So, you made an expensive repair in the bathroom. The new plumbing sparkles with nickel-plated surfaces, a snow-white bathtub is neatly framed on all sides by a beautiful tile. Everything seems perfect, but something is still missing. Maybe you forgot to install a special border in places where the bathtub is in contact with the tile?
This element affects not only the aesthetic appearance. Such a finish, if done correctly, hermetically seals the gaps between the bathroom and the walls, thereby preventing moisture from entering.
This article is a detailed instruction explaining how to saw off a corner on a bath step-by-step (with a photo), so that the cut edges fit well together without forming unpleasant gaps.
Choose the type of item
To begin, let's try to understand what are the finishing corners for the bath. For all the breadth of choice, borders can be divided into four main types. Whatever corner you choose, it will belong to one of the types listed below.
Finishing details for the bath are:
- plastic;
- ceramic;
- VIP quality;
- tape.
Plastic corners are lightweight, easy to handle, you can even cut with a stationery knife. And they cost less than, for example, ceramic specimens. The latter have a high price, and it is more difficult to cut them, but the appearance of such borders justifies these inconveniences with interest.
VIP-quality corners are made of marble, granite or other natural material. They are much more expensive than everyone else, quite capricious in processing, but they look very solid and luxurious.
Tape borders are glued over the tiles. You can cut them with any tool.
In order to understand how to correctly saw a corner into a bath, it is necessary to decide which option to choose, because each material has its own individual physical properties, such as strength, brittleness.
Measure the walls adjacent to the bath
How to saw off and install a corner on the bath? To know exactly the total length of the necessary materials that will be needed to finish the bath from all sides, you need to take a tape measure. The measuring scale must be applied close to the surface along the lines of contact of the bathtub and tile.
We need to measure the three sides adjacent to the walls. The resulting numbers must be added and divided by the standard length of the corner. You can find it in the store where you are going to purchase materials. The result obtained after dividing should be rounded.
You can add two or three more to the required number of corners in case something goes wrong when cutting. Such a reserve is especially useful if you chose corners made of ceramic or marble as borders for the bath, because when cutting elements without some experience in such work, you can make chips.
All measurements must be made before sawing a corner into the bathtub, because, as the saying goes, "measure seven times, cut once."
Measure the desired length
It is equally important to correctly measure the corners.
First, we select the necessary segments along the length. To do this, you can use a tape measure, a construction line or a "centimeter". If you decide to use borders made of plastic, then you can measure strictly defined distances, because cutting such material is quite easy. In the case of corners made of ceramic or marble, it is worth leaving a little more space, that is, adding two centimeters to the length of each segment. These stocks will come in handy for you to grab onto with pliers when breaking off excess along a drawn line.
Marks in the right places of the corners can be done with a special construction marker. The marks drawn by him are easily erased with alcohol wipes.
We will join the corners later using special tools so that they form a suitable angle of 45 ° or 90 °. Further, it will be about how to saw off a corner to the bath. Photos will help you better understand all the steps in this process.
Mark cut lines with a miter box
It is important to remember that in the place where the two corners will be joined, it is necessary to make a cut at an angle of 45 °. If noted by eye - most likely, it will turn out not very accurately. But what tools to use to make the cut smooth and appropriate to the desired angle?
For these purposes, you can use a fairly simple tool. If you do not know how to correctly saw off a corner on a bathtub so that the corners of the cut-off elements coincide, use a building miter for accuracy of markings.
This part is a short bar with a recess in one of the longitudinal faces, intersected by grooves in which you can put a hacksaw blade. A corner should be put in the longitudinal recess. The grooves mentioned above are located at different angles. Having put a hacksaw in the desired groove, you can cut the corner as accurately as possible.
Using malka for marking angles
Malkoy is another measuring tool. In plumbing and carpentry, they use it to mark something at certain angles. Using such a measuring device will help you not to make mistakes before sawing a corner into the bathtub. The instructions for use are small enough, even a novice builder will cope with this.
Malka is a design of two rulers connected by a clamping joint. In some models of the instrument there is also a circular dial of degrees resembling a protractor. Malka is very easy to use. A corner is applied to a more massive line, the second bar is retracted to the desired angle and is used as a guide when marking in the right place.
How to cut a plastic corner
One of the most popular types of corner is a plastic border. This is not surprising, because this material is much easier to process than ceramics. It also costs less, it looks great. In addition, the stores feature a wide variety of such borders.
How to saw off a corner on a bath if it is made of plastic? This material is so malleable and unpretentious in use that it can be cut with almost any tool. An ordinary hacksaw for metal is perfect for this task . You can also use a simple saw, but its strongly divorced teeth will create an excessively thick cut line.
Also, a plastic corner can be cut with a grinder or a construction knife. Some experts use a red-hot clerical knife blade for this purpose. This method is more time-consuming, but the result is jewelry, especially if the places of the slices are correctly processed.
How to handle the edge of a cut plastic corner
When ready-made plastic curbs are ready, they need to be given an aesthetic look. This can not be done. If the corners of the slices are selected correctly, then in the end everything will look very good. But if the spirit of perfectionism in you rebels against this, you can remove the burrs and notches from the ends of the product using emery cloth or natfil. This will give the assembled construction from the corners a finished look.
You can use the usual file. Take one of the segments in your left hand and a tool in your right. Carefully draw a file along the edge of the butt, trying to lead it in one direction. Emery is used in the same way. In addition to the above, you can use any tools designed for grinding and cleaning surfaces.
How to cut a ceramic corner
Ceramics are cut according to the same principle as glass. You can apply a grinder. It is important to choose the right drive. A diamond-coated wheel is best. If the grinder is not at hand, you can try the following method. The corner fits into the miter box, a ruler is inserted into the groove. A line is drawn sharply along it and with the pressure of a glass-cutter. Then you need to put a corner on the table, covered with soft cloth, and inflict a sharp blow along the cut line. If the unnecessary part is not completely broken off, it can be carefully broken with pliers.
This method requires experience in cutting tiles or glass, so if you do not have additional corners where you can experiment, then it is better to use another method.
Now that you have an idea of how to properly saw off a corner to the bathtub, if it is ceramic, you can decide whether to use this type of curb or not.
How to process the ends
The last step to take is to process the corners in the places of cuts with an emery bar. You can apply the grinder by installing a special grinding wheel on it. You can use electric emery. The main thing is not to overdo it with the size of the chamfers. They should not be evident, it is only necessary to rid the edges of the curbs from sharp protrusions.
So, now you know how it is possible to saw off a corner on a bathtub, from whatever material it was made. Go ahead and you will succeed!