When you are looking to drill a hole in a stainless steel sink, it is important to make sure that it is done properly. If it isn’t, it could ruin your sink, which you don’t want.
The reason you would need to drill your sink is for a drain hole as some sinks do not come with one, so it is up to you to drill one yourself.
It is important to make sure that you have all of the right tools to drill the hole and that it is done properly.
Drilling holes in random places will damage your sink, so you need to carefully drill the hole with the right equipment. But how do you neatly drill a hole in a stainless steel sink?
This article will teach you how to drill a hole in a stainless steel sink to make sure that you drill the hole properly.
You can find out how to properly drill the hole below and what equipment you will need.
What You Need To Drill A Hole In A Stainless Steel Sink
To drill the hole in the sink, you will need a drill, lubricant oil, a marker, a measuring stick, a nail, sandpaper, masking tape, and safety goggles.
Protective equipment is just as important as the equipment that you need to drill the hole, so you must protect your eyes from any debris that could affect your vision.
How To Drill A Hole In A Stainless Steel Sink
Find out more about how to successfully and safely drill a hole in a stainless steel sink below.
Follow the instructions to make sure that you are happy with the hole that you drill, but make sure that you have all of the right equipment first.
Mark Where You Want The Hole To Be
It is important to mark where you want the hole to be to make sure that you do not make a mistake when you are drilling.
If you do not mark where you want the hole to be, you will risk not drilling in the right place.
Find the best place to drill by seeing where the water will run down the sink and where the best position for the drain hole to go is.
Mark the place that you want the drain hole to go with masking tape.
The masking tape will allow the drill to stay in position as the slipperiness of the stainless steel could set the drill off target.
Mark The Hole
Using the nail, mark the area that you want to drill for the hole on the masking tape.
The small mark will be a guide to see if you are happy with the position of the hole and to make sure that you are drilling in the best place.
If you do not mark the hole, you could risk drilling in the wrong place.
Make the hole small enough that you can move it if you are unhappy with the position but deep enough that your drill will not slip when you start to drill the hole.
Lubricate The Drill
The drill bit needs to be lubricated to make sure that the drill can drill through the stainless steel.
As stainless steel is such a tough material, you need to make sure that you lubricate the drill bit well to avoid it getting stuck in the sink.
To oil the drill, you can use a cloth to make sure that you cover the drill bit in oil.
This will allow a smoother drill and no difficulty drilling into the material as the oil will stop the drill bit from sticking.
Start Drilling
It is incredibly important that you are happy with the placement of the drain hole before you start drilling.
You need to be very precise as once you start drilling, you won’t be able to go back.
Begin by wearing your safety goggles and positioning your drill in the dent that has been made in the masking tape with the nail and set your drill to the lowest setting.
If you have your drill at a high speed, you won’t be able to control the size or shape.
Use a low setting to make sure that you are happy with how your drain hole looks.
Slowly begin to widen the drain hole by moving the drill in a circle while drilling.
Make sure that you are comfortable moving the drill, so widen the hole clockwise if you are right-handed and anti-clockwise if you are left-handed.
Practice the motion before drilling to make sure that you know which direction you feel most comfortable drilling in.
Keep Measuring The Hole
Keep measuring the hole that you are drilling by constantly stopping and then measuring.
This will make sure that you are happy with how wide the hole is that you have drilled.
Drill the hole for a little bit and then measure, then continue, then measure again. Repeat this until you are happy with the size.
It is much better to have a hole that is too small than one that is too big.
You need to make sure that you do not drill the hole bigger than the drain, so use a low setting and keep stopping to check that you are happy with the size.
Keep The Shape Circular
Make sure that the hole is circular instead of an oval shape as an oval shape could cause leaks.
It is very easy to accidentally drill a more oval shape, but you need to stay on track and ensure that the hole is circular to avoid water leaking out of the extended sides of the oval.
Sand Down The Edges
Once you are happy with the size of the drain hole, you will need to sand down the edges to get rid of any rough edges.
It is important to sand down the edges as rough edges could cause more leaks, but you could also cut yourself on the rough edges when you are installing the drain.
Make sure that you do not skip this step and that the edges are all sanded down to prevent any injuries.
Carefully sand down the edges and be careful that you do not scratch the sink with the sandpaper.
Tidy The Sink
After you are happy with how you have sanded down the hole, you will need to clean up the sink and get rid of the tape.
Simply remove the tape to make sure that you can see the hole and get rid of any shavings of metal from the drilling process.
Brush the shavings away with a brush into a pan to easily dispose of them and avoid them spreading across the floor.
If you brush the shavings with your hand and you do it with a heavy touch, you could scratch the sink.
The shavings are still metal, so it is important that you gently remove them and do not scratch the sink while you are cleaning them up.
How To Successfully Drill A Hole In A Stainless Steel Sink
The main thing that will help you successfully drill a hole into a stainless steel sink is making sure that you have the right equipment.
Without the right equipment, you will struggle to make sure that the hole is precise and in the right place.
A good drill is needed to drill the hole, but it needs to be well lubricated to avoid getting stuck.
You also need to be patient as rushing the process will cause you to make a mistake.
Once you drill into the sink, you cannot go back, so take your time to make sure that you are happy with the position of the drain hole.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, it is important to make sure that you are patient and plan carefully where you are going to drill the hole.
Without the right equipment, you will not be able to drill the hole properly, so it is important not to rush the process and get the right equipment.
It is very important to slowly drill the hole with the drill on a low setting.
This will allow you to have full control over the drill and you can gradually see the size developing.
Drilling a hole that is too big will be hard to fix, but drilling small circles slowly will allow you to get the size and shape correct, so it is important to take your time.
