How to cut tiles with an angle grinder. Why porcelain tiles are so hard to work with

Is it possible to cut tiles with an angle grinder

For tile trimming there is a special tool. a tile cutter. But even its manual version, not to mention the mechanized one, is relatively expensive, so it is not reasonable to buy a tile cutter for one-time work.

angle grinder, on the contrary, is a universal tool used for many tasks, so it is available in almost every household.

And if the tiling is performed by the homeowner himself, it is more logical to use this very tool.

In addition, the angle grinder, unlike the tile cutter, you can perform round holes if you do not have the appropriate accessories for the drill. a cylindrical drill bit (crown) or ballerina.

How to choose the best disc

Different types of discs are designed for cutting: wood, metal, reinforced concrete, porcelain stoneware and other material. But to increase cutting power, diamond coating is added to some products.

That’s why such kinds are notable for increased cost. Nevertheless, this is due to durability and high performance.

Any kind of disk can be used for cutting, even a masonry version will do the job. Another thing is what will be the quality of work?

  • If the disc is not properly chosen, a large number of chips, cracks or broken tiles cannot be ruled out.
  • Some discs quickly become unserviceable.
  • In case of lack of quality need any model can be used, but it happens seldom.

Tile Tips: Cutting a Round Hole in Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

Important: For qualitative cutting without chips a steel disc with a diamond coating with thickness of at least 2 mm is used.

tiles, angle, grinder, porcelain

Disks thickness less than 2 mm used on machines, because manual work increases the likelihood of a slight jerk or shock that will inevitably lead to damage to the facing material. The damage of the cutting element is not excluded.

But it is not only the thickness or height that is important, but also the type of the diamond disc, because much depends on the density of the diamond sputtering and the size of the diamond particles. In the case of cutting tiles this is not particularly important details, but with thick floor tiles, dense ceramic, porcelain tiles can be difficult.

Tip: In such a case, for an adequate choice, test several cutting elements on test pieces of material. This allows you to settle on the optimal diamond-coated product.

As we have understood, there are different types of diamond discs. Next, let’s consider popular types.

Turning an angle grinder into a tile cutter

Т.к. this device must be constantly held in hand, then the master will not be able to cut tiles with maximum thrust. However, it is possible to make an upgrade to the angle grinder, turning it into a tile cutter, which will be much more convenient than the original.

  • First of all, you should choose a good place to place the machine.
  • The place should be spacious.
  • Next, it is necessary to pick up a solid base for the machine.
  • The basis can be a sheet of metal with a groove, which will help guide the next stages of creating a tile cutter.
  • Now it is the turn of fixing the angle grinder. To do this, it is best to use special clamps that will not allow the machine to move even a millimeter.

If desired, you can add a water-cooled angle grinder and a wet cutting nozzle.

tiles, angle, grinder, porcelain

It is necessary to make a test sawing. To do this, you should first make sure that the angle grinder is fixed, then it is necessary to feed the tile from yourself to check the performance.

Tips from the professionals

In order to qualitatively perform the work on cutting tiles you should follow certain rules. This will make it easier and less time-consuming to work.

Here are some professional tips that will help to facilitate the work and achieve a quality cut.

  • In order to get a good cut, it is necessary to cut in one approach;
  • When cutting, the tile is placed face up, except when cutting corners;
  • It is advisable to start and finish cutting at low speeds;
  • It is best to use diamond-tipped saw blades;

For less dust, the tile is not cut all the way to the end, and the remaining distance is broken off.

Cutting tiles with a diamond wheel

All you need for this method is a specialized saw. It is quite expensive equipment. However, although the high price of the saw can be considered a disadvantage, it is believed that the cutting of tiles by this method is the most professional.

There are saws on the market with a fixed blade (it is necessary to move the plate along the cutting edge) or with a movable blade (the plate is stationary while cutting, and we control the blade).

Cutting disc is cooled with water, so during the cutting no harmful dust is emitted. When cutting tiles with a saw, we have the opportunity to remove the chamfer from the edges of tiles at an angle of 45 degrees, which, after installation, will meet in the corners.

How to cut tiles with an angle grinder without chipping and dust?

As for the porcelain stoneware material, it is quite fragile. Before you cut with an angle grinder porcelain tile, you should familiarize yourself with the nuances. To get a perfect result, you need to follow certain rules, and a lot depends on skill. During the work of the angle grinder can not do without the appearance of chips and dust. In order to have them as little as possible, experts recommend reducing the intensity of rotation at the beginning and end of the cut. Reducing the speed will also reduce the likelihood of cracking the tiles.

Chips most often appear when the disk is coming out of the material.

The ceramic tile is not cut all the way through. Leave a deep groove in it and break it off by hand along the cutting line. If you start cutting to the right of the marked line, splintering is avoided. Even if they do appear, they are removed with a grinding wheel.

At unskillful work with an angle grinder near the final finishing of rooms on the front side of the tile will certainly get abrasive dross. Sparks leave dark marks. If they are removed incorrectly, the appearance of the finishing material will suffer significantly. A fine grit emery cloth is used to clean the stains, and the sanding is done carefully. It is quicker to remove dross with chemicals.

Wet cutting

In this method, during cutting, the cutting edge of the material comes into contact with the liquid. It is immersed in water or blasted.

Wet cutting is difficult to perform, but this method has advantages:

Do not allow water to get on the body of the angle grinder, an electric shock is possible.

Safety precautions

angle grinder for tile cutting is one of the most dangerous power tools. Therefore, compliance with safety regulations will help save not only the health, but sometimes the life of the master.

  • Wear only a special suit, goggles, gloves, respirator, safety shoes;
  • Do not remove the protective cover from the housing;
  • keep the power cord away from underneath your feet, and do not allow it to get under your feet or into the cutting area;
  • Cutting tiles with an angle grinder without chipping is performed only in the direction from yourself, firmly holding the unit with both hands;
  • Do not immerse the grinding head into the tile by more than ⅓ of the circle radius;
  • avoid maximum and minimum rotation speeds;
  • do not allow any liquids to get under the body of the angle grinder;
  • work only in well ventilated rooms because of the high dust explosion hazard.

Tile cutting process

You can cut tiles in a straight line, shape or make holes in it for outlets, pipes, and so on. Let’s break it down in order. Also at the end, we propose one interesting method, how to make a real tile cutter from an angle grinder.

how to cut porcelain tile that keeps breaking. (with a grinder.)

Straight cut

Cutting a tile straight is easiest, especially if it’s ceramic. For this, in fact, do not need an electric tool. buy a pobeditic reamer for 150, the tongs for breaking for the same money, and enjoy life. But if you have to cut ceramic granite, manual cutting will not help, because this material is hard to break, and it does it on an unpredictable trajectory, even in a good manual machine. To neatly cut off the excess, proceed as follows.

  • If there is no fixture to hold the tile, the easiest thing to do is to lay it on the floor, on a piece of drywall, or hang it off a stool with your foot. In the second case, you need to put cardboard or rags on the bottom, so that when you fall, the tile will not break.
  • Make an accurate marking, using a pencil and a carpenter’s square. The marking is on the face of the tile. If the pencil does not write on the surface, stick a piece of masking paper tape on it.
  • We turn the tool on, run its wire so that it does not interfere with the work and, holding the angle grinder firmly in our hands, begin the pass.

The master carefully cuts through the face layer of the material

tiles, angle, grinder, porcelain

If everything is done correctly, you should have a minimum number of chips.

A curved tile cut

When you want to make a rectangular cut in ceramic, it is better not to use this method, because the tile can be accidentally chipped. Repeat the steps below.

  • Place the material securely on a flat surface.
  • We cut the shortest part of the piece, cutting through the entire thickness at a time. Take your time, move the tool forward smoothly and carefully.
  • You can make a longer cut with the above-mentioned technique if you cut a g-shaped shape.
  • The U-shaped cut is done differently. At a time we pass also the second short part of the figure from the edge. Then turn the tool, as it is shown on the photo above and, starting from the middle, plunge it into the material.
  • Going over it, we push the disc first forward, then backward, being careful not to go over the point of intersection of lines in the corners.
  • Turn the tile over and carefully trim the corners on this side. The cuttings will fall off by themselves, or break them off with pliers.
  • Carefully grind the edges of the cut with the side edge of the rotating disk.

If you want to cut a rectangle in the center of the tile, you will need to plunge cut each side. The process is not very different from the one just described.

Circle cut

The hardest part is when you have to choose a round hole in the ceramic thickness. Let’s start with the simpler one, when it is on the edge of the tile.

  • The photo above in the upper right corner shows how to make a marking. the position of the hole according to the angle and tape measure, drawing a rectangle, and then rounding by hand its edges.
  • We cut the tiles into strips of 0.7-1 cm from the edge inside the marked figure. Stay within the line.
  • After that, take pliers (be sure to wear gloves) and break off unnecessary pieces. So with the pliers we level the circle, as far as possible.

Such holes are often necessary when installing porcelain tile flooring, which differs from the simple ceramic with its high strength. Be extremely careful when chipping the pieces, protect your eyes and hands.

Make a round hole in the tile with an angle grinder

To cut an even round hole with an angle grinder you need to sweat a little. This work is filigree, but quite feasible.

tiles, angle, grinder, porcelain
  • To do this, lay the material on a flat, stationary surface. Mark out the hole. The smaller the radius, the harder it will be to make everything exactly and beautifully.
  • We turn on the tool and, tilting it with the axis to the center of the circle, begin to cut through the top layer of ceramic along the line. Try to make a continuous cut so there are fewer bumps.
  • As much depth into the material as possible.
  • We divide the circle in segments, as it’s shown on the photo above, and cut through the tile to its full thickness. all lines go through the center of the circle, we don’t go beyond the marked limits.
  • Then the tile must be turned over and finished on the back side.
  • Carefully break out the “slices”. If necessary, use parrot grippers to trim the edges. If the hole is large, you can slip an angle grinder in and grind everything with it.

Cutting a tile without chips

To reduce the number of chips to a minimum, try to adhere to the following rules when working with the tool:

  • Linear cut. Mark up the face of the tile with a construction marker. Make sure that the disc is properly clamped in the direction of rotation, indicated on the grinder and on the wheel. Bring the angle grinder in working condition and let it gain working speed. Fix the tile through the pad of rubber with clamps on a flat surface so that in the process of cutting to eliminate its sudden change of position. Make an even, effortless cut along the line of demarcation, with a depth of 2-4 mm, based on the thickness of the glaze and the body of the tile. Make the passage over the glaze very slowly and as responsibly as possible, after this step you can apply a little pressure and bring the process to completion. And also there is a variant not to cut the body of the tile to the end, and the cut edge should be broken off and the edge should be refinished with an abrasive.
  • Cut a round hole with a large diameter. Place a marker on the point that will be the center of the circle. Then use a drill bit with a pobeditovye tip to drill a hole 3-4 mm in diameter through the place of the marking. Now on both sides of the tile you must apply the marking of the circle of necessary diameter. Then, using an angle grinder to make short 2-3 mm notches on the contour of the marked circle, only after that you can cut the circle from the inside with through cuts, and remove the remnants with pliers. For complete removal of chips, the edges of the hole must be treated with a file and sandpaper.
  • Rectangular hole. To make a linear marking of a hole with a marker and a template, then in the corners, not protruding beyond the marked outline, drill through holes with a diameter of 7 mm. After that, use an angle grinder to connect the holes with even cuts. It is now possible to remove the cut ceramic fragment and trim the edges until the chips disappear.

If desired, you can cut a hole of any diameter and shape in the body of the tile, especially in the modern construction world there are all sorts of attachments and accessories for angle grinders. The only thing you must never forget is to observe the necessary safety precautions when working with an angle grinder!