Different Tools And Methods For Cutting Porcelain Tiles Without Chips

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Can a tile cutter handle porcelain stoneware?
• angle grinder
• Jigsaw
• Home renovation
• Highly specialized devices
• How to remove chips on a cut rib
• Gourmets of quality and sophistication

Progress does not stand still. Advances in tile technology have brought improvements, and now tile has a competitor - porcelain stoneware tiles. This tile has its advantages. It has lower thermal conductivity, perfectly tolerates the effects of atmospheric precipitation, temperature changes, and is more resistant to chemicals. Since now we are talking about mechanical processing, special attention should be paid to the fact that porcelain stoneware has higher strength characteristics. It is much harder to break, scratch or scuff the face. Therefore, porcelain stoneware has an advantage over tiles, when it is constantly subjected to friction from the feet of visitors or from car tires. However, the increase in strength raises the question of how and what is the best way to cut porcelain stoneware at home.

Can a tile cutter handle porcelain stoneware?

Most often, such a task is faced by a foreman who works on the road, but is engaged in this business professionally. In this case, it is necessary to take into account only some of the nuances, and you can safely get down to business. Most likely, he already has everything or almost everything he needs.

If the volume of necessary cutting is not too large, and the thickness of the porcelain stoneware tiles is not large, the question is, can a tile cutter cut porcelain stoneware? The answer is yes, you can get by with the usual tool.

For straight cuts, a manual tile cutter may work. The main thing is that it is of good quality. However, for thicker porcelain stoneware or embossed tiles, you cannot do without a power tool

In addition, the increased strength of the material makes it difficult to cut porcelain stoneware correctly and so that the tiles do not burst. It will also not work to cut off a narrow piece of porcelain stoneware tiles 3 - 5 cm wide with a tile cutter.

In addition, large tiles are available. It may simply not fit into the tile cutter. Or the surface of the tile has texture irregularities. In such cases, the question arises, what is the best way to cut porcelain stoneware tiles?

angle grinder

The first thing that comes to mind in this case is an angle grinder, or a grinder. Any craftsman most likely has this tool in stock.

It is worth clarifying here that the grinder is suitable for an average thickness of porcelain stoneware: from 5 to 15 millimeters. A small grinder is better suited for these works. This is because each cut will take longer and it will be tiring to hold a heavy tool in your hands. In addition, a small grinder has a higher rotational speed, but a smaller diameter of the cutting wheel, so there is less chance of beating and vibration, which can lead to chips on the cut surface when dry cutting porcelain stoneware. And also a small grinder is easy to hold with one hand. The other hand will be able to hold the cut off tile.

Perhaps the main disadvantage of this method is that it is quite difficult to make a perfect cut, but for small undercuts, cutting porcelain stoneware tiles at home is quite possible.

Since the grinder involves dry cutting of porcelain stoneware, the question arises regarding the diamond wheel. Can normal tile blades be used for dry cutting? Yes, you can use these circles, but the amount of chips will be larger. The increased strength of the material does not prevent this disadvantage (note that these should be discs for porcelain stoneware tiles, not concrete). In addition, you should be careful about overheating the circle, especially if the thickness of the porcelain stoneware is large. It is worth overexposing a little, and overheating will lead to deformation of the circle and strong vibration. If the cut-off edge is hidden behind other tiles or moldings, then the resulting chips will not be a big problem. If these surfaces remain in plain sight, the reputation of the master can be significantly damaged.

For cutting with a grinder, experienced tilers recommend using discs for wet cutting porcelain stoneware. Yes Yes!

When dry cutting porcelain stoneware tiles, it is best to use wet cutting wheels.

These wheels have a smaller diamond grit. Because of this, you will have to put a little more pressure on the tool and be even more attentive to overheating, but the cut quality will be better, the chips will be much smaller, and the cutting width will be smaller.

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The method for cutting porcelain stoneware tiles is as follows: first, you will need to draw a line (with a scribe with hard-alloy soldering or a thin marker), then walk along this line with a power tool, going deeper into the tile only 1-2 millimeters. After that, you should repeat the passage along the line, each time going a little deeper. Close to the edge of the tile, be careful, especially if the cut is not at right angles to the edge of the tile.

• The advantage of cutting with a grinder is the ability to cut even along a curved line.
• The disadvantage is a large amount of dust when dry cutting porcelain stoneware.

Video how to cut a tile with a grinder without dust

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Jigsaw

The jigsaw is an indispensable tool if you need to cut tiles along a curved line, and the required bends are steep enough. However, it is very difficult to use a jigsaw for cutting in porcelain stoneware, this method is only suitable for ceramic tiles. Naturally, not just an ordinary saw on fiberboard is used, but a special diamond saw for a good quality jigsaw, since the tile has increased strength. A circular saw is more suitable for cutting porcelain tiles.

Before making an internal cut with a jigsaw, you need to drill a hole, the diameter of which will be slightly larger than the width of the diamond file. You need to drill it, stepping back from the cutting line inward by a few millimeters more than the radius of the drill so as to provide a margin for possible chips during drilling.

Home renovation

For those who will independently cut porcelain stoneware tiles at home, it should be said that this is not so difficult. You need to know some of the features of this work, which we will pay attention to below, and not be afraid to take on a new business for yourself.

To cut porcelain stoneware without chips, you need to mark the cutting lines with a hard-alloy scribe or glass cutter. It is necessary to draw this tool several times along the future cutting line. You will notice that the top layer of porcelain stoneware has already cleaved along this line, but the width of this cleavage is very small.

Make the cut so that the cutting edge of the cutting wheel goes next to this line with its side, and the entire width of the cut is shifted to the side that you do not need now. If the disc on the grinder is good, then additional chips are unlikely to form - you will get an almost perfect cut.

The tile vibrates during cutting, so it needs to be fixed. It is best if the substrate under the tiles is made of non-solid materials that will dampen this vibration. A medium to high density polystyrene or foam board is ideal

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Highly specialized devices

Of course, the cutting methods we discussed above are suitable for those who are unable to shell out a good amount of money to buy a porcelain stoneware cutting machine. However, for professional tilers to save time on the operation of cutting porcelain stoneware is essential, so the machine will be very useful. Although only straight-line cuts are possible on the machine, most cuts are straight-line. In addition, a good machine will allow you to cut porcelain stoneware at different angles.

In addition to the large allowable cutting thickness, the machine has a number of other advantages. Firstly, it will be possible to use wet cutting of porcelain stoneware. This method reduces the likelihood of both overheating of the cutting blade and the appearance of chips on the porcelain stoneware. Secondly, hands are freed from the weight of the power tool. The machine has a platform on which an electric motor and a cutting edge are rigidly fixed. Thirdly, the machine has devices for linear translational movement: either tiles, or an engine with a cutting tool. This avoids unevenness and significantly improves the cut quality. It remains only to control the feed rate along the guides while the cut is being made. But the main advantage is the absence of dust when cutting tiles, which is especially important when renovating an apartment.

Depending on how often and how much a master has to work with tiles, he may think about what type and size of a machine for cutting porcelain stoneware he will need. For example, if the work is carried out in a cramped room or not often, then a machine with an engine location below the desktop would be more suitable. Such machines are smaller, lightweight and much cheaper than machines with an overhead engine (for example, the Praktika 1860 model has an average cost of 6,000 rubles). But this option has a greater limitation on the cutting depth. Not every model is equipped with guides for straight-line tile supply and fixtures for fixing tiles, which requires some skill from the master. Also, a 45 degree cut is not provided in many models.

More opportunities and comfort when cutting porcelain stoneware are provided by machines with an engine positioned above the working table. For a master who specializes in working with tiles, this option will be definitely preferable. Although these machines will have large dimensions, they will provide safer and more comfortable working conditions, a much greater depth of cut (up to 100 - 135 millimeters), some models allow cutting not only at an angle of 45 degrees, but also in intermediate values. Naturally, this type of machine will have more powerful motors and larger diameters of diamond cut-off wheels. Some of these machines will be stationary, that is, have very large dimensions and weight.

Depending on the manufacturer, equipment, size and capability, overhead machines have a wide range of prices. You can read a detailed overview of the tile cutters here.

How to remove chips on a cut rib

Even good craftsmen do not always manage to make a perfect cut. Sometimes the reason for this is the very structure of the tile, sometimes the low quality of the cutting tool. It doesn't matter for what reason you have chipped porcelain tiles. If this edge is visible, it becomes necessary to grind this edge, make a chamfer or in some other way get rid of this small marriage.

First, you can remove the layer with a rough cut-off wheel on a stone (not diamond), and then bring tenths of a millimeter with a diamond grinding wheel, which in the common people is called a turtle

Depending on the grain size, these discs are marked like sandpaper. They can not only grind, but also polish your edge to perfect condition. In some cases, for example, if the cut has a concave shape, it is difficult or impossible to process the cut end with a grinder. Then a diamond sponge comes in handy. By slightly moistening its surface, you can bring the end of the product or the chamfer to a high quality in a circular motion.

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Gourmets of quality and sophistication

It's no secret that there is a special category of customers who can be called quality gourmets. They are willing to pay a lot of money to bring the work to perfection. Most likely, it will be difficult to convince such a customer that a sufficiently high-quality cutting of porcelain stoneware can be done manually. Water cutting of porcelain stoneware or waterjet cutting can come to the rescue. This is a modern technology that allows you to cut porcelain stoneware with the highest quality. At home, this operation is not performed because it requires special equipment. The main drawback is the high cost of this work, which, most likely, will not be affordable for an ordinary customer.

The thickness during waterjet cutting can reach several centimeters, while the product does not need additional grinding. A big advantage of this method is the possibility of a high complexity of the cut, which is impossible with manual methods. Moreover, the complexity is not only in relation to the pattern of the cut line, but also the width of the cut parts. Waterjet cutting of porcelain stoneware allows you to cut parts at an acute angle to the edge of the tile, cut thin elements, cut holes and other complex cuts. This makes it possible to create drawings, mosaics, panels and other images from porcelain stoneware of various colors. Since the cut is controlled by a computer, it is possible to fit the mating parts with perfect precision. Indeed, gourmets will get the desired result.