How to Cut 1x1 Glass Tile
Glass tiles have unique depth and color that can lend a great deal to a home's design when used in wall and light-use flooring. They are also more fragile than other tiles, chipping or cracking when too much pressure is applied, so they require special care when cutting them to size for installation. Whether the glass tiles are clear, with the color painted on the back, or with color through the glass, cutting it properly will help prevent chips and cracks in the glass surface. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sponge
- Razor blade
- Glass cutting wheel
- Tile saw with diamond-encrusted blade
- Cutting oil
Instructions
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By Hand
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1
Remove individual tiles from a sheet by soaking them in water or wetting with a sponge and pulling off the mesh or paper covering. To keep a row of tiles intact, slice through the mesh or paper with a razor blade.
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2
Hold the glass firmly in your nondominant hand (your left, if you're right-handed, or vice versa). Use wheeled-glass tile nippers to cut a straight line through the tile. Press gently when cutting because too much force will crush the tile.
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3
Cut a single row of tiles on a sheet by using cutting oil to lubricate the cutting wheel and moving at an even pace along the row. Apply steady and even pressure to avoid chips.
Tile Saw
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4
Carefully measure and mark--using a straight edge--the line to be cut.
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5
Turn the tiles upside down and feed them through the saw quickly and steadily to avoid chipping them.
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6
Touch up chips in color-backed glass tiles by applying the same shade of acrylic paint to the back of the tile. Allow the edge of color-through tiles to remain untouched; the chipped surface will be buried in mortar and will not change the color of the tile when installed.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Traditional tile nippers can be used on thin pieces of glass that do not have a color backing. Using them on thicker glass, or glass that has a color backing, will cause chipping and an uneven edge.
Scoring and snapping of tiles is a technique which works for larger tiles, but not for 1-inch tiles.
