How to Cut Tiles

• Glass cutters and carbide-tipped pencils are inexpensive. They may be sufficient when making fairly simple cuts on just a few tiles.
• Manual cutters are sufficient for ceramic tiles and straight, accurate cuts. They may take more time but require less skill. They are less expensive than power tools. However, manual tile cutters may be less effective at cutting tile less than a few inches wide.
• Angle grinders are ideal for cutting tile that’s fixed to a wall or cutting special shapes, such as circles or squares, at the center of pieces of tile.
• Wet saws quickly cut through tiles made with different materials. Water cools the blade of this power saw so it doesn’t overheat, even while cutting lots of tile for big jobs.

When you cut tile dry with a power tool, it will produce a great deal of fine dust. This dust is very dangerous to breathe. It’s also hard to clean up. Wear a respirator and move the work outdoors if possible.

If the tiles must be cut inside, take steps to collect and contain dust. Use a dust collection vacuum. Tape plastic over windows, doors, vents and drains. Cover any exposed surfaces in the room where you’re working.

Hearing protection is important. All powered methods of cutting tile are loud enough to damage your hearing.

• There are several methods for cutting tiles by hand without a tile cutter. You can use a cutting tool such as a glass cutter or a carbide-tipped pencil.
• Before using any tool to cut tile, measure the glazed side of the tile to determine where you need to make the cut. Use a straight edge to mark the line with an erasable marker.
• Firmly press the edge of the glass cutter or carbide pencil along the line, using a carpenter square as a guide. Do not cut entirely through the tile.
• When using a pencil, you may need to make several cuts.
• Place the scored tile over a wire hanger on a flat surface, aligned with the scored line.
• Press gently on both sides of the tile until it snaps cleanly.
• Sand rough edges with a sanding sponge.

• Begin cutting with a manual tile cutter by placing the tool on a table, arranged perpendicular to you.
• Bring the lever on the tile cutter towards you to put the cutter wheel in the start position.
• Position the tile in the cutter, glazed side up. Place it beneath the blade rails and snug against the end stop. Your measurement mark should be arranged over the cutter’s central guide line.
• Carefully guide the hand lever forward over the cutting markin one smooth motion so the cutter wheel scores the surface of the tile. Push the lever until it reaches the end stop.
• Flip the breaker bar down, over the cutting wheel.
• Position the lever close to the ruler/stop.
• Push down on the lever, applying enough pressure to break the tile into two pieces.
• Use a sanding sponge or stone to blunt the sharp edges of the cut tile pieces.

• Angle grinders are handheld power tools. They can be used for abrasive cutting as well as sanding and polishing. When equipped with diamond blades, they can make curved, square and circular cuts for floor drains and other uses.
• Begin by measuring the tile. Draw the shape of the cut with a marker or pencil.
• Secure the tile to a work bench or other work surface with a clamp.
• Pull the angle grinder carefully along the cut line to score the tile.
• Make deeper and deeper cuts along the score until you cut through the tile.

Tip: For shapes such as rectangular cuts, score the tile on both the front and the back.

A wet saw is a power tool that uses a water-cooled diamond blade to make quick work of cutting tile.

A wet saw usually has a sliding table that feeds the tile into an overhead blade. A pump sprays a stream of water over the blade while it is running to keep it from overheating and to control dust.

• Place the wet saw on a solid surface, like a workbench or table.
• Before cutting tile, make sure that the wet saw’s water reservoir or tray is full. Check to make sure the water is streaming over the saw blade properly.
• After you start the saw, it may take a few seconds for the water to start flowing. Do not cut if the water is not flowing.
• Using a wet saw can be messy. Operate it outside or in a place like a garage, where splashes and spills won’t be an issue. Keep an indoor workspace from getting wet by covering it with plastic sheets or a tarp.
• Prepare to cut tile with a wet saw by aligning the tile on the table or workbench. Set the protective rip fence. When the tile’s layout mark meets the blade, make sure the widest part of the tile is between the blade and the fence. This keeps your hands as far away as possible from the blade during the cut.
• If you are unsure how to position the tile, try setting up in different positions. Choose the one that supports the largest section of tile on the table during the cut.
• Wear safety goggles and gloves while using a wet saw or any other kind of saw.
• Keep fingers as far away from the blade as possible to avoid accidents.
• Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry that could get caught in the blade.

• Turn on the saw and give it 15 to 20 seconds to get up to speed before you begin using it.
• Holding the tile glazed side up with both hands, feed it along the fence and into the saw blade.
• Push slowly, letting the saw do the work.
• Keep your fingers away from the blade.
• Push the piece between the blade and fence until it completely clears the blade.
• Before removing the tile, turn off the saw and let it power down.
• Unplug the wet saw when not in use.

Safety: Do not cut if a small stream of water is not flowing over the blade and tile. Water is essential to keep the blade cool and produce quality cuts. Check to see that all water delivery systems are working correctly before use.

• Measure and mark the sides and the end of the notch on the piece of tile.
• Make two straight cuts along each side of the notch. Reset the fence after the first cut to make the other cut.
• Stop each cut when the blade reaches the line marking the end of the notch.
• If the notch is wider than 1 inch, reset the fence to make a series of parallel cuts spaced about 1/4 inch apart. Stop each cut when it reaches the line that marks the end of the notch.
• Break off the individual pieces between the sides of the notch.
• To trim the remaining jagged edge, put the tile back on the saw with the blade inside the notch and just touching the jagged edge. With the blade running, slide the tile sideways, keeping pressure on the tip of the blade to smooth the jagged edge.

• Diagonal cuts on a tile are made point to point and are common for diamond tile patterns.
• Set your saw’s miter guide to the appropriate angle that best matches your layout line.
• Make sure the layout line is directly on the front of the cutting blade.
• Feed the tile slowly into the blade, especially near the end of the cut, to reduce breakage.
• Use this same technique to make miter cuts for triangular tile pieces.

• Bevel cuts are typically 45-degree cuts along the edge of tile.
• Use bevel cuts for inside or outside wrap-around corners, as an alternative to the rounded edges of bull-nose tile or where two walls meet.

• L-cuts are angled cuts for fitting a piece of tile in a corner, around a cabinet or along piece of molding.
• Customize your tile with L-cuts by measuring and marking the cuts you need. Then use a combination of straight cuts and notches to cut out the full shape.

• Plunge cuts are necessary when making space for vents, outlets, drains or any other protrusions through the tile surface.
• Some wet saws have plunge-cut capabilities. Make a plunge cut with a wet saw by positioning the material glazed side down directly underneath the cutting wheel. Lower the wheel onto the work piece, allowing the tile to be cut from the center of the material.
• Many cuts that require a circular opening, such as a toilet drain cut-out, can be successfully completed with a rectangular or octagonal hole. The toilet will cover the area and give it the finished look you desire.
• Score marks from the blade on the backside so they remain unseen in the finished job.

• Angle grinders and rotary tools are effective ways to cut tile while it’s still glued to the wall or floor.
• Mark the location of the cut with a marker or pencil. Fix a piece of masking tape along the mark to make the line easier to follow and help prevent chipping.
• Use a spray bottle to wet the tile with water to reduce dust.
• Pull the angle grinder carefully along the cut line to score the tile.
• Make repeated cuts along the score until you’ve cut through the tile and subsurface.
• Wedge a small pry bar under the cut piece and gently pry it loose.