Choosing and installing the right tile correctly is essential whether you're installing new tile in your bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. You don't want to find cracked or corroded tile later on and have to spend additional money having it fixed if you like to perform your own home remodeling.
If you're a professional, you don't want a dissatisfied client due to improperly cut and laid tile. Do you understand suitable porcelain tile-cutting techniques?
Keep your knowledge up to date with this guide to porcelain, proper tools, and tips for cutting.
Table of contents
●Why use porcelain tile?
●What tools are used to cut porcelain tile?
●How to avoid edge collapse during cutting?
●Security tips
Ⅰ. Why use porcelain tile?
One of the most widely used materials for tile floors and walls is porcelain. It is strong, adaptable, and simple to maintain. These are the main justifications for picking porcelain tile.
Durability
Porcelain is strong enough to endure years of use in spite of heavy foot traffic and even water splashes. It is available in the widest range of colors and designs and has a tough, long-lasting finish. As this tile has the same primary color throughout its body and glaze, with the less-used colors only present on the tile's surface, color-body porcelain gives some of the advantages of both.
Versatility
Your individual aesthetic preferences can be accommodated by porcelain tile. It is possible to glaze porcelain to make it resemble different kinds of stone or even unusual prints. You can find a porcelain alternative that matches the theme or design of your room or the room of one of your clients.
Easy to clean
The ease of cleaning is a crucial consideration when choosing a floor for a kitchen or bathroom. Porcelain is fortunately fairly simple to keep and clean. Simply use a moist cloth to clean spills as soon as they happen and mop the floor once a week. The one thing you should avoid using on porcelain tile is abrasives like steel wool, however this varies from tile to tile. If you're thinking about using these cleaning techniques, check with the manufacturer first.
Ⅱ. What tools are used to cut porcelain tile?
To cut porcelain tile, you'll need the appropriate equipment once you've decided on your supplies. You'll need an exact cut to ensure that it fits unless, by some miracle, your room is precisely the appropriate size and shape for the tile you purchased. Here are the top resources for the task:
🔺 Manual cutter
The cheapest option for cutting porcelain tile is a manual cutter. Although it can be a challenging tool to grasp, it will effectively complete the task. Fortunately, this model has features that make usage of it simpler.
🔺 Diamond blade
You will want a diamond blade if you intend to cut your porcelain with any electric tool, wet or dry. Because porcelain is such a hard substance, you'll need something much harder to cut through it, which contributes to its durability.
Diamond blades come in a wide variety of designs, some of which place more emphasis on cutting speed than on the quality of the cut.
🔺 Nipper
Nippers let you make round cuts in porcelain tile instead of using a manual cutter or electric saw. These brand-new nippers are comprised of two tungsten carbides and scoring wheels with titanium nitride surface treatments. They are sturdy and long-lasting to help you produce clean cuts.
🔺 Angle grinder
This is a multifunctional electric tool that can be used for cutting tiles, polishing, and polishing. When using an angle grinder, special cutting blades or heads are required to cut ceramic tiles.
Ⅲ. How to avoid edge collapse during cutting?
●Using a hand-held tool to cut
Although manual tile cutters require more time to use, the cut quality is far superior. When cutting porcelain tile, manual hand tools are preferred over electric tile cutters to prevent chipping.
The tile may be cut to size with just your hands and some simple tools. The most efficient tool, however, is a tile nipper. It can be difficult to cut circular tiles with a wet cutting saw.
Make a mark to enable a precise cut. To sketch the region, use a pencil and a ruler. Draw the line with the edges of the nipper. The middle of the line needs to be compressed with the nipper. The grout between the region and the tile might be broken with enough pressure.
Make a mark to enable a precise cut. To sketch the region, use a pencil and a ruler. Draw the line with the edges of the nipper. The middle of the line needs to be compressed with the nipper. The grout between the region and the tile might be broken with enough pressure.
●Using an angle grinder to cut
It is possible to cut tiles with an angle grinder. Angle grinders can be used for both straight and curved cutting to achieve this. This tool's forceful disc makes the task considerably simpler. This is a great tool for shaping.
Here, the same safety measures that would be used with a handsaw also apply. To mark the location of the bathroom's pipe fitting, draw a circle on the floor. The grinder is turned on to start the marking process. Slits that are not too long in between passes.
Tiles should be carefully and gently removed from a wall or floor to avoid breaking them. After cutting, check that the edges are clean. It's probable that some locations will need to be worked again in the grinder. To polish the edges, use an abrasive wheel.
●Using wet sawing to cut
When wet, saws cut swiftly. The cutting leaves clean, smooth edges. If you take the right actions, it's straightforward. Because it was carved with precision, the tile won't shatter easily. Using a wet saw requires attention to detail.
On the tile, mark a cutting line. A wet saw can be used to cut the tile along the drawn line. Observe patience. Gently reposition the tiles in the recommended order. When utilizing a wet saw, some edge irregularity is to be expected. Sharp corners can be softened with abrasive.
The same is true for cuts made using a diamond wet saw. Tile composed of porcelain can be cut immediately away.
●Using waterjet cutter
The utilization of waterjets is a groundbreaking innovation. On anything rough, porcelain tile would look fantastic. Home waterjets are highly unlikely. It takes skill to operate this industrial instrument.
In the hands of a skilled operator, the waterjet tile cutter can be more efficient than traditional techniques. They are perfect because they don't chip and are simple to use. It produces precise results while working swiftly and effectively.
It is advised to use a waterjet tile cutter, thus mark the region that needs to be cut. Take a time to note the location of the waterjet nozzle. Shave with caution. A waterjet cannot be used to create a circle.
Security tips:
Unfortunately, using some of the aforementioned items, like a wet saw, comes with risks.
- Utilize safety gear and take measures at all times.
- Put on appropriate clothing, including the right shoes.
- Put on protective gear such gloves, earplugs, and goggles.
- Keep your eyes and mind concentrated at all times.
- Keep in mind to always oil your saw blades.
- Use a piece of scrap wood to shield your fingers from cuts.
Here is a website for video on how to cut the porcelain:
Conclusion
When installing or repairing tile in a floor, kitchen, bathroom, and other areas, it's beneficial to know how to cut tile and how to select the best cutting equipment. The best tile design for your room can now be installed once the tile has been cut and the pieces and tile edge trim have been installed.
We hope you’ve found our blog on how to cut the porcelain tile useful.