Drilling hole in tile

[kevin nee]

I have a tile countertop. The additional outlet for an added Microwave is under the cabinet. My Microwave just quit. (Quite old) on that Microwave I cut the plug off put the cord thru a 3/8 hole and put a replacement plug on the cord. My wife insists that is a stupid hack job and wants a hole big enough for the plug to fit thru.
What is the best method to get this hole drilled.
Thanks in advance, Kevin

[Floyd Mah]

Wives tend to insist on poorly thought out solutions. There, I said it. By your own admission, the microwave survived years of use before breaking down. Why waste your time for the rare eventuality that your brand new microwave needs to be replaced. You could always run an extension or a power strip cord through your present hole and fasten on a new plug. That would work for any new appliances that you may add. I think she must be preparing for the possibility that you kick the bucket and she is confronted with puzzle of how to put in a fresh microwave. Else you are getting a new microwave for your birthday and you don't know it yet.

(By the way, I check your profile: beautiful German Shepherd. My wife and I babysit my son's German Shepherd most of the week. He's a 140 pound, 29 inch high baby.)

[George Bokros]

There are bits to do that similar to a hole saw but they will not work in your situation. Could you install a new outlet in the wall above the existing one? Should be easy to fish that short piece of wire from the existing outlet to the new one. It will not address the issue of the existing hole.

The wife wants to be able to move the microwave further than the cord will allow.

[Grant Wilkinson]

Diamond hole saw

https://www.amazon.com/diamond-hole-...d%20hole%20saw

To center the hole saw and allow the center bit to hold it in place, just put a 3/8" wood plug in your existing hole.

[Charlie Hinton]

I have had good success drilling holes in tile with a tile/concrete bit using a standard drill.
Drill holes for the corners then maybe a diamond blade in a multitool, a masonry disc in a cutoff tool, or a small concrete blade in a circular saw to cut between the 4 corner holes.

[Charles Lent]

Cutting a round hole large enough to pass the plug through, like those put in desks for computer terminal wiring, would probably be the best way to address this. It's considered "not to code" to be running the power cord through a small hole in ad counter top or wall without providing accessibility and the use of proper wiring, so a larger hole with one of those desktop inserts to reduce the hole after the power cord is fed through it is a better way to do this, and complying more to the code. Of course, adding another outlet to the wall above the counter is another way to do it, but then you have the small hole left in the counter to deal with.Ceramic tile has a glass surface, so you will need to use a large drill bit that will cut ceramic and glass for this. They make them, but very expensive for just one hole. Maybe a glass shop could do it for you at a reasonable price.

Charley

[Art Moore]

Like Grant said, diamond hole saw. In this case I've bought some cheapies online that work fine for light use.

[Barry Block]

Like others have mentioned a diamond hole saw. A couple suggestions on drilling. They don't have centering bits so if your crude and don't care what it looks like then you can angle the bit to start so it cuts a starting grove to guide the bit once you work the drill plumb. Another method is to drill a like size hole in a piece of wood and then use that as a guide with the diamond bit. Also, I like to use a damp to wet sponge held against the side of the bit as your drilling. It will help clear the hole as you drill to prevent binding, heat build up and dust.

[Mike Cutler]

Kevin
A diamond hole saw with a guide.
I hate to say this, but from your brief description, I agree with your wife.
BTW. If you're doing what I believe you're doing, there are myriads of escutcheon plates and rings, specifically for that hole you need to drill. They're drilled all the time in counter tops to stop the cord from draping over the edge of a counter, or center island, to prevent accidentally pulling the appliance off the counter. I think they're generally a 1-1/4" ID hole.

[Rich Engelhardt]

+4 to the diamond hole saw.

First - find the size you need, then make a jig out of 3/4" plywood for the hole saw to fit in.
Remove the pilot drill from the mandrel and use the jig to position the hole saw.

We do this all the time for the water lines when putting tile in a shower .

[keith micinski]

You can absolutely use a hole saw. Menards sells an 1 3/8 one for like 20 bucks that comes with a cup to center it and hold water to keep the blade cool. It wouldn’t be hard to do. That having been said for everyone saying cutting the cord end off and then replacing the cord end with a new one isn’t a perfectly fine solution your all being ridiculous. He didn’t cut the cord in the middle and just twist the wires together and black tape it and call it good. What if the new microwave cord end brakes a prong should he just pitch it and get a whole new microwave? The fact that your agreeing with his wife and an overly complicated solution should have been your first sign you were wrong.

[Curt Harms]

Which would be more visible, a larger hole in the top or replacement plug? If the plug were visible I can see the wish for the more finished look of a molded plug.

[Bruce Wrenn]

First question. Do you have replacement tiles for when hole needs to be plugged later. (Think house sale.) I use Hitachi diamond hole saws from Lowes to drill thru both tile and 4" block when replacing shower heads at local "Y." Costs around $20 at the time, and may be cheaper now.

[Jerome Stanek]

drill the hole so a wire management grommet will fit. I did this all the time for drug stores.

[Nick Lazz]

http://floorelf.com/how-to-drill-a-h...tile#more-1260

Roger is a great resource for all things tile. Check out the link above.