Side Holes

• The easiest kind of hole to cut in ceramic is one that is open at one edge of the tile. If you're lucky enough that your tile falls so that the hole you need isn't entirely on the tile but edging partly off it, then you can use a rod-style wet saw. This tool, which can be rented at your local home improvement store, is like a bandsaw, except the blade is a masonry-cutting rod that runs through water to prevent overheating. Mark the circle on your tile with a grease pencil (so it doesn't wash off). Set the tile on the saw platform, and feed it into the blade from the open side of the circle, turning the ceramic to the correct angles to make the circle cut.
  
  

Rough Holes

• If you need a hole in the center of the tile for a pipe and the edge of the hole is going to be covered with a flange around the pipe, then you don't need a clean cut. This makes the chore easier, because you can use a 1/4-inch masonry bit in a standard drill, even for a circle several inches in diameter. Draw your circle on the tile, clamp it to the workbench, and drill side-by-side holes around the line. Drill the holes as close to each other as you can get them. After you've gone all the way around the circle, gently tap the center with a hammer, and the piece will fall out.
  
  

Clean Holes

• For holes in the center of tile that have to have clean edges, get a carbide masonry hole saw attachment for your drill. This is a bit with a big opening at the end, like the top of a cup but with teeth. Get a hole saw of the size you need, mark the piece, clamp it down, and press the open end of the bit straight down on the surface. As you begin drilling down at high speed, with firm downward pressure, have a helper continually spray the surface of the tile with cold water from a spray bottle to prevent burning. It will take a little while to get through the tile. It will be hot, so let it cool before you pick it up.