Want to know easiest way to cut tile? These simple tools will prepare you to cut tile like a pro.
Cutting tile can be extremely difficult because of how many tile material there are on the market. It can definitely be intimidating, especially if you have never done it before. If you are like me, you will feel a bit overwhelmed at all the choices and will be looking for some guidance. Before going out and buying a wet saw, this guide will help you for way less money.
You will learn how to cut tile, cut tile without chipping, how to cut tile with a grinder, and what tile cutter you will need.
This post will tell you about the easy ways to cut tile like a pro!
WAYS TO CUT TILE
Cutting tile process:
Before getting started, I wanted to mention, all tools are not required. Each tool can be used separate from one another depending on what you are working on. It is helpful to have all of the tools but it is not necessary.
The first way to cut tile is the snap cutter. Before using this tool, make sure you have measured your tile and marked where the desired cut must be. You will see on the cutter that there is a small scoring wheel and two legs that extended off the handle. The wheel will score the tile as you glide the handle up the tile and the two legs will apply pressure after scoring to snap the tile. When you lay your tile in the snap cutter, the handle should be closest to you so that when you are ready to cut, you are sliding the handle away from you as you score.
As shown above, I have the scoring wheel lined up with the mark on my tile where I want the cut to be. Make sure you take your time as you do not want to score the tile in the wrong location! This can be a bit challenging as every snap cutter is different.
Once the scoring wheel is lined up in the correct location, you will apply even pressure and slide the handle across the tile. After you have reached the end of the tile, press the legs down onto the tile. The legs will snap the tile at the scored location.
The next tool for cutting tile is hand polishing pads. You can use these after cutting a tile to smooth out the edge. Polishing pads come in a variety of grits just like regular sandpaper. You will use them similar to sandpaper; starting with the lower grit and gradually increasing to get the smoothest result. The roughness should only be on the surface of the tile. The scoring wheel does not cut deep into the tile. Therefore, you should only need to use these pads to polish the surface level edge rather than the whole side of the tile.
Although this method is better for intricate cuts, it may be more challenging when starting out so make sure you take your time and have a few extra tiles as well. You can also use the polishing pads if you have any imperfections from your cuts also.
If you would like more information on these tile cutting tips, watch my full length Youtube video, where I demonstrate all these ways to cut tile on some on porcelain tile.