How to Make Toilet Cuts With a Tile Saw

If you're installing tile on your bathroom floor, you need to cut the tile around your toilet, so why not use a tile saw to do the work for you. Cutting the ceramic tile with a tile saw can make quick work of laying out the tile around the toilet and with a little knowledge you can do it rather easily.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Pull up the toilet. While it might seem quicker and easier to leave the toilet in place and lay the tile around it, it's not. It is almost impossible to match the curvature of the toilet exactly for a nice finish on the project. Take the extra time and pull up the toilet.

2. Lay the tile up until you get the tile that goes around the sewage line for the toilet. This will give you a guide to mark where your cut will go. Mark the curve of the sewage line on the tile.

3. Use your tile saw to cut into your tile up to the point you marked. Hold the tile at a 90 degree angle to the blade of the tile saw and cut into the tile until you get to the marked line. Make at least four parallel cuts into the tile, one on either side of the marking and two up the middle.

4. Tap off the "tabs" you made. Gently tap the edge of the tile on some hard surface. The resulting edge will be rough, but it will be under the toilet and will not show. The idea is to get the tile to somewhat conform to the edge of the toilet plumbing.

5. Test fit your tile. Use a dry blade or hammer and chisel to neaten up any edges that are interfering with your tile placement to get a smooth fit.

Tips & Warnings

• Use an inverted PVC toilet flange to mark your tile. This will give you an accurate measurement of how big to make the hole.
• If you are new to cutting tile, use standard clay tile. It is by far the easiest to cut and shape. Cutting things like marble tile requires experienced hands.