When performing any finishing work with porcelain stoneware, there is usually a need to give the material the desired shape. This is required if the dimensions of the room and the sheets of material do not match or some curly elements need to be formed. In such cases, it will be useful to know how porcelain is cut. To accomplish this task, tools such as a grinder with a diamond blade or tile cutter are usually used. Let's consider how cutting porcelain is carried out in more detail.
What is porcelain tile
Let's see what constitutes porcelain. It is one of the most durable and solid facing materials. Every year its popularity is gaining momentum. Despite the relatively low cost compared to marble and granite, porcelain stoneware significantly surpasses its natural competitors in technical characteristics.
This material was invented relatively recently - in the 70s of the last century. For its manufacture, the method of dry pressing under high pressure a mixture of quartz sand, clay and feldspar is used. To give the material a different color, various components are added to its composition. Porcelain tile was developed as a replacement for natural stone, and it copes with this task perfectly.
Material benefits
Many consumers today choose porcelain stoneware due to its excellent technical characteristics and properties. Also, the material has an excellent appearance. It is as close as possible to natural stone and will allow to give the room a rich and stylish look. Here are its main advantages:
- High strength and wear resistance: porcelain stoneware will serve you faithfully for many years and will not lose its original appearance.
- He is not afraid of the effects of aggressive environments, it does not form stubborn stains.
- This is an environmentally friendly material: in its production only natural components are used. Also on its surface, bacteria and germs are reluctant to breed.
- With proper processing, porcelain stoneware will have clear and even edges, which allows you to create a monolithic surface.
disadvantages
Before you figure out how to cut porcelain tiles, it is worth saying a few words about the minuses of this material. Here are the main ones:
- According to consumers, the main disadvantage of porcelain stoneware is its high cost.
- When using porcelain stoneware to finish the floor, a rather cold coating is obtained. However, this problem is easily solved by installing a warm floor system.
- Another drawback is the slippery surface. For bathrooms it is better to choose a material with a rough texture.
Now we will consider how to cut a tile (porcelain tile) at home.
Grinder cutting
Let's dwell on this in more detail. Porcelain diamond disc allows you to quickly and easily give the material the desired shape. This process can be performed by both a specialist and a person who has never had experience with the material under discussion. It is best to use the dry cutting method.
A grinder with a diamond blade is well suited both for straight cutting and for the formation of curly elements. It should be borne in mind that the edge treated with a grinder is sometimes not very elastic and has notches. Therefore, sliced in this way plates are best used in those places where such defects will not be noticeable. You can also try to remove notches yourself and to process the edge of the tile. It should be remembered that cutting a grinder has a number of features.
We list the main ones:
- The process is accompanied by the release of a large amount of dust. This should be foreseen in advance, choosing a place to perform work.
- High revolutions of the diamond blade are a source of serious danger. If the instrument is handled carelessly or carelessly, serious injury may result.
- When performing work, it is necessary to use such personal safety equipment as safety glasses, a respirator and headphones.
Action algorithm
Now consider in more detail how to cut porcelain tiles with a grinder. It is worth considering that the use of this tool, as already mentioned, is necessarily accompanied by loud noise and a lot of dust. In addition, when using a grinder, chips are necessarily formed. Be prepared for the surface to be finished with a file.
So, the algorithm of actions:
- Draw a line on the tile along which you want to cut, and lay the porcelain tiles on a flat, solid surface. Work should be carried out exclusively on the front side of the coating. Otherwise, a large number of chips will form.
- If you are working with an assistant, ask him to stand ready with a vacuum cleaner. This will facilitate the work and will get rid of excess garbage.
- Press the tile firmly or secure with a clamp.
- Drive the grinder disc strictly along the line, starting from the edge farthest from you. Go forward smoothly, try not to jerk.
It is very difficult to achieve perfectly even cuts when using a grinder. If you are interested in how to cut porcelain tiles without chips, then using a tile cutter will solve this problem.
Work with a tile cutter
So, how to cut porcelain tiles with a tile cutter? This tool should be used if you are not comfortable with sloppy edges of the plates. An electric tile cutter cuts so that the finished edges look very neat and have a rounded appearance. In case you need to get beautifully crafted endings and curly elements, this is ideal.
Electric tile cutter can be used to cut plates of various materials. You can use universal disks for this task. There are also special nozzles designed to work with a specific type of surface. For this purpose, manufacturers produce several product options. However, it is best to use a diamond disc for porcelain stoneware.
Tile Cutter
Speaking of how to cut porcelain stoneware floor tiles, experienced craftsmen recommend using certain tile cutters for this purpose. Complete with the named tool is a special table. It extends during operation under a moving blade. Cutting the material with such a tool involves ensuring tile cooling. On site, this condition can only be met with water.
Today, there are special models of tile cutters in which, during operation, part of the cutting blade is immersed in a container of water. At home, it will be sufficient to periodically wet the working surface of the blade and the plate itself from the described material.
Cutting porcelain tiles in an industrial environment requires a special pump to supply water. A special tray is also provided, which will protect the device itself from splashes. This design involves the cyclical use of fluid. Many builders will improve the device so that the water supply is carried out using a hose. When cooling a simple flowing fluid, the service life of the blade can be increased by 2-3 times. To protect against splashes, you can use a specially designed canopy.
Recommendations
The principle of how porcelain is cut on this device is quite simple. The craftsman only needs to hold the plate and move it along the cutting blade until it is cut. Push the material gently and smoothly, with a little pressure. The applied force depends on the characteristics of the tiles used. Namely:
- When the plate and blade come in contact, do not press hard. With further advancement, you will need to gradually increase the pressure. In the process of approaching the completion of the section, it should again be weakened.
- The tiles must be well fixed on the drawer. This will prevent vibrations and sudden movements that can cause parts to jam.
Expert Advice
Professional craftsmen when carrying out work on cutting porcelain tiles usually recommend simultaneously pushing tiles on both sides during the advancement process. Such a measure will prevent the likelihood of falling on one side and avoid the appearance of fragments. With uneven advancement, the machine may jam during the cutting process, which will lead to the bounce of the cutting elements. To protect yourself from such dangers, you can use special safety glasses.
Experts also recommend regularly changing the water used for cooling. A large amount of dust is emitted during the cutting process. It settles almost everywhere, including in a tray with liquid. As a result, the blade, when wetted with water, comes into contact with the mixed tile chips. As a result, the quality of work performed is significantly reduced. It can also affect the life of the blade.
Blade cleaning
After completing work, the blade must be cleaned, as it can become clogged with ceramic dust or splinters. What does this process represent?
You can clean this item in various ways:
- Firstly, you can try to cut some sand form.
- Secondly, you can try to turn the device over and make several cycles of rotation of the blade in the opposite direction. This method is not suitable when using devices that indicate the direction of rotation.
Mechanical tile cutter
What is the best way to cut porcelain tiles? Expert advice on this issue is usually to use an electric tile cutter. However, such equipment is not always at hand. In this case, you can use a conventional manual mechanical apparatus. Such devices are often found in the arsenal of home masters. This is a useful and convenient tool that can be used to trim tiles. When choosing a tool, it is worth considering what material you are going to work with. Pay particular attention to the thickness and size of the cutting element, as well as the length and power of the handle, smoothness and other parameters.
Consider how porcelain tiles are cut using a mechanical tile cutter:
- On the material it is necessary to draw a line along which an incision should be made.
- The tile is installed so that the tool rollers lie directly on it.
- In the direction away from you with a simple movement of the lever, make an incision on the porcelain tile.
- Sharply release the lever, thereby breaking the tile along the cut.
Before you begin to work cleanly, you should conduct several experiments. Materials can have different thicknesses and densities, so for testing it is better to use tiles from the same batch.
Conclusion
This review examined in detail how porcelain tiles are cut. When carrying out finishing work, it is often necessary to use ceramic tiles of a certain size and shape. For cutting tiles, you can use various tools: grinder, electric or manual tile cutter.
The easiest way is to carry out this procedure, of course, using automatic equipment. Using a grinder can lead to the appearance of bumps and chips on the slices, and this is not always acceptable. In the presence of experience and dexterity it is quite possible to use a manual tile cutter.
Which disk to cut porcelain tiles best? Experts recommend using products with diamond chips. They are very durable and allow you to achieve the perfect result.