How To Cut Tile And Make Different Types Of Cuts

Tile cutting is frequently necessary for home tile installation jobs. You can cut tiles to fit pieces in corners, along furniture, in odd positions, and other purposes. You may learn how to cut tiles from this guide provides instructions on how to utilize tile cutters, grinders, and other cutting tools. Use it to learn how to make various cuts and pick a blade. Choose the right tile cutter for your project based on the type and quantity of cuts you'll be producing, the type of tiles you'll be cutting, and other factors.

Choosing the Best Tile Cutters

• Carbide-tipped pencils and glass cutters are both reasonably priced. They might be adequate when making relatively simple cuts on a small number of tiles.
• Manual cutters: Ceramic tiles can be cut with precision and accuracy using manual cutters. Despite taking more time, they don't require as much talent. They are less expensive than power tools. Manual tile cutters, however, could be less efficient when cutting tile only a few inches wide.
• Angle grinders: Angle grinders are suitable for cutting tile fastened to a wall or cutting intricate patterns, such as circles or squares, in the middle of tiles.
• Wet saws: You can easily remove tiles constructed from various materials with wet saws. When cutting large tiles, this power saw's blade is kept cool by water to prevent overheating.

Dry tile cutting with a power tool will produce a lot of fine dust. Inhaling this dust poses serious health risks. Also challenging is clean up. If possible, move the task outside and put on a respirator. If cutting the tiles inside is necessary, take precautions to collect and contain the dust. Use a vacuum for collecting dust. Use plastic tape to seal drains, vents, doors, and windows. Cover all exposed surfaces in the area where you're working. It's crucial to safeguard your hearing. Tile-cutting techniques are extremely loud.

1. How To Cut Tile Without A Tile Cutter

• Without a tile cutter, there are various ways to cut tiles by hand. You can use a cutting instrument like a glass cutter or a pencil with a carbide tip.
• Measure the glazed side of the tile to establish where the cut needs to be made before cutting it with any tool. Using a straight edge, mark the line with an erasable marker.
• Using a carpenter's square as a guide, firmly press the glass cutter or carbide pencil edge along the line. Cut the tile without completely removing it.
• You should make several cuts with a pencil.
• Over a wire hanger on a level surface, place the scored tile with the cut line facing up.
• Till the tile snaps cleanly, apply gentle pressure to both sides of the tile.
• Use a sanding sponge to smooth out jagged edges.

2. Utilizing A Manual Tile Cutter To Cut Tile

• Position the manual tile cutter to be perpendicular to you on a table, then begin cutting.
• Pull the lever on the cutter wheel in your direction to start the tile cutter.
• Put the tile in the cutter with the glazed side facing out. Put it snugly up against the end stop and beneath the blade rails. You should position your measurement mark over the cutter's center guideline.
• Carefully advance the hand lever over the cutting point in a single, fluid motion to allow the cutter wheel to score the tile's surface. Pull the lever up to the end stop.
• Lower the breaker bar over the cutting wheel.
• Place the lever close to the stop/ruler.
• Apply enough force to the lever to split the tile in two. Push down.
• To make the edges of the cut tile pieces less pointed, sand them with a sponge or stone.

3. Using A Grinder To Cut Tiles

Handheld power tools are angle grinders. You can use them for sanding, polishing, and abrasive cutting. When fitted with diamond blades, they can make curved, square, and circular cuts for floor drains and other uses.

• Measure the tile first. Draw the cut's outline with a marker or pencil.
• Using a clamp, fasten the tile to a workbench or other surface.
• Carefully pull the angle grinder along the cut line to score the tile.
• To cut through the tile, make deeper and deeper cuts along the score.

Pro Tip: Score the tile on both the front and the reverse for shapes like rectangular cuts.

4. Using A Wet Saw To Cut Tile

• Before using the saw, turn it on and give it 15 to 20 seconds to get started.
• Holding the tile in your hands with the glazed side facing out, feed it into the saw blade.
• Push gradually and let the saw handle the work.
• Steer clear using your fingertips to touch the blade.
• Push the item between the fence and the blade until it clears the edge.
• To remove the tile, turn off the saw and allow it to cool.
• If the wet saw isn't being used, unplug it.

Safety first: Don't cut if there isn't a trickle of water running over the blade and tile. Water is necessary to keep the cutting blade cool (for accurate cutting). Before using, make sure that all water delivery systems are operational.

How to Cut Various Types Of Cuts In Tiles

The different tile cuts are listed below.

1. Making Notches In The Tile

• Measure the tile and mark the sides and end of the notch.
• Make two parallel cuts on either side of the notch. After the initial cut, reset the fence to make the subsequent cut.
• Stop each cut when the blade reaches the line indicating the notch's end.
• Reset the fence to create a sequence of parallel cuts spaced roughly 1/4 inch apart if the notch is wider than 1 inch. It must be stopped when an amount approaches the line where the gap ends.
• Distinguish the parts by placing them between the notch's sides.
• Reposition the tile on the saw with the blade inside the notch and barely scrape the remaining jagged edge to trim it. Slide the tile sideways while keeping pressure on the blade's tip to round out the sharp edge.

2. Making Angled Cuts

• Diamond tile patterns frequently feature point-to-point diagonal cuts on tiles.
• Set the miter guide on your saw at the right angle to perfectly fit your layout line.
• Ensure the layout line is directly on the front surface of the cutting blade.
• Feed the tile carefully into the edge, especially at the beginning of the cut, to minimize breakage.
• Use the same technique to cut miters for triangular tile pieces.

3. Cutting Bevels

• Tile edges frequently have 45-degree bevel cuts.
• Use bevel cuts for inside or exterior wrap-around corners as an alternative to bull-nose tiles' rounded edges or where two walls meet.

4. Cutting In An L-Shape

• Angled cuts, known as "L-cuts," fit a tile into a corner, around a cabinet, or along a piece of molding.
• L-cuts can be used to customize your tile; simply measure and mark the necessary cuts. After that, cut out the entire shape using a combination of straight cuts and notches.

5. Cutting Plunges

• Plagge cuts are required when creating room for vents, outlet drains, or protrusions through the tile surface.
• Some wet saws are capable of making plunge cuts. Put the material, glazed side down, immediately underneath the cutting wheel of a wet saw to make a plunge cut. You can slice the tile from the material's center by lowering the wheel onto the workpiece.
• A rectangular or octagonal hole can successfully finish many cuts that call for a circular opening, such as a cut-out for the toilet drain. You can fill the area with the bathroom fixture, giving it the desired polished aspect.
• Score marks from the blade are hidden in the finished product by scoring them on the backside.

CONCLUSION