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How do I drill a hole in a steel bath. Or cast iron bath. Instructions on drilling into baths.
We are 365drills and we are often called to jobs to drill baths. We charge £200+VAT a day. But we also supply a nice little kit for £49.99 for you to do it yourself. So how would you do it yourself? And are you brave enough. Below we show you step by step how we drill a hole in a steel bath.
OK so we arrive on site. We might take our 365-Drills van or our 365-Drills smart car. We have all our tools to drill any size hole in any bath or basin
Once on site we inspect the job thoroughly. And we take photos. This is for insurance but also in case of any dispute. Do you notice anything wrong with this bath.
Why don't we take a closer look.
Hmmm yes before we have even drilled a hole in this bath we can see that the item is damaged. Perhaps as the contractor we would be blamed for this. So before drilling a hole in a steel bath we check for any problems. Its not worth the hassle with companies. We are good at our work and very careful. If we drill your bath we will take great care of your property and clients items. We are methodical workers.
The client wants a central hole in their bath. Prior to drilling we measure and we mark. We measure again, And check it twice. Once cut then there is no return. You must tell us where you want the hole drilled in the bath. We will measure and photograph as we go.,
We have now drilled an outer protection ring deep into the enamel so that the hole will not splinter or chip the bath enamel. This protection ring gives us the chance to drill at high speed without turning the metal blue with excess heat.
We now turn the diamond core to 45 degrees and grind out the hole so that all the metal is exposed. Be very careful not to slip. or you will grind out the enamel on the bath. Unhappy clients. Take your time. Be gentle. Press lightly. You will find the exposed silver shiny disc of bath metal.
Its hole drilling time now. OK so we use very aggressive tank cutting bits. They are short life. They cut one hole - maybe two holes. And then that's it they are spent. The advantage is very rapid drilling. It makes a lot of mess as it rips into the metal shredding it quickly, The disadvantage is as you drill the hole in the bath if it goes blunt it will stop working and your metal will go blue and hot. Then you will ping and crack your enamel. So be quick and be accurate. Don't mess about. The reason all the enamel was removed is to stop these teeth blunting on the drill. As you drill the hole you want sharp teeth and nothing to get in your way. Its messy but its the best way.
The idea is a clean disc that breaks out with zero snagging. It should look like a sharp wheel. The central hole should look round not oval. And the disc should be silver not blue. It should have a uniform colour.
Your hole is complete. But all that high speed drilling has left jagged edges. You must smooth them. Take your time. File gently. There is a danger of pulling the file out of the just drilled hole in the bath and then whacking the paint. Don't whack the paint! You will chip the bath. Remove all snags and burs. Be careful not to cut your fingers. Best to check with a paper towel or some toilet (loo) roll. If its snagging then file the hole in the bath a bit more.
That hole is looking a bit neater. Now you have a hole in a bath you also have a nice place for rust to form. That's why the factory put seven coats of enamel on your bath and gave you a warranty. Drilling a bath means you now have an exposed area of metal. Time for some paint !
We use a primer and enamel paint. Make sure to cover all the exposed metal both underneath and on top.
The hole should be painted so that no metal is exposed.
Now we have our hole. Drilling a hole in a bath is not difficult but if it goes wrong... it goes wrong!
This bathroom is going to be a nice project.
Be sure to collect all your tools. Cant tell you the number of times we have left items on site.
So you got to this page because you need to drill a hole in a bath. The good news is that we have the set you need. What we are going to need from you are two sizes. The first is the size of the hole you will need to drill through the bath. That's probably 28mm 30mm 32mm 35mm something like that. Next we need to give you a diamond core tile drill slightly bigger than the hole you are drilling. So if your bath hole is 30mm then we need to give you a 35mm diamond core drill,
The idea is that you have a perimeter space to work in. But you don't want it so big that the enamel is removed and the steel on show when the taps put on. Its a fine balance. Most taps etc have a cover plate. So when you drill the hole and the perimeter then the tap hides all that with its cover plate or cap.
The best thing to do is ring on 01992 410636 or mobile 0777 366 4519. We can cut ANY size hole in a bath. But there are a couple of different ways to do it. Tell us if your bath is rolled steel or cast iron. Tell us the size of the hole. And if you are putting in taps or equipment. We can help you.
The prices are usually £200 for us to do it. That's £50 for the kit and £150 for the fuel and labour etc. etc.
We are 365drills. our website is 365drills.com
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