How to Lay Outside Corner Tile
Laying tile around an outside corner generally requires you to cut the shape of the corner out of one of your tiles. (There are exceptions, as when your tile layout grid just happens to line up perfectly with either side of the corner, but you can't count on that.) Cutting for an outside corner requires two partial cuts that meet in the middle, instead of one cut all the way across, so you'll need a tile saw as well as a tile cutter. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Small carpenter's square
- Tile cutter
- Carbide rod hand-saw
- Tile mortar
- Mortar trowel
- Grout
- Grout trowel
- Sponge
Instructions
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1
Lay all the full tiles that will fit in the room, leaving spaces by the walls and around the outside corner where the full tiles won't fit. Let the tiles set.
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2
Measure the space around the outside corner to determine what cut has to be made out of the full tile that will go there. Take the measurement from the edge of the surrounding tiles in both directions from the two planes on either side of the corner. Subtract the space between the tiles (generally 1/8th inch), and subtract an additional 1/4 inch to leave space at the wall.
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3
Mark the measurements on your tile, using a small carpenter's square. It should look like a square drawn over one corner of the tile, with two lines that meet on the face, forming a right angle.
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4
Use your rod saw to cut along the shorter of the two lines, sawing from the edge and working inward. Stop sawing where the two lines meet.
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Place the tile on your tile cutter, with the second line under the blade. Run the blade along the line, starting at the point where the previous cut meets the line. Snap the tile. The resulting piece should look like a full tile with a square corner cut out of it.
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Use a mortar trowel to spread tile mortar on the back of the tile. Press the tile in place around the corner, spacing it properly with the surrounding tiles and making the two cut edges sit 1/4 inch from the wall.
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Let all the tiles set overnight. Spread grout them with a grout trowel, pressing it into the spaces between all the tiles. Wipe off the excess grout with a damp sponge.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear goggles when cutting the tiles.
