Better Cut Tile Angle Grinder Or Tile Cutter

Ceramic tile is a durable and convenient material in many respects. But the styling process requires some preparation, accuracy and patience. In order to beautifully and efficiently tile a work wall or floor in a kitchen, you need to not only be able to lay it, but also know how to cut the tile. When tiling a kitchen apron, whole tiles are not always laid. To edge overhangs, window frames, electrical outlets and switches at the edges, tile cutting or drilling is often necessary.

Better Cut Tile Angle Grinder Or Tile Cutter

How to cut ceramic tiles

How to cut ceramic tiles

Wall tiles or glass tiles can be cut with a conventional roller glass cutter. Before slicing, markup with a marker or a simple pencil. The tile intended for the floor is thicker and stronger, so glass cutting will not be enough.

In such cases, a tile cutter (tile cutter) is used. It differs from a roller glass cutter with a wheel, which is much larger in the tile cutter, so the cutter can puncture the tile to a greater depth. Tile cutter in appearance resembles tongs, with its help you can not only cut, but also break the tile after an incision. The mechanism for breaking tiles consists of a corner of a metal tooth on the bottom of the forceps and a special corner on the top.

Electric tile cutting machine

If you have to cut the floor tiles, the corner on the top of the tongs should only be made of metal. Therefore, if you decide to purchase a tile cutter, choose a tool not with a plastic, but with a metal corner. A tile cutter with a plastic corner is only suitable for wall tiles. Most cutters are equipped with a metal ruler with a limiter, which is designed for serial cutting. If it is necessary to cut tiles of the same size (for example, for a border).

Ceramic tiles can also be cut with an angle grinder with a diamond wheel. It is best suited for working with tiles. But this method is the noisiest and most dusty, so you can only use an angle grinder when it is impossible to saw with a tile cutter or other tool.

How to use a tile cutter

The main difference between the tile cutter is the larger wheel with which you can make a cut of greater depth, and the presence of a mechanism that, after cutting, allows you to break the tile. Electric tile cutting machines, which are also on sale, cut tiles very carefully, the edges are smooth and slightly rounded.

Before cutting the tile, it should be soaked in water for 30-40 minutes, and then mark the part intended for cutting, by applying the cut line with a marker or pencil.

Manual Tile Cutter

Using the tile cutter, you can make an incision at a given desired angle. In this case, the marking is applied using a square with divisions. The cut line on the tile is no closer than one cm from the edge of the tile. When working with the tile cutter, align the mark with the pointer on the cutter. The tile is fixed at the same level, and the cutting element is moved in the direction “away”. Move the cutter to the edge of the tile very slowly. So you can avoid overheating of the tile, the appearance of cracks and chips on it.

It is very important to properly break the incised element. Using a tile cutting machine, evenly distribute the pressure to avoid breaking or deviating from the markings you applied. If you use a manual tile cutter, cutting strips smaller than 5 mm wide will not work.

Cutting ceramic tiles with glass cutter

If the amount of work with tiles is small, it is quite possible to do without a special machine for cutting tiles, using a conventional roller glass cutter (diamond). Cutting ceramic tiles with glass cutter is done similarly. First, the tile is soaked in water for 30-40 minutes. After marking with a marker or pencil on the front side, the tile is laid on a flat board or plywood. An incision is made with strong pressure. Only once. While evenly pressing on the tool, roll it in the direction from the far edge of the tile towards you so that a groove appears on the enamel surface. To break through the formed line, place a carnation, match or thin wire under it, and press on the tile on both sides at once.

Glass Cutting Tile

It is quite difficult to carry out a large amount of work with a glass cutter, since the process is time-consuming and requires concentration. After all, you need to constantly monitor so that the incision passes in the right place. And of course, it is impossible to cut a thick floor tile with a glass cutter.

Aligning the edges after cutting tiles

If sharp jagged edges are obtained, use pliers or pliers to align them. The uneven edge is bitten off, and the chips are leveled with a round file. The edges of the tiles are treated with coarse sandpaper.

The intricacies of working with an angle grinder

If ceramic tile cutting is done with this tool, it is very important to observe safety precautions. When working with the angle grinder, use eye protection. In addition, the tool should have a protective cover that takes over most of the fragments from the ceramic tiles. A protective case is also needed in order to ensure your safety if the high-speed disk suddenly breaks.

Tile cutting angle grinder is carried out using a diamond wheel. Before starting work, make sure that the circle is firmly fixed, then turn on the tool and cut along a predetermined line. Remember that this method of cutting tiles is the most dusty and noisy, so use the angle grinder only in emergency cases, for example, when you need to cut porcelain tiles. An angle grinder is also necessary to align the edges of the tile when a cut is needed at an angle (for joining tiles on the ledges).

Tile cutting angle grinder with diamond wheel

How to cut porcelain tile

This tile in texture resembles natural stone. Modern technologies make it possible to give a ceramic granite surface almost any color. Wood, volcanic solidified lava, roughly hewn stone, aged stone. The properties of porcelain stoneware derive from the specifics of the raw materials used to make this finishing material. Unlike ceramic tiles intended for interior decoration, porcelain tiles can be used both for interior and for facade work. After all, the components of the tile in the production process interact at the molecular level and sinter so much that they form a monolith. Therefore, cutting porcelain tiles is a time-consuming process, which can only be facilitated by an angle grinder.