How To Cut Ceramic Tiles Without A Tile Cutter

Using an electric tile cutter

If the object is large and there are many sections of the product, then it is rational to purchase an electric tile cutter. With him, the work will be done quickly and efficiently. The tool has a cutting wheel and a water supply system. Around it is not simple, but diamond-coated. And water is needed to remove dust and cool the ceramic surface.

How to cut ceramic tiles with this tile cutter? The process resembles working with an angle grinder.

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When laying ceramic tiles, it is rarely possible to do without cutting it. In those areas where the whole tile does not fit, you have to carefully cut it to size. Many ways have been invented for this. You only need to choose the option that suits you in terms of volume of work and convenience.

How the manual tile cutter and glass cutter work

The technique for cutting ceramics with a hand-held tile cutter looks like this:

  • The element is inserted into the Clamping area;
  • The tile is positioned in accordance with the desired cutting path;
  • With a special handle, the tool jaws are squeezed and fixed the ceramic part;
  • The working body with the cutting unit is pressed and with effort is carried along the mowing line of the cut.

As a result of this simple technique, a depression is formed on the ceramic tile. Tile cutters allow you to adjust the degree of immersion. In practice, it is chosen so as not to require excessive effort from the performer and NOT to cut very deeply, as chips and even cracks may appear.

When working with a manual tile cutter, the rational cutting depth is determined as follows: it is necessary to go through a layer of gloss and about a quarter, and for weakly annealed tiles. a third of the base ceramic. For matte tiles, it is recommended to pass at least one third of the minimum thickness (in the area of ​​the recesses on the back).

After creating the indentation, the tiles are removed from the tile cutter and split along the mowing line with a blow or bend. In the first case, it is better to do this with a rubber mallet. Some models of tile cutters are equipped with an auxiliary device for breaking ceramics along the cutting line of the cut. If part of the tile goes to waste, you can simply beat it off to the edge of the desktop, but you need to act carefully.

How To Cut Ceramic Tiles Without A Tile Cutter

Tile glass cutter

A similar technology of work. when using a manual glass cutter. A cut is marked on the tile, a support is laid (for example, a wooden plank), the tool is pressed tightly and is carried along the mowing line along the guide, with effort.

With a certain dexterity, you can cut the tiles for the floor with a glass cutter and a figured path. However, it should be noted that good results are achieved on glossy tiles, which are quite thin. Therefore, the use of glass cutters is somewhat limited.

Jigsaw

If there is no tile cutter or angle grinder, then a jigsaw may be available. An underestimated tool by many!

Note! You can use a manual jigsaw with a stone saw in the same way. But the cutting speed will be an order of magnitude lower.

  • Electric jigsaw. Any power;
  • Saw on stone;
  • Safety glasses (recommended).

Sawed in the usual way. Cutting too rounded cuts is problematic, the saw gets stuck. Not thick (wall) tiles are cut well. This makes it very difficult to cut through a porcelain stoneware floor. For a little relief, it is suggested to pre-soak the material.

It is recommended to use, if necessary, cut curvilinear segments with large radius of curvature.

Using a jigsaw, drill

The jigsaw and drill are familiar tools, so it is not necessary to explain the technology of their use. For example, the formation of cuts with a drill occurs according to an understandable scheme: small holes are made at a short distance along the mowing line of the marking, the material is broken off with pliers. We will mention some of the features of using a jigsaw and a drill in relation to ceramic tiles.

  • A drill can easily make round holes. For this, crowns with a dusting of diamond chips along the edge (of various diameters), as well as ballerinas (milling cutter with an adjustable position of the cutting body) are used.
  • When working with glossy tiles, it is recommended to use glass drills first, passing the top layer, then you can use concrete drills.
  • Using a jigsaw, you need to make sure that the saw is picked up from the side of the coating, which in the cutting area should have a minimum of chips. Especially for glossy ceramics and saws with a standard bottom grip: you need to cut the tiles, with their front part down.

Drill cutting

You can list for a long time nozzles, grinding and cutting, mention special saws, diamond-coated strings and other equipment for cutting ceramics. However, the tools already listed are enough for a home craftsman or an effective performer to cut tiles efficiently, quickly, accurately, with a guaranteed result.

Ceramic cutting options

Each of the methods is good in its own way and is suitable in one case or another. How to cut ceramic tiles? There are three main ways to cut exactly the ceramic tile:

  • Using an angle grinder with a matching disc.
  • Using an electric, manual tile cutter or special tongs.
  • Handy tools for cutting ceramic tiles, such as a glass cutter, a well-sharpened nail or drill.

In order to understand all the subtleties of the work, you need to consider in detail each option.

Using glass cutter

If the tile is NOT too thick and not very strong, it can be successfully cut with a regular glass cutter. This process is well explained in the article below. It is only important to remember that in this way it will be possible to process mainly tiles with a smooth glossy surface. In the case of a raised front surface, the use of this tool is unacceptable. In addition to the glass cutter itself, you will also need an even ruler or bar.

Before cutting the glass cutter tile, you need to prepare a perfectly flat and clean surface. This can be a table, a flat board laid on the floor, etc. Using a ruler and a marker, you need to measure and draw a straight line of the cut. It should be noted here that experienced tilers using glass cutters successfully cut pieces of curved shape from tiles, but this requires a lot of experience and skills.

Attached the glass cutter roller to the beginning of the marked mowing line, you need to apply a little pressure on it and move it in one motion along the marked mowing line. In this case, separation of the tool from the surface is not possible, as it is repeated over the already cut surface. After that, from below on the tile under the cut line, you need to knock slightly with the hard end of the tool, so that microcracks form along the mowing line of the fault. Then the tiles are laid so that the cut line coincides with the edge of the table or board. Pressed her hand to the surface, press sharply on the cut off part. In total, the material should crack exactly along the mowing line. This whole process is considered in the text below.

Here we add that cutting tiles with a glass cutter is suitable only if you need to process a small amount of material, which does not contain granite chips. That is, this cutting method is not recommended for floor tiles, since porcelain stoneware tiles are characterized by high hardness and strength.

Remember that the glass cutter roller leaves a less deep mark on the surface of the tile when cutting, which significantly increases the likelihood of improper breakage. Therefore, this tool can only be successfully used with thin, glossy ceramic wall tiles.

As you can see, there are a great many tools and methods for properly cutting tiles. It is up to you to decide which option to choose in order to properly cut tiles without chips. Practice on defective material, and having gained some experience and skills, you can already proceed to high-quality cutting of tiles with your own hands.

Alternative glass cutter attachments

When there is a glass cutter in the house, an angle grinder, a strong sharp object can be used to mark the furrow. Will fit:

  • Cutter;
  • File sharpened with emery;

Cutting with a victor drill

  • Pobeditovoy drill;
  • Construction knife;
  • Alloy steel, others.

The main thing is to hold such an object in your hands while drawing a furrow. To carry out a mowing line, a construction knife will have to cut the line several times.

In emergency cases, a circular saw is used, although it has low speed. The appropriate disc is selected (with spraying), the shaft of the maximum speed is accelerated. Then, slowly, without pressure, the cut is made along the intended mowing line. The cut is made submerged, longitudinal, always wetting the cutting point with water.

Cracking ceramic tiles

The final stage of cutting ceramic tiles is splitting the material. There are several types of splitting the tile at the break point: at the edge of the table, along a solid rod, between the clamp.

Splitting tiles into the edge of the table

When splitting ceramic tiles with a hard rod, you can split the material into larger and smaller pieces. In this case, a rod is used, the diameter of which is 8. 15 mm (drills, nails, pencils and other devices), the length is 2/3 of the length of the fracture. Ceramic tiles are laid on a rod, aligned at the fracture site. The final stage. pressing on the material.

Splitting on a solid rod

When using the method of splitting the material between the clamps, the ceramic tile is fixed between two pieces of plywood, bars and other materials at hand. The tile is installed on the break line, clamped. Final stage. pressing on the free edge.

Splitting with a clamp

Thus, there are different ways to cut tiles without using a tile cutter. For convenience, when preparing for work, it is recommended to soak the tiles in water for 40 minutes. When carrying out work, it is also recommended to mark the material and control the pressure force so as not to damage it.

Tiled apron in the kitchen
Construction yardTwo common methods for cutting tiles

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