Drilling Tiles for Shower Screen Brackets (Without Cracking Tiles or Waterproofing)

Your glass arrives pre-drilled. The walls don't. Drilling a few clean holes in tile is the one skill a frameless install really asks of you, and it's the part people worry about most.

One Whirlpool member summed up the classic mistake: "If your drill is a hammer drill, don't use the hammer function or you will crack the tile."

Here's how to get it right.

What you'll need

• A drill with adjustable speed (hammer function off)
• A diamond tile drill bit sized for your wall plugs (essential for porcelain; also best for ceramic)
• A masonry bit for the wall behind, if it's brick or concrete
• Masking tape and a pencil
• A spray bottle of water, or a bit with wax cooling
• A stud and cable detector
• A spirit level
• Neutral-cure wet area silicone
• Safety glasses

Step 1: Know what's behind the tile

Before you mark anything:

• Pipes and cables. Shower walls hide water pipes, especially above and below the mixer. Run a detector over every spot you plan to drill. Pipes often run straight up and down from the taps.
• Studs or masonry. Most Sydney bathrooms are either brick or timber stud walls lined with fibre cement or villaboard. Brackets holding 45kg of glass need solid fixing. In a stud wall, aim for a stud, or use fixings rated for the load. One experienced renovator on Whirlpool noted a screen "should ideally be attached to a stud, not a noggin."

Step 2: Mark the holes

• Fit the brackets loosely to the glass through its pre-drilled holes, then stand the panel in place on its packers with a helper holding it. The holes in the glass set the bracket height: brackets sit 200mm up from the base of the panel and 200mm down from the top. Measure from the bottom edge of the glass, not the floor. The panel sits 3mm off the floor on packers.
• Check it's plumb with a spirit level.
• Put masking tape over the spot. It stops the bit wandering on a glazed surface.
• Mark through the bracket holes.
• Try to avoid grout lines. Drill through the tile body if you can. Holes on grout lines are weaker and harder to seal.

Step 3: Drill the tile

1. Start at a slight angle to score a small crescent, then bring the drill upright. This stops the bit skating.
2. Use low speed and light pressure. Let the diamond do the work.
3. Keep the bit cool with water, or use a wax-cooled bit.
4. Stop once you're through the tile.

Step 4: Drill the wall behind

• Brick or concrete: switch to a masonry bit. Hammer mode is fine now that you're behind the tile. Keep the bit clear of the tile edge.
• Fibre cement over studs: carry on with a standard bit into the stud.

Step 5: Seal the holes

Before you insert plugs and screws, squeeze a little neutral-cure wet area silicone into each hole. This is common installer practice to stop water tracking into the wall along the screw. It's cheap insurance.

Cracked a tile?

It happens. A single cracked tile can usually be cut out and replaced. Keep a few spare tiles from your bathroom if you have them. Don't mount a bracket over a cracked tile.

Next steps

Once your brackets are up, read how to install a fixed panel, then seal with the right silicone. See which silicone to use.

Worried about your wall type? Send a photo through the Five-Minute Fit Check.