putting an outlet in a ceramic tile floor

Posted by on December 5, 2005, 5:20 pm

On Fri, 02 Dec 2005 05:18:13 GMT, Steve Kraus

>Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

>> Yes, a floor outlet cannot be just in the floor facing up.

>No but there are recessed fittings that have them facing upwards.

>> There are housings made for that type of application that sit on
>> top of the floor.

>Yes, a much better solution for this situation although the whole thing may
>not be such a great idea depending how close to the door we're talking. If
>it's where people come in with dripping shoes, coats, and umbrellas, and
>maybe snow/slush it's a very bad idea. GFI a must of course. I wonder why
>the outlet can't be conventionally mounted in one of the walls. Presumably
>he has access to a basement or crawlspace underneath if he's proposing a
>floor outlet.

I was thinking the same thing. Thats a real bad place for a floor
outlet, and if this is in a state that gets snow, all the salt from
boots will corrode the outlet real quickly. Besides that, floor
outlets are tacky looking. Why cant you put it on the wall, or at
least in the baseboard?

Posted by Don Young on December 1, 2005, 11:30 pm

I would think the probability of a first attempt at cutting an outlet
opening in ceramic tile by an amateur without tile damage to be pretty
small. It is also a lot of work. A Dremel type tool does not have enough
power to do the job within any reasonable time. Carbide or diamond drill and
abrasive saw would probably be the best tools. Lots of care, a steady hand
and lots of dust are involved. I would recommend a professional tile person
be hired.

A floor outlet is generally not a good idea because of dirt getting in the
outlet and damage to plugs and cords from feet, furniture, sweeping,
mopping, etc.. I am not aware of any specific code requirements. It
certainly is possible but I would try to avoid it if at all possible. It is
usually much easier to find a place on a vertical surface even if getting
wiring to it requires ingenuity.
Don Young

> My wife is nagging me for an outlet in the entryway. The only possible
> place for it is in the ceramic tile floor. I have a lot of questions...
> 1) How do I do the cut out? I have a bit for my rotary tool that claimed
> to be made for cutting ceramic tile. Anyone used one of these? Is is
> reliable? I don't want to start something i can't finish, or shatter the
> tile. It is 1/4" so i could use my router instead of the rotary tool.
> Would that be a good choice? Would I crank the speed down to match a
> rotary tool? How do I make the initial hole; a carbide drill?
> Any other suggestions?
> 2) Any electrical code relevant to a floor outlet? I suppose GFCI would
> be a good choice, anything else?
> thanks.
>

Posted by Charles Spitzer on December 2, 2005, 10:24 am

>I would think the probability of a first attempt at cutting an outlet
>opening in ceramic tile by an amateur without tile damage to be pretty
>small. It is also a lot of work. A Dremel type tool does not have enough
>power to do the job within any reasonable time. Carbide or diamond drill
>and abrasive saw would probably be the best tools. Lots of care, a steady
>hand and lots of dust are involved. I would recommend a professional tile
>person be hired.

i would use a 4" diamond dry blade in a side grinder. have someone hold a
shop vac with hepa filter bag nearby to suck up the dust. the floor outlets
i've seen are recessed down a bit lower than the floor level. there are
special boxes and covers for them, but i don't think a borg will carry them.

> A floor outlet is generally not a good idea because of dirt getting in the
> outlet and damage to plugs and cords from feet, furniture, sweeping,
> mopping, etc.. I am not aware of any specific code requirements. It
> certainly is possible but I would try to avoid it if at all possible. It
> is usually much easier to find a place on a vertical surface even if
> getting wiring to it requires ingenuity.

there are some, i think dealing with covers for unused sockets.

> Don Young

>> My wife is nagging me for an outlet in the entryway. The only possible
>> place for it is in the ceramic tile floor. I have a lot of questions...
>> 1) How do I do the cut out? I have a bit for my rotary tool that claimed
>> to be made for cutting ceramic tile. Anyone used one of these? Is is
>> reliable? I don't want to start something i can't finish, or shatter the
>> tile. It is 1/4" so i could use my router instead of the rotary tool.
>> Would that be a good choice? Would I crank the speed down to match a
>> rotary tool? How do I make the initial hole; a carbide drill?
>> Any other suggestions?
>> 2) Any electrical code relevant to a floor outlet? I suppose GFCI would
>> be a good choice, anything else?
>> thanks.

Posted by jdk on December 2, 2005, 9:33 am

Toller wrote:

> My wife is nagging me for an outlet in the entryway. The only possible
> place for it is in the ceramic tile floor. I have a lot of questions...
>
> 1) How do I do the cut out? I have a bit for my rotary tool that claimed to
> be made for cutting ceramic tile. Anyone used one of these? Is is
> reliable? I don't want to start something i can't finish, or shatter the
> tile. It is 1/4" so i could use my router instead of the rotary tool.
> Would that be a good choice? Would I crank the speed down to match a rotary
> tool? How do I make the initial hole; a carbide drill?
> Any other suggestions?
>
> 2) Any electrical code relevant to a floor outlet? I suppose GFCI would be
> a good choice, anything else?
>
> thanks.
>
>

are you sure you can not go thru the baseboard?

Posted by Toller on December 3, 2005, 11:47 pm

> My wife is nagging me for an outlet in the entryway. The only possible
> place for it is in the ceramic tile floor. I have a lot of questions...

After much hunting with a stud detector and a drill, I found an area big
enough for an electrical box about a foot below the floor on the side of the
stairs going down. It was blind on the other side, but an electrical cable
shoved down came out okay.

We have already snagged the lamp cord once, pulled the lamp down and broken
the bulb; and there are a few exploratory holes to fill, but I suppose it is
better than trying to cut it into the tile.

Speaking of exploratory holes, I have seen a stud finder advertised that
works by pushing a very fine wire in. That would have been great for this
project. Do they work, or just get bent up?

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