Types of flooring, such as tiles, porcelain stoneware or artificial stone, have many advantages. All these varieties of coatings not only look beautiful, but are not afraid of moisture, are easy to care for and last for a long time. Mounting such materials is also not too difficult. However, working with tiles has one feature - when you install it, you almost always have to cut it. Perform this procedure, for example, when fitting to size or, if necessary, pairing with various communications or surfaces.
There are several ways to cut tiles. All of them are relatively simple and do not require any special skills. Further in the article in all details we will consider how to cut floor tiles at home.
The main ways
Most often, when flooring, porcelain stoneware or tiles are sized using tools such as:
tile cutter;
Bulgarian;
glass cutter;
- nippers.
Of course, the best answer to the question of how to cut tiles is to use a tile cutter. In factories in the manufacture of decorative ceramics, professional mechanized versions of this equipment are used. At home, it is worth using, of course, a simple household tile cutter. Such models do not differ in particular performance, but at the same time they are inexpensive. Almost any home master can afford such simple equipment.
What is a tool
To begin with, we will figure out how to cut floor tiles at home using this particular equipment. Using a tile cutter is actually very simple. There are many models of such tools. But in most cases, the tile cutter consists of:
a metal base on which all other elements are attached;
tubular guides designed to move the actual cutting roller;
handles with which you can move the carriage;
actually the cutting element itself.
Preparatory work
The tile cutter tool is very simple. However, when performing work with its use, a certain procedure should be followed. Before you start cutting tiles, you must:
carefully inspect the instrument for defects (especially guides);
check how smoothly the carriage moves;
check the condition of the cutting roller (should rotate freely).
Gloves should be worn on hands before starting work, and safety glasses should be worn on the eyes.
How to cut floor tiles at home correctly
After the tool is inspected, you can proceed to the actual cutting itself. In order not to make a mistake with the dimensions, the tile should first be marked out. You can use for this either an ordinary simple pencil, or a thin marker. In order to draw a straight line, it is worth using a wooden plank or an ordinary school ruler.
Of course, the material should not move during cutting in any case. Some tile cutters have special tricks. If they are not, you will have to hold the tile or porcelain tile as tight as possible with your hand. It is necessary to expose the cut material exactly along the marking line.
During operation, the tool handle should be moved as smoothly as possible. In this case, the cutting is carried out using the “for yourself” method, carefully controlling the pressure force. If the incision is not of sufficient depth, it will not be possible to break the tile exactly later. It is also impossible to press the tool handle too hard. Otherwise, ugly cracks may appear on the tile.
After the risk is done, the material must be laid on a solid, level surface. Next, gently raise the edge of the tile farthest from the cut and not push it too hard. As a result, the material should break evenly at risk.
Useful advice
So, now you know how to cut floor tiles at home correctly using a tool specially designed for this purpose. Working with a tile cutter is relatively easy. But risk should be carried out as carefully as possible. Only one precise incision is allowed on the material. The second time, longitudinal movement of the carriage cannot be made. In any case, the new risk will not coincide with the first and the material will be spoiled.
How to cut floor tiles with a grinder: preparation
This tool for cutting tiles or porcelain tiles should be used only as a last resort. That is, when there is no tile cutter in the house. The fact is that working with such a material is quite dangerous. In order not to be injured when cutting using this tool, a number of conditions must be met:
prepare a steady table;
check the disc of the grinder (use the one intended for work on artificial stone);
check how free the disk rotates;
adjust the grinder to medium speed.
As with tiling, in this case, glasses and gloves should be worn.
How to cut a grinder
When using this tool, work is performed according to the “on my own” method. Tiles, porcelain tiles or artificial stone are pre-laid on the table so that the line of risk goes beyond its surface. Work should be as smooth as possible. You do not need to press the tile around. As soon as the cut piece falls to the floor, the grinder should be turned off.
Using wire cutters
It is very difficult to work with this tool on a tile. Therefore, nippers are usually used only when you need to make a curly incision. Using this simple tool is a good answer to the question of how to cut floor tiles in a semicircle. The marking in this case is performed using patterns, a compass, a protractor, a square, etc.
Cutting with nippers is done by gently breaking off the tile, gradually approaching the figure drawn with a pencil or marker. And they do it immediately along the entire length of the line. If you start to move the pliers directly to the marking on one side, the tile can very easily crack.
Working with tile cutters is thus very difficult. In addition, the cut line itself on the tile is not too neat. Her edges come out "bitten." Therefore, when using such a tool at the final stage, the ends of the cut figure must be aligned with a file.
Glass cutter application
Many owners of apartments and houses who decided to make floor repairs using tiles or porcelain tiles would probably like to learn, among other things, about how to cut floor tiles without a tile cutter. The tool is not too expensive, but it is, of course, far from every household. Not everyone in the house has grinders. In the absence of these two tools, you can try cutting tiles or porcelain tiles with a glass cutter.
Work is performed using such a tool as follows:
the tile is laid on a flat, stable surface;
the disk is installed at the starting point;
It is carried out by a cut method "on itself".
The incision in this case, as with other tools, should be done only one, without applying too much effort. At the final stage, the tiles are laid on the table and broken.
Instead of a conclusion
So, we hope that we have answered the question in sufficient detail on how to properly cut floor tiles. This procedure is relatively simple. When working with glass or tile cutters, it is important to make the exact risk the first time. When working with a grinder, you need to be extremely careful. Using nippers, it is important to make breaks immediately along the entire cutting line.