathroom, a water pipe, electrical conduit or hollow partition can make the job far more complicated than a chipped hole. A materials detector offers some reassurance, even though it cannot replace checking plans or using common sense. Look at the installation too: a tile that sounds hollow when tapped is more vulnerable. In that situation, a gentle approach is not optional; it is the only sensible method.

The hole diameter also deserves a moment of thought. Inserting a large wall plug into a small drilled hole means having to widen it, bend the bit and sometimes chip away the glaze over the final few millimetres. It is better to measure the screw, wall plug and substrate before you begin. For a lightweight fitting, drill-free alternatives are even available, including high-strength adhesives and certain bonding systems. They are not suitable for everything, of course: a grab rail or wall-hung cabinet requires reliable mechanical fixing. But for a small accessory, avoiding the hole can also avoid the stress.

What causes a tile to chip, then, is not necessarily a bad drill or a lack of skill. It is often an automatic habit inherited from DIY work on bare walls: turn on hammer mode, push hard and try to get through quickly. Tiles demand a different pace. They require you to slow down precisely when you want to be finished. Once this reflex is learned, fitting a mirror, shelf or toilet-roll holder becomes far less daunting. And if someone close to you is about to drill with the hammer symbol selected, this small warning could save them an entire Saturday spent searching for the “same” tile.

Essential point	Detail	Benefit for the reader
Avoid hammer mode	Hammer mode weakens the glaze and causes cracks.	Greatly reduces the risk of a chipped tile from the very first hole.
Use the right drill bit	Carbide or diamond bit, depending on the tile hardness.	Provides more precise, cleaner and less tiring drilling.
Slow down at the start	Low speed, light pressure and a drill held straight.	Protects the glazed surface and makes fitting the fixing easier.