Sponsored article
Unfortunately, laying ceramic tiles always requires cutting them, which is not an easy task. Tiles during cutting often get chipped, cracked in the wrong place or break off crookedly. This is why, when buying tiles for the wall or floor, it is recommended to buy 5 to 10% more tiles than necessary. This stock will save you from unnecessary trips back to the store for more tiles. To cut ceramics, you need a steady hand and the necessary equipment. See what and how to cut tiles.
To properly cut tiles, you need special equipment. One way to cut tiles is to do it with a tile cutter, commonly known as a guillotine. To cut the tile evenly, you should first measure and mark the place where you want to divide the tile. It is good to gently mark a straight line and then with a quick and sure movement cut the tile in the right place. On the market, there are also cutting machines built similarly to table saws, which are also sometimes used for cutting tiles. Such a cutter has a cutting wheel, with which you scratch the glaze along the marked line, which will break the structure of the tile, just like a glazier’s stylus. Then just press the foot of the guillotine to the tile to break the tile in half. To even out the edges of the tile after cutting, you can use an angle grinder with a diamond disc, but this must be done with special care so as not to chip the tile.
The most common and the easiest method of cutting ceramic tiles is using a glass knife or stylus. Tile should first be marked in the appropriate place, and then the stylus should be used to scratch the tile along the marked line. The glazier’s knife will disturb the texture of the tile, allowing you to break off the necessary piece of tile in one vigorous motion. Tile residue can be removed with glaze pliers, and the edges of the tile and any irregularities can be filed with a tungsten file. This is the easiest and least equipment-intensive method of cutting ceramic tiles.
The most professional method is wet tile cutting, using a saw with a diamond blade. This is a rather expensive piece of equipment, which is not worth buying for one-time use. There are two types of wet saws available on the market, namely saws with a movable and fixed blade. Their use differs in that in the first case, the plate is held in place, and the blade slides over it. The second type of saw works the other way round – the blade remains stationary, and it is the user who moves the plate along it.
The cutting discs in both of these types of tile saws, are water cooled. This prevents dust and dirt from rising from the tiles while cutting. This allows you to be more tidy while tiling. The tile saw gives the user the ability to chamfer the edges of the tiles at a 45-degree angle, which will make them meet in the corners when laid. A diamond blade is the only type of blade that is capable of cutting through tile smoothly. Blades made of other materials can chip tile or dull on hard tile.
Home renovations always involve a lot of mess and noise, but they also cost money. An opportunity to save money when renovating is to do some of the work yourself. Of course, making such a decision involves the fact that the work will probably take more time, but the satisfaction of finishing your own home will be great. Tile cutting and tiling is one of the most challenging and time-consuming renovation jobs for amateurs, but with the right equipment and a steady hand it’s not difficult!
