How to Cut Porcelain Tile For Floor

Due to the high strength characteristics of the artificial decorative ceramic stone during installation, a number of questions often arise: how to cut porcelain tiles for floors and walls, is it possible to cut them at home, how to avoid chips? Depending on the quality of the tile and its parameters, recommendations for work vary, but a number of tools and technologies for working with them can be distinguished to achieve the optimal result when cutting porcelain tiles.

How to Cut Porcelain Tile For Floor

Possible tools for cutting porcelain tiles

Among the tools that can cope with cutting porcelain tiles at home, the following can be distinguished:

  • Grinder (angle grinder);
  • Manual tile cutter;
  • Electric tile cutter (wet cutter).

The choice of tool depends on the amount of work to be done, the thickness of the tile or stone, the required quality, the type of cut (straight or curved) and the material capabilities of the builder. Each of the tools has a number of advantages and disadvantages, knowing which, the master can decide on the need for their application.

Ceramic Granite Cutting Technology Angle Grinder

One of the most common tools, which you resort to when cutting stone is necessary, is a grinder. By using the correct cutting technology and the availability of a high-quality diamond blade, you can achieve a good result. Carefully read the instructions on how to cut porcelain tiles at home with an angle grinder.

Requirements and selection of a disk for the angular grinder

One of the main components of the success of cutting porcelain stoneware angle grinder without chips is the quality of the disk. Since this type of tile is considered a very durable material, which in terms of hardness exceeds even natural granite, diamond blades must be used for cutting it.

Recommendations for selecting a diamond blade:

  • Choose a disk just for the material that you are going to cut (hard granite, hard ceramics, porcelain tile can be written on the disk);
  • The blade should be with a solid cutting edge;
  • The thinner the disk, the less likely it is that chips will appear during cutting;
  • The higher the height of the diamond segment, the longer the disk will be in operation;
  • To purchase, you need to know the parameters of the angle grinder, namely: what size (outer diameter) of the disk is suitable for the machine, the diameter of the mounting hole, non-compliance with these parameters is unacceptable;
  • It is necessary to pay attention to the recommended speed during operation, to compare these data with the possibility of a grinder.

Due to the appearance of new varieties of ceramic granite tiles on the market, it becomes more difficult for manufacturers to develop a disk that will equally suit all types, so it often happens that to achieve the best result, the master has to try several options.

Basic recommendations for working with angle grinder

When working with a grinder, safety precautions should be observed, therefore, first of all, it is necessary to purchase protective equipment:

  • Protective glasses;
  • Respirator. During work a lot of dust is formed, which when inhaled settles in the lungs;
  • Overalls, headdress;
  • Headphones, ear plugs.

Do not neglect the protection, even if you need to divide one tile into parts.

Many people ask, is it possible to cut porcelain stoneware angle grinder without chips? Unfortunately, there will always be chips, but their number and size can really be minimized by following some recommendations.

Cutting Instructions Ceramic Stone Angle Grinder

Technology and rules for cutting granite stone:

  1. Put the tile on a flat surface, under it (to prevent damage to the surface) put foam, foam or other material;
  2. Pre-apply the fishing line, which will be cut.
  3. To reduce the likelihood of chips in the place of the cut, it is recommended to stick masking tape and draw a fishing line over it.
  4. To reduce dust in the workplace, it makes sense to use a vacuum cleaner that will immediately draw it in.
  5. Porcelain cutting is carried out on the front side, since the disk gives the greatest number of chips at the output.
  6. For precision cutting thick porcelain stoneware, you can use a metal corner, which is fixed along the cutting line with clamps, along with which an angle grinder is cut.
  7. The cut should be done not clearly along the previously drawn line, but a little to the right, so that the fishing line remains visible, possible irregularities are then ground to a marked line, thereby obtaining the desired tile size.
  8. The grinder should be moved in the direction “away from you”.
  9. If there is no need for a perfectly even cut, or it is a thin tile, you can not cut it to the end, but make a cut, then break it along the cut line.
  10. To reduce chipping, cutting is important in one pass.
  11. After cutting, the ends with chips can be sanded.

How to Cut Porcelain Tile For Floor

Video: Stone cutting angle grinder at home

Possible problems and solutions

During the cutting of porcelain stoneware, the angle grinder at home can form small chips on the cut. By grinding, you can achieve the effect of almost a factory cut. Ideal for this task are diamond flexible grinding wheels called turtles. The turtles differ in particle size of the deposited diamond powder.

For polishing, as a rule, it is enough to take a disk with grit No. 80-100, but since the quality of the ceramic granite tiles is different, you can try turtles with different grit.

To use the turtle, an angle grinder with speed control is required, the average recommended number of revolutions is up to 3000 rpm, at a higher speed the disk can fly off the tool.

Also, for grinding small chips it makes sense to try the use of sandpaper, and for the final polishing. A sponge with diamond spraying. For the final washing of tiles at an angle of 45 degrees, you can also use a turtle.

Advantages and disadvantages of using an angle grinder

Among the advantages of using an angle grinder for cutting porcelain tiles, the following can be distinguished:

  • Accessibility: almost every house has an angle grinder, and if laying and cutting porcelain tiles is not a professional activity, there is no need to purchase an additional tool;
  • The ability to perform both straight and curved lines, slices at an angle of 45 degrees;
  • The ability to work with already glued porcelain stoneware.
  • A lot of dust;
  • Noise, which can cause the inability to use in apartment buildings;
  • Injury hazard.

Self-cutting porcelain tiles with manual tile cutter

Among the popular tools for quick cutting of porcelain tiles with their own hands, one can distinguish manual tile cutter. The quality of both the tile and the tool varies, but following the recommendations, you can choose a tool that can handle the job.

How to choose a manual tile cutter for working with porcelain stoneware

The principle of operation of all mechanical tile cutters is practically no different, but you should pay attention to the elements that affect the quality:

  • Thickness of the cutting element: the thicker the tile, the more powerful and thicker the diameter of the cutting roller should be;
  • Bed: the thickness of the bed metal must be such that the base is rigid and does not bend or vibrate during tile splitting during operation;
  • Guides and their supports must be strong;
  • Handle. The stronger, the more powerful the lever;
  • The carriage should not play, if there is a play on the carriage, the cut may not turn out smooth, an arc will appear;
  • The smooth running of the carriage is ensured by special bearings, which are not present in every model, but their presence is desirable for cutting hard stone.

The length of the tool does not affect the quality of work; each master considers this parameter depending on personal needs. You should not buy a short tile cutter, thus limiting yourself in your capabilities, it is always better to have a universal tool that will allow you to cut material of different sizes, not forgetting the frequent need for diagonal cutting. It is also worth considering that on long tile cutters the probability of an arc is greater.

Many models have additional features that do not affect the quality of the cut, but are very functional in operation:

  • Lateral limiter, which allows you to make a series of lines in a straight line and diagonally without marking on each tile, which greatly simplifies and speeds up the process;
  • Approach for lefties.

Video: How to choose and use a manual tile cutter

Compact tile cutting technology for porcelain stoneware

The technology of cutting with a manual tile cutter is the same for any materials:

  1. Place the tool on a flat surface;
  2. Mark the tiles.
  3. Lay the tile on the bed so that the blade of the roller coincides with the intended line.
  4. Make an incision with a simple movement of the carriage “away” with a slight pressure.
  5. Lower the handle and break the tile according to the obtained slice.
  6. If the cut has turned out with small chips, sand it with sandpaper or a diamond-coated sponge.

There is nothing complicated in technologies with a manual tile cutter, but if you have little experience, then conduct a training before finishing work.

Watch a on how a hand tool for cutting tiles with porcelain stoneware simply handles.

Video: How to cut a ceramic stone

Advantages and disadvantages of a manual tile cutter when working with porcelain tile

Among the advantages, the following can be distinguished:

Simplicity and safety in use;

  • In comparison with an angle grinder. There is no noise and dust;
  • No electricity needed for work;
  • High speed of work;
  • The ability to replace the roller (cutter);
  • A good tile cutter gives a clear cut.
  • If the surface of the porcelain is ribbed or a slice hits an edge for glue, then a break can result in a chip;
  • Inability to cut a strip of less than 0.6 cm from the edge;
  • Cutting porcelain by hand with a tile cutter is often possible only in a straight line, for curved lines or chamfering you have to use an additional tool;
  • Price. A quality tool that is suitable for cutting stone, will not be cheap.

Porcelain tile cutting machine

In addition to an angle grinder and a manual tile cutter, to cut ceramic tiles for the floor, you can use electric tile cutters. As in the case of an angle grinder, the cutting element of this tool is a diamond disk, the quality of which determines the smoothness and evenness of the cut. When working, the dry angle grinder uses electric water for operation of the electric cutter, which is supplied to the disk during operation and cools it.

  • Lack of dust, almost no noise;
  • The lack of the human factor of “trembling hands”;
  • The possibility of curly lines;
  • The ability to cut less than 0.6 cm from the edge of the tile.
  • A good electric tool costs several times more than even the most expensive hand tool;
  • If the work is carried out on the street in the cold season, then from getting water on their hands they freeze very much;
  • Constant need to replace the water in the tank;
  • On some machines, water is very sprayed during operation.

For porcelain stoneware, it is better to use wet cutters with a top feed of the disk, but among the electric cutters there are also budget options with a lower feed, which many use at home when cutting porcelain stoneware.

In this case, lay the tile face down on the countertop.

To cut a stone with a small wet cutter, it will take much more time compared to using a manual device, but despite this, performers with little experience prefer a wet cutter, since it turns out to be more difficult to make a cut with this tool, but better.

Professional waterjet cutting

It happens that it is necessary to carve out elements from a stone in such a form that all of the above tools cannot handle. In this case, you can look for the possibility of waterjet cutting in the city. Cutting stone with a jet of water with abrasive impurities under pressure.

Using this technology, granite can be cut not only in a straight line, but also cut out any artistic elements for decoration. This technology gives a high quality edge, usually not requiring further processing.

Video: Waterjet cutting technology

The quality of artificial granite can be different, without seeing the material, even the most professional master is hard to say, the better to cut ceramic tiles for the floor without the formation of chips. If there is a need to cut porcelain tiles, but at home it is impossible to do this, contact the organization that carries out waterjet cutting.