With what you can cut tiles at home

Tile cutters

Plot cutter-pincers costs the cheapest (200-400), and it is suitable only for small amounts of work with thin ceramic tiles at home.

After the cut, push the tile with the breaking pliers

  • Mark all gaps and seams (-5 mm).
  • Place a metal ruler against the scythe marking line and run the cutter along it once. Apply moderate pressure to create a visible line. Lead it from the far edge toward you.
  • Position the pliers with the tines along the scrap line close to the edge. The jaws should be on top of the glaze, and the straight part at the bottom. The break line should run right down the middle between the edges of the upper jaw.
  • Gently push down on the handles to break off the tile. Do not raise it too high, otherwise it will break after falling.

A water saw is sometimes called an electric tile cutter, which resembles a circular saw in design and refers to professional tools with the appropriate capabilities and cost. The device is equipped with a working table, in the longitudinal hole in which the diamond-coated cutting disc rotates. The peculiarity of electric tile cutters is that the cutting of tiles takes place in the presence of water, which abundantly moistens the disc. It arrives to the place of the cut through a special nozzle (in more expensive models) or the disc is moistened by being partially submerged in a tray of water.

The water saw is a professional tool, suitable for cutting any tile

Wet cut at high blade speeds produces a perfect cut edge, not different from the factory cut (bevel is formed at an angle of 45%). Thanks to continuous wetting, no dust is generated during cutting, nor are chips on the cutting edge of the tile. Not only straight but also curved cutting is possible, forming holes of different shapes and sizes. The quality and type of tile affects only the cutting speed, and that only slightly. The water saw will cut a strip of any width from any tile. wall, floor or even porcelain tile. An electric tile cutter is the best option for cutting floor tiles, both interior and exterior, as well as tiles with an embossed surface. In this case it is not necessary to use plastic corners when laying the facing material, closing the cut edge. it is enough to fill the corner joint with grout for tiles.

If you do not have such equipment at hand (which is not surprising), but you need to cut tiles of different types, cutting out holes of different shapes and sizes, you can use a universal power tool, one of the models that will certainly be found in the arsenal of any home craftsman.

How to cut tiles without a tile cutter: 4 alternative tools

In the process of laying tiles, it is often necessary to cut pieces of material. For this purpose, there is a special device that is used by professional craftsmen. a tile cutter. It is not necessary to buy it for a single use. Handsy home handyman may well get by with improvised tools.

It all depends on the type of cut, which can be straight, round, shaped or mosaic. The easiest and most popular straight cut, less often in the repair have to use the round kind. And the shaped or mosaic are used for special design decisions.

Drill with attachments

Strictly speaking, the drill is not suitable for cutting a strip. Drill and various attachments will cope with drilling holes of different diameters in the tiles.

Holes of small diameter under dowels are made for mounting shelves, lockers, decorative elements. Large holes are needed for bypassing pipes, meters, etc.

To work with ceramics is better to use not an ordinary drill, but a lance-shaped drill on tiles, in common people called “feather”. It is easy to pass the glaze layer and the top layer of ceramics, and gnawed into it so that it passes tiles without chipping on the surface.

When you have passed the ceramic, replace the “feather” with a drill for concrete and continue working.

Diamond tile crowns are great nozzles for drilling holes for outlets, switches, meters.

How to cut a tile without a tile cutter: a selection of simple ways

Tools for quality finishing are expensive, but what to do if you need to put a tile, and buy because of a couple of sq. No money and no desire to buy tooling?

Then there is the question of how to cut ceramic or porcelain tile without using a tile cutter because of its absence? We warn you, you can cope with this task with ease, but for the cut to be even and without chips, clearly follow the technology.

tiles, home

PROOF THAT ORDINARY PAPER CUTTER CAN CUT CERAMIC TILES!

Cutting with improvised means

For processing single pieces, you can use a stone drill, which is an imitation of a glass cutter. On the surface of the tile, they put a marking and with effort spend the cutting edge along the steel ruler. The workpiece is then broken with a wooden bar or a cylindrical mandrel. To obtain the hole, it is necessary to drill the channels along the mowing line of the marking, and then carefully knock out the central part. The edges are uneven and require a longtime use of emery board or coarse sandpaper.

A stone drill simulates a glass cutter, with an uneven edge.

Cutting tiles at home: simple and shaped

During the installation of tiles can not do without its cutting. In areas where a whole tile does not fit anymore, for example, in the corners or places where heating or water pipes exit, everywhere you will need to cut ceramic tiles. Many devices and methods have already been invented for this task. It is only worth choosing the best option, which will correspond to the amount of work at its price and convenience.

The most common finish used is glazed tile. This is the most common type, but also the most demanding on the rules of its cutting. Such tiles consist of a base, which is baked clay, covered with a beautiful glaze.

The main purpose is to cut the tile exactly and according to the required dimensions, so that the cut on the front side is as even as possible. Actually there are two ways to do it:

  • Make a sufficiently deep and even cut across the face of the tile and break the bottom layer of the base after that;
  • To cut the tile all the way through, using a diamond wheel.

In the first case, at least the front part will turn out with an even edge, and the fact that there may be a few crooked chips in the base of the tile is not so important. it will be covered with mortar. In the second case, you get a perfectly flat edge over the entire depth of the tile, and you can even expose it when laying on the outer corners.

About the formation of curves or irregular cuts will be discussed later. For now, let’s look at what tool can be used to cut tiles.

Using a handheld tile cutter

It is this tool is most often used when working with tiling material, because that is why it was created. Ceramic tile cutting machine is used by craftsmen and amateurs alike. Simply buy it at your local hardware store. Price depends on size. Minimum For an additional price is available an improved version that allows you to cut ceramics at an angle of 45 °.

Note! Do not buy the cheapest tile cutters. They can break the finishing material, due to the improper balance of the elements.

How to cut ceramic tiles at home with a tile cutter? Instructions:

  • Ceramic is installed in the tile cutter. There is a special marking on the tool. The fishing line on the tile, made as a reference point for cutting, should align with the mark.
  • The handle of the tile cutter is lowered, and then with a smooth movement, at the same speed and pressure, the handle is pulled along the tile from itself. It is necessary for the roller to cut through the coating (glaze) to a uniform depth. It is enough to make one wire. It is not recommended to make several passes. They will not improve the cut, they will only make it worse. Microscopic divergences are created and the final break will be of poor quality.
  • There are special feet on the tile cutter with which you need to break the notched product. The movement is sharp and strong.

There is a metal bump on the platform of the tile cutter. It is protected by soft pads, which help the tile not to be damaged after breaking.

Shaped cutting

The above methods are good if you need to cut tiles in a straight line of mowing line. But there are cases where a shaped cut is needed:

And there are several ways out of this situation.

Nail

Glass cutter as a handle and pliers are inexpensive (from 40 to 500), but if you can not buy them, you can use an ordinary nail. Work carefully to avoid chipping the enamel. This method has one advantage. you can draw any shaped line, and then knock out or bite off unwanted pieces.

Drill and jigsaw

If the tiles just need to be shaped cut, then only one jigsaw is useful. It is correct to start from the edge of the marking, reach the middle of it, and then continue sawing from the other end. This will make the cut as accurate as possible.

If you need to make a hole in the tile, for example, under a pipe or socket, a drill will also come in handy. First it is necessary to make a marking on the tile. Then drill a hole a centimeter inland from the markings, then finish the cut with the jigsaw.

It is important to choose a drill and file with a diamond coating. But even such a jigsaw is not long enough, so cutting tiles can become an expensive occupation. For this reason, this method is applicable only on small areas.

A drill and the right drill bit

If the amount of work is large, it makes sense to spend money on a “ballerina drill. It also costs about 500. The drill justifies its name by its appearance: in addition to the standard foot, there is an additional foot that makes a circular motion and thus cuts a circle. It is somewhat reminiscent of a circular saw. The advantage of a nozzle is that it is adjustable, that is, the additional leg can be moved or, on the contrary, moved away from the main one. It allows you to drill circles of different diameters.

There are two things to consider when working with a drill bit:

  • the maximum possible fixation is necessary, because when you touch the second drill bit, both the drill bit and the tile can turn around or pop out,
  • It generates a lot of dust. it is desirable to work with a second person to hold a vacuum cleaner at the drill and collect the dust.

Circular saw

This is the name of the crown in the form of a circle, that is another attachment on the drill. If you take a saw and bend it into a ring, you can easily imagine this element, even having never met it before. The cost of the ring saw is higher than the ballerina drill. At the same time, there is no diameter regulator, that is, such a drill bit can only drill holes with one radius.

Its advantage is convenience: with a drill bit or drill bit, there is much less chance of the drill bit or drill bit jumping off. But because of the constant friction, the element overheats quickly, so you should take a break every 10 to 15 minutes. Often there is an advice to cool the nozzle in cold water. it is not desirable to do so because of the possible deformation of the coating.

Milling machine

There are also special milling machines for working with tiles. For example, their representative is the Bosch GTR 30 CE Professional. Such a device is expensive. about 20 thousand, additionally purchased drill bits. The meaning of the tool is exactly the same as that of a drill with a matching nozzle, so there is no point in overpaying.

If the usual nozzle costs 500-1000, then from Bosch, which will fit this router. about 2 thousand. High cost is not the only problem: such bits are not common in stores, you may have to make it to order.

Diamond string or tungsten thread

These are two different tools, but their principle of operation is similar. Both are a thick wire that is inserted into a hacksaw (jigsaw). Any shape on a wall tile can be cut with this tool. For thicker materials this method is not suitable, as the thread will blunt faster than it will cut.

Costs similar string about 200, but you need several pieces because of the rapid erasability of the coating and a short service life. The second problem can be chipping on the enamel due to excessive pressure on the hacksaw.