How To Cut The Tiles

3 ways to cut tile at home

Any ceramic tile laying process is not complete without cutting it. There will be a lot of it especially if you use some kind of non-standard layout, for example, diagonally. In the last article, we talked about which layout is better to choose in order to get uniform and beautiful cuts everywhere. Now we will talk about how to properly cut tiles at home.

As you know, the tile is made of baked clay, which is covered with glaze on top. It’s hard to break it with your hands, but if it lies on any unevenness, then it cracks easily from a small load. To simplify this process and make the required break line, you need to loosen the top layer of the glaze. that is, cut it, and therefore make efforts to break.

There are 3 main ways to do this:

• Special tool. manual, electric tile cutter or special tongs.
• Angle Grinder.
• Other handy sharp tools.

Let’s talk more about each tile cutting method.

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How to choose the right disc by tile

For cutting, metal discs are used with diamond dust on the edges. But they are different: for concrete, brick, stone. Tiled discs do not have any holes, the soldering on them is uniform and smooth. Discs for concrete have slots on the solder, and will chip when vibrated. If you cut ceramic tiles with them, then these chips can fly into the face.

Electric tile cutter

If you have a large amount of work, then the fastest and highest quality cut comes from an electric tile cutter. They use a diamond wheel and supply water to the cut to cool and remove dust. The cheapest types of amateur class can be found on sale for 3-4 thousand rubles.

Tile cutter tong

Tile-cutting tongs are the cheapest (200-400 rubles), and it is suitable only for small volumes of work with thin ceramic tiles at home.

After notching, press down on the tile with a cracking pliers

• Make markings taking into account all gaps and seams (-5 mm).
• Attach a metal ruler to the mowing line and slide the cutter along the line once. The pressure should be moderate to form a visible streak. Lead him from the far end to you.
• Place the tongs with their feet along the mowing line of the crowbar near the edge. The sponges should be on top of the glaze, and the straight part on the bottom. The line of the break should be right in the middle between the edges of the upper jaw.
• Press gently on the handles to break off the tiles. At the same time, do not lift it high, otherwise after falling it will break.

We make a drink at 45 degrees

Ceramic pencil skirting is best for protecting the sharp outer corners of tiles

If you are using a professional electric tile cutter, the tilting platform there makes it easy to make a 45-degree angle on the tile bevel, but not everyone has such a tool. It is easy to make such an angle on your own using the same angle grinder "by eye". The disc is guided along the line of the cut, with the disc tilted slightly inward.

Cut tiles at 45 degrees

Cutting tiles angle grinder

Sometimes there are cases when you need to cut a narrow strip of tiles 0.5–2 cm, and an ordinary tile cutter does not take it, because his legs are too wide.

In such cases, you need to draw a notch line with a pencil and make an angle grinder with a diamond disc. But if you try to cut it off in one go, the narrow strip will break off in parts. Therefore, you need to smoothly and without pressure walk the angle grinder along the markings to get an incision with a depth of about 2 mm. You need to walk along the mowing line with a disc, and not directly along it, then the width of the already narrow strip will not decrease.

Using the same method, running several times along the same seam, you will cut a narrow strip. The second and next time you can drive the angle grinder faster, but try to press it to the opposite side, then there will be no chips.

It is better to do this work by weight, so the vibration will go into the hands. When you already see that the strip will soon fall, it is advisable to put something soft so that it does not break.

Tile cutting angle grinder with a special diamond-coated disc on tiles

Be sure to wear glasses when working with an angle grinder.

Safety engineering

• When working with a power tool, use protective goggles that protect eyes from small fragments of tiles.
• The manufacturer recommends to monitor the level of water in the pan and responsible for cooling the cutting blade.
• Periodically, the water in the sump should be changed, as it heats up and becomes clogged with tile chips.

Manual tile cutter

The manual tile cutter allows you to take tiles that are less than 6 mm thick. It is an affordable tool that allows you to quickly cut fragments of tiles according to measurements. Such a tile cutter is convenient for those amateur craftsmen who perform cladding work with their own hands. Professionals use an electric tile cutter, which we’ll talk about a little later.

Handle a manual tile cutter as follows:

• Marking is done on the surface of the tile with a felt-tip pen;
• The tiles are laid on the base of the tool in such a way that the wheel coincides with the markings;
• Pass the wheel over the mowing line of the marking once, controlling the handle of the glass cutter;
• With the help of "wings" the tile is fixed on both sides of the cut for even division into two parts;
• With a light movement of the hand, they hit the handle, while getting the desired fragment for laying out the cut row.

Electric tile cutter

This tool, equipped with a diamond blade, is the most ideal device for cutting any kind of tile. At the same time, using the circular saw of the tile cutter, ideally even cuts are obtained, the edges of which are slightly smoothed and rounded.

Electric tile cutting machine copes with any amount of work, no matter how large they are. The design of the perfect tool is able to provide a high level of safety for the person working with it.

The marked tiles are placed on the working platform of the tile cutter and slowly advanced under the diamond saw blade. At the same time, they try to hold the tile tightly, pressing it to the platform with both hands.

Using the "angle grinder"

A diamond disc mounted on an angle grinder allows you to quickly cut tiles according to the markings made. With this universal tool, both straight and curved tiles can be cut. The advantage of an angle grinder over an electric tile cutter is its mobility. But it loses in terms of the quality of the cut obtained, after which the edges of the tiles need additional processing (grinding).

How to cut tiles with different tools

When carrying out facing works of any premises with the help of tiles, it is necessary to lay not only whole tiles, but also their parts. This raises the question of how to cut the tile so that the edges are smooth. It is even more important not to break the entire tile, the cost of which is quite high. Both tasks are achievable only if the craftsmen use special tools in their work, among which there are professional expensive equipment and cheap devices. When performing one-time work, you can use inexpensive tools.

Safety engineering

• Work must be carried out in goggles and a respirator.
• The area around the workplace must be clear to avoid the possibility of injury from the saw blade.
• It is advisable to work with a partner who, using a vacuum cleaner, will remove construction dust.

How to cut floor tiles. Stone Cutting Machine

Before starting work, the tiles must be well fixed. Then the cutting line is applied, and then trimming is performed on a machine that has a disc consisting of high-strength steel with a special diamond abrasive. To obtain a better result, the lower part of the disc is dipped into a bath filled with water so that there is not too much dust (wet cutting of tiles).

Cutting ceramic tiles. methods and technology. How to cut tile. tools and methods

The history of the appearance of tile is rooted in the distant past and has many millennia. Suffice it to mention the fact that it was used to decorate the magnificent palaces of Ancient Rome and Greece. Since then, the craftsmen have mastered various methods of applying mosaics (the progenitor of tiles), creating amazing works on the walls of temples.

It is known that even then the craftsmen knew how to correctly make and make a mosaic of a certain shape, but what tool they used to cut it is not known for certain.

Only one thing is absolutely clear, the method of making tiles has not undergone practically any changes over many centuries. It is still produced today from clay with the addition of sand, and further firing.

How to cut tile

The main types of ceramic tiles

Tile, a fairly durable material, consists mainly of natural components, and therefore is rightfully considered an environmentally friendly material. It also has several other good qualities, one of which is resistance to high temperatures, and, if it is a facade tile, then to weather changes.

Today the industry offers a fairly large selection of ceramic tiles.

Types of ceramic tiles:

• Bicottura, it is made using double firing and under the influence of the pressing process;
• Monocottura, the production technology of this tile is similar to the previous one, the only difference is that this type goes through a single firing;
• Porcelain stoneware. This is one of the most famous types of tiles, it also goes through the stages of firing and pressing, but after that it undergoes additional mechanical processing.

How to cut tiles. tile cutting tool

Very often, such a situation occurs in the process of laying ceramic tiles, when there are pipes in the repaired room that are not so easy to get around. This is where the need arises to cut the tiles to the desired size. Let’s move more specifically to the question: how can you cut tiles? Let’s start with what tool you can use for this:

• Glass cutter;
• Stone cutting machine;
• Special nippers;
• Electric tile cutter;
• Electric drill;
• Angle grinder.

How to cut a tile with a tile cutter

With an electric tile cutter, you can cut very thin strips of tiles up to 5 mm. And the principle of the tile cutter is practically the same as a stone cutting machine. The tile is cut with a circular saw, which must also have diamond dusting, and a bath of water is placed under the saw. In the same way, you can cut relief tiles.

How to cut a tile with a tile cutter

Electric tile cutter

The first way to cut tiles is with a water saw, which is essentially an electric tile cutter.

This tool allows you to cut materials of almost any thickness and minimize waste by making a high-quality and accurate cut. Also, by choosing a "water" saw as a tool, you can avoid the need for additional processing of ceramic tiles. It is very important that when working with this tool, fragments and dust do not fly to the sides.

The only drawback of this tool is its high cost. over, it will not be useful anywhere else on the farm. However, there is a solution. a "water" saw can be rented.

How to cut tiles

Many who decided to independently carry out the repair of their home, for sure, ask themselves a completely logical question, what tool can be used to cut this material at home.

First, it should be noted that when choosing one or another tool for cutting ceramic tiles, you must take into account the following nuances:

• The nature of the cut;
• Tile thickness;
• Number of tiles.

The tiler has a variety of tools in his arsenal for cutting, tiling, and mixing mortar, but if you decide to tackle this at home, you need some knowledge. How to cut tiles at home and which tool is best to use, we will tell you.

How to cut tiles with wire cutters

Nippers are indispensable if you don’t know how to cut floor tiles to fit around pipes or other small irregular objects. This process is slow, because if you hurry, you can make a mistake, and the chip will turn out not in the place of the marking.

In order to start nibbling the tile, mark the smooth side with a marker or pencil. Use the tool to break off small pieces when placing the cutter on the line. At the same time, a lot of dirt does not form, there is no dust at all, but this is not the main way to separate particles from tiles.

Work should start from the edge, gradually moving towards the middle of the object.

The advantage of nippers lies in their low cost, ease of use and the ability to cut not only at right angles. In parallel, of course, many worries arise with the processing of an uneven edge: sandpaper or special grinding tools will come to the rescue.

Advantages and disadvantages of ceramic tiles

In modern conditions, ceramic tiles are not the most convenient material, but they do not lose their popularity due to the fact that they have a number of indisputable advantages. Among them:

• Convenient to use, easy to care for: with regular proper cleaning, ceramics looks neat, does not collect fungus;
• Resistant to moisture, therefore surface cladding in bathrooms and kitchens is preferable;
• Refractory: this quality allows the material to be used for facing brick ovens;
• Diverse: many shapes, sizes, types and colors are useful for wall decoration in rooms of any interior;
• Durable: does not require replacement after a year or two, retains its attractive appearance for decades.

One of the main disadvantages of ceramics is the coldness from the surface. This circumstance can be easily corrected with the help of modern technologies. It is convenient to place underfloor heating mats under the tiles located on the floor to make your bathroom or kitchen even more comfortable.

When choosing a floor covering, pay attention to the surface relief: if it is ribbed, with edges or grooves, then it is impractical to lay such tiles in the kitchen or bathroom: dust and dirt from cooking food will clog into the recesses, and cleaning behind such tiles will turn into a real feat.

Cutting tiles with a glass cutter

The second way to cut the tiles into pieces is with a roller glass cutter.

Glass cutters

The very name of the tool contains the material with which this unit is adapted to work. When working with glass, it is convenient, although there are more modern substitutes for it. In fact, it is not intended for cutting, but only for applying a scratch to the surface in order to further gently break the material, like a bar of chocolate. This is why only a small amount of ceramic tiles can be cut with this tool. In this case, the material should have a small thickness and not have a relief on the plane.

When working with this tool, the most difficult thing is strictly once to draw it along the markings, drawing with the same pressure a groove of the required depth so that the tile does not break in the wrong place.

If you want to break the ceramics in a straight line, this is relatively easy to do, but if you want to break along a curved mowing line, then difficulties arise.

A wooden block is placed under the groove and pressed on the material from both sides, trying not to cut yourself on the uneven edge. This is how the tile breaks along the mowing line drawn with a glass cutter.

Other ways

Method five. using a stationary tile cutter.

This tool is perfect for cutting ceramic tiles. Stationary tile cutters are usually equipped with:

• Cutter;
• Lever with a corner;
• Stop ruler.

When choosing this tool, you must pay attention to its quality, which will be indicated by the presence of thick guide walls and a rigid base.

Sometimes an electric drill is used when cutting tiles. This tool is ineffective when cutting ceramics. However, it will help you make good circular cuts. In this case, do not forget that you need to use only victorious drills.

There is an easier and more popular way to fit tiles to size: using a ceramic hacksaw. This tool is the best option for cutting ceramic tiles. Thanks to the presence of tungsten-carbide spraying, the tiles are easy to cut. At the same time, there will be no need for further grinding of its sections.

How to cut tile at home?

The production of works on covering the walls and floors of different rooms with ceramic tiles is not complete without cutting the tiles, since usually it is not always possible to use only whole plates and some of them have to be cut. How to cut a tile with your own hands? What tools should be used for this? How can you cut the tile so that the tiles have smooth edges, and the plate does not split?

When laying tiles, there is a need to cut them. Use special tools to keep the edges of the tiles even.

In order to cut high quality ceramic tiles, it is necessary to use special tools and devices. If the work to be performed is of a small volume, then hand tools are usually used. When covering large areas with tiles, professional equipment is used. Consider various methods and tools for cutting ceramic tiles.

How can you cut tiles with pliers?

Nippers are used to break off tiles.

This tool is used when it is necessary to cut tiles for holes in different places: for platbands, for water pipes, etc. Nippers do not cut in the literal sense of the word, but break off small pieces from the tiles along the mowing line of the cut. The nippers themselves have 2 carbide-coated clamps. the upper one cuts through the glazed layer on the tile, and the lower one serves as a support for the plate. Cutting pliers are used like this:

• The contour of the recess is applied to the tile;
• Insert the tile into the nippers so that the upper clamp is on the marked mowing line;
• Squeeze both halves of the tool and break the tiles along the markings. you cannot "bite off" large pieces, the edges will turn out to be uneven or the tile itself will crack;
• Having completely passed along the marking and removing unnecessary material, the cut on the tile is cleaned with a file or diamond sandpaper.

The use of a manual machine at work

Tile cutting scheme with a manual machine.

Such a slab cutter is used to cut plates with a thickness of no more than 5-6 mm. The tool has a very reasonable price and makes it possible to relatively easily and quickly cut the required number of tiles. it is well suited for doing cladding work with your own hands.

It is applied in the following order:

• With a pencil or felt-tip pen, mark the part to be cut on the tile;
• The material is installed on the base of the device so that the cutting line is under the impeller of the machine;
• Using the tool handle, carefully cut the cut with the impeller along the marked mowing line;
• The tile is fixed on both sides of the intended cut using the so-called wings;
• Lightly hitting the handle of the machine, separate an unnecessary piece from the tile.

If, after several such blows, the tile remains intact, then try to cut the next plate.

How to cut tile?

Cutting tools: A-tile cutter; B-bit carbide; C-angle grinder; D-manual tile cutter; E-pliers; F-glass cutter; G-hacksaw for metal.

On the market, manufacturers sell various fixtures and tools to accomplish this task.

Of all the offered variety, you can use the following for independent work:

• Manual slab cutter;
• Its electrical counterpart;
• Tile nippers;
• Conventional roller glass cutter;
• The so-called angle grinder;
• Metallic pencil with a victorious tip.

How to use these tools when cutting tiles will be discussed below.

How to cut a tile with a glass cutter or angle grinder?

With a glass cutter, you can make a straight cut in the material quite quickly. To do this, perform the following operations:

• Mark with a pencil (felt-tip pen) the line along which they are going to cut the tiles;
• Press the square of material to the table with one hand, and with the other, directing the glass cutter towards yourself and holding it at an angle of 90 °, hold the tool with pressure along the intended mowing line;
• The cut plate is placed on a wooden block (or on the edge of the table) and with a blow of the palm, break the tile along the mowing line of the cut.

Scheme for cutting tiles with a stele cutter.

In addition, difficulties arise in its application when performing a curly cut mowing line. Now let’s look at how to cut a tile angle grinder.

To use it in facing work, you need to purchase a diamond disc, which allows you to use this universal tool for cutting tiles both along straight and curly lines. Compared to an electric tile cutter, an angle grinder is more mobile, but loses to it in terms of cut quality. After cutting the tile with this tool, you need to clean the sections with a file or sandpaper. Use an angle grinder like this:

• A cut line is drawn on the plate;
• The tile is fixed in wooden clamps, or it is pressed with the foot and an angle grinder is cut;
• The cut edges are cleaned with a file.

Electric ceramic cutter

The electric tile cutter is based on a diamond disc that allows you to make even and beautiful cuts.

This device has a diamond disc as a working tool and will cope with tiles of any thickness.

When working, you get even cuts with rounded smoothed edges.

Such a machine can be used for any amount of work, it is used when cutting various ceramic and stone slabs, with the exception of those coated with carbide chips, which can damage the diamond disc.

They work on this device like this:

• The cut line is applied to the tile with a pencil;
• The marked tile is placed on the working platform of the machine, and tightly holding the plate with both hands and pressing it to the base of the device, slowly move the material under the blade of the diamond disc;
• When working, special glasses are used to protect the eyes and the level of cooling water in the machine pan is constantly monitored;
• The liquid is periodically changed. during operation it becomes clogged with ceramic chips;
• Do not try to increase the speed at which the tile is fed under the disc. it may crack.