How To Cut Tiles | 12 Ways To Cut Tiles

Tile cutting is frequently necessary for home tile installation jobs. Tile can be cut to fit pieces in corners, along furniture, in odd positions, and other purposes.

You may learn how to cut tiles from this guide. It offers advice on how to use tile cutters, grinders, and other cutting tools. Use it to learn how to make various cuts and pick a cutter. Choose the best tile cutter for your project based on the type and quantity of cuts you'll be making, the sort of tiles you'll be using, and other factors. 

1. CHOOSING TILE CUTTERS

• Both glass cutters and pencils with carbide tips are reasonably priced. They might be adequate when making relatively simple cuts on a small number of tiles.
• Ceramic tiles can be cut with precision and accuracy using manual cutters. Despite taking more time, they don't require as much talent. Compared to power tools, they are more affordable. Manual tile cutters, however, could be less efficient when cutting tile only a few inches wide.
• Angle grinders are perfect for cutting tile fastened to a wall or cutting intricate patterns, such as circles or squares, in the middle of tiles.
• Tiles constructed from various materials can be rapidly removed with a wet saw. Even while cutting a lot of tile for a project, water cools the power saw's blade to prevent it from overheating.
• With a power tool, cutting dry tiles will generate a lot of fine dust. Inhaling this dust poses serious health risks. Also challenging is cleanup. If possible, move the task outside and put on a respirator.
• Take measures to gather and confine dust if cutting the tiles inside is necessary. Use a hoover for collecting dust. Cover drains, vents, doors, and windows with plastic tape. Any exposed surfaces in the workspace should be covered.
• It's crucial to safeguard your hearing. All powered tile-cutting techniques are audibly damagingly loud.

2. CUTTING WITHOUT A TILE CUTTER

• Without a tile cutter, there are various ways to cut tiles by hand. You can use a cutting tool 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. Mark the line with an erasable marker using a straight edge.
• Using a carpenter's square as a guide, firmly press the glass cutter or carbide pencil edge along the line. Avoid completely cutting through the tile.
• You might need to make numerous cuts with a pencil.
• Over a wire hanger on a level surface, place the scored tile with the scored 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.

3. USING A MANUAL TILE CUTTER TO CUT TILE

• Put the manual tile cutter on a table so that it is perpendicular to you and start cutting.
• To start the tile cutter, pull the lever on the cutter wheel in the direction.
• 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. It would help to 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. Till the lever reaches the end, stop and push it.
• Over the cutting wheel, lower the breaker bar.
• Place the lever near 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.

4. USING A GRINDER TO CUT TILES

Handheld power tools are angle grinders. They can be used 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 tiles first. With a marker or pencil, sketch the outline of the cut.
• 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 more profound cuts along the score.

5. BEFORE USING A WET SAW TO CUT TILE

A wet saw is a power tool that quickly cuts tiles using a water-cooled diamond blade. A sliding table that feeds the tile into the blade is typical of a wet saw. While the blade operates, a pump shoots water across it to prevent overheating and manage dust.

• Place the wet saw on a stable surface like a table or workbench.
• Ensure the water reservoir or tray of the wet saw is full before cutting any tiles. Verify that the water is correctly flowing through the saw blade.
• It can take a few seconds for the water to start flowing once you start the saw. If the water is not moving, do not cut.
• A wet saw can be messy to use. Use it outside or in a dry location, such as a garage, where spills and splashes won't be a problem. Covering an indoor workspace with plastic sheets or a tarp will prevent it from becoming soaked.
• Aligning the tile on the table or workbench will help you get ready to cut it with a wet saw. Set up a rip fence for protection. Make sure the tile's most significant portion is between the fence and the blade where the layout mark of the tile meets the blade. This keeps your hands as far away from the cutting edge as possible.
• Set up in various locations if you're unclear where to put the tiles. Pick the one that will hold up the most extensive tile area on the table during the cut.
• When using a wet saw or any other type of saw, be sure to wear safety goggles and gloves.
• Keep your fingers as far away from the blade as possible to prevent mishaps.
• Wearing loose clothing or jewelry that can catch on the blade is not advised.

6. USING A WET SAW TO CUT TILE

• Before you use the saw, please turn it on and give it 15 to 20 seconds to get going.
• Feed the tile into the saw blade while holding it with both hands, with the glazed side facing out.
• Push gradually and let the saw handle the work.
• Avoid touching the blade with your fingertips.
• Until it entirely clears the blade, push the item between the fence and the blade.
• To remove the tile, turn off the saw and give it time to cool.
• If the wet saw isn't being used, unplug it.

Safety first: If a trickle of water is not running over the blade and tile, do not cut. Water is necessary to keep the blade cold and make good cuts. Before use, make sure that all water delivery systems are operational.

7. TILE CUTTING WITH NOTCHES

• The tile piece's sides and the notch tip should be measured and marked.
• Make two parallel cuts along the notch's sides. After the initial cut, reset the fence to make the subsequent cut.  
• When the blade reaches the line designated for the notch's end, halt each cut.
• Reset the fence to create a sequence of parallel cuts spaced roughly 1/4 inch apart if the notch is more comprehensive than 1 inch. It must be stopped when a cut approaches the line, designating the notch's conclusion.
• Between the sides of the notch, separate the pieces.
• Reposition the tile on the saw with the blade inside the notch and barely contact 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.

8. MAKING ANGLE 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 best fit your layout line.
• Ensure the layout line is directly on the cutting blade's front surface.
• Feed the tile carefully into the blade, especially after the cut, to minimize breaking.
• Make miter cuts for triangular tile pieces using the same method.

9. PERFORMING BEVEL CUTS

• Bevel cuts on tile edges are commonly 45-degree 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.

10. MAKING CUTS 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 tiles; simply measure and indicate the necessary cuts. After that, cut out the entire shape using a combination of straight cuts and notches.

11. CUTTING PLUNGES

• When creating room for vents, outlets, drains, or any other protrusions through the tile surface, plunge cuts are required.
• Some wet saws can plunge. Put the material, glazed side down, immediately underneath the cutting wheel of a wet saw to make a plunge cut. The tile can be cut 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. The bathroom fixture will cover the space and give it your desired polished appearance.
• Score marks from the blade are hidden in the finished product by scoring them on the backside.

12. HOW TO CUT STILL-ON-THE-WALL TILE

• While the tile is still adhered to the wall or floor, cutting it using rotary tools and angle grinders is efficient.
• Use a marker or pencil to mark the spot where the cut was made. To make the line easier to follow and to help avoid chipping, secure a strip of masking tape along the mark.
• To lessen dust, mist the tile with water using a spray bottle.
• Carefully pull the angle grinder along the cut line to score the tile.
• Make several cuts along the score until you have sliced through the tile and subsurface.
• Use a small pry bar to pry the sliced pieces off carefully.

Saving money on tile installation or repair work in a floor, kitchen, bathroom, and other areas can be accomplished by learning how to cut tile and selecting the best cutting tool. After cutting your tile, you're ready to assemble the pieces and tile edging trim for the appropriate tile design for your room.