How to cut a tile: basic rules and small secrets of cutting

If you started repairs in your own apartment and want to save on attracting professionals from outside, then, among other things, you need to know how to cut the tile. This material is still the most popular for finishing walls and floors in the bathroom, kitchen, corridor, etc.

How to Cut a Tile: Basic Cutting Rules

1. Draw a marking line (using a ruler) on the surface of the tile with a marker or felt-tip pen.

2. Use a roller cutter to cut the tile in the right place.

3. Combine the cut line with the edge of the surface on which you will work (ideally suitable for this purpose is the table, previously covered with a sheet of plywood or board).

4. Break the tile - it should disintegrate exactly along the line of the cut made by you.

How to cut a tile: the secrets of cutting

1. Before you are ready to cut the tile, lower it into a basin of water and hold it there for 40-60 minutes.

2. The incision line should not be made closer than at a distance of 0.8-1 m from the edge of the tile.

3. The incision must be made only once.

4. When working with a roller cutter, you should evenly apply pressure to the tool and roll it from the far end of the tile and toward yourself. At the same time, a visible groove will remain on the enameled surface.

5. To achieve tile breaking exactly along the line of the notch made, place a nail or even a match under the product and lightly press on both sides of this line.

6. If in addition to cutting you also need to make a tidy hole in the tile, while maintaining its integrity, proceed in the following proven way. Preliminarily remove (with a hammer and chisel) the glaze from the enameled surface where it is supposed to make a hole. Tile the same drill in the marked place with an electric drill. This method is suitable for the tile, which is already fixed on the wall. If you keep the building material in your hands, it is better to make a hole with a hand drill to avoid the occurrence of cracks.

How to cut a tile: a tool - a tile cutter

The tile cutter is used to cut floor tiles. The main difference between this tool and the glass cutter is that the wheel at the first is much larger in size (up to 1.5 m in diameter). And this feature allows you to make cuts to a great depth.

By itself, the tile cutter looks like a tongs in appearance, as it is equipped with a special mechanism that allows breaking the tile after applying the incision to the enamel. The tool consists of a metal tooth (on the bottom part) and a corner (on the top). In this case, the cutting of ceramic floor tiles should be carried out only with a device with a metal corner. This is important to consider when buying a tile cutter, because they are still sold and with a corner of plastic, designed for working with wall tiles, more delicate.

Tile cutters, as a rule, are already equipped with a metal ruler with a stop for serial cutting, that is, when it is necessary to cut several tiles of the same size.

Today on sale it is possible to meet tile cutters stationary and electric (with a diamond disk). Their merits are more accurate (in comparison with using a glass cutter) work and with less loss. When buying an instrument it is useful to take with you one of those tiles that you plan to cut in order to check out not cheap goods in the case. A quality product should have thick-walled guides and a rigid base.

How to cut a tile: a tool - a glass cutter

The glass cutter is convenient and expedient to use if there is a small amount of work to divide the tiles or ceramic tiles into several parts. In contrast to tiles, this tool is much cheaper.

How to cut a tile with a Bulgarian

To cut the tile, you can use and grinder, which allows you to do both direct cutting and figurative. This tool, in principle, is not inferior to the quality of the result, however, as the device is tame, the accuracy of the cutting will be somewhat lower - there will be jagged edges.