How to Eliminate Small Pieces of Large Ceramic Tile

A hacksaw with a rod saw blade will cut through tile.

Practically every tiling project will require cutting small pieces away from tiles to make them fit around fixtures. You have several tools to choose from, depending on the type of ceramic tile and your comfort level with power tools. Wet saws, rod saws and tile nibbling tools can only make cuts starting on the edge of the tile. Rotary cutters can cut at the edge or in the middle of the tile. Use a rod saw for soft ceramic tiles and a nibbling tool for hard ceramic tiles. Wet saws and rotary cutters can be used on all ceramic tiles.

Things You'll Need

• Ceramic tiles
• Grease pencil
• Rod saw blade
• Hack saw handle
• Tile nibbling tool
• Rotary cutter
• Scrap wood
• Wet saw
• Snap cutter

Instructions

Saw

1. Place a rod saw blade onto a hack saw handle. The hack saw handle provides the strength for cutting through tile and the rod saw blade provides the flexibility you need to make freehand cuts, including curves.

2. Mark the part of the tile that you want to cut away.

3. Place the tile on the edge of a work table with the area to be cut hanging off of the table. Press the tile into the table with one hand and cut the tile with the saw, following your marked lines. Your saw will be able to make curved and straight cuts.

Tile Nibbling Tool

1. Mark the part of the tile that you want to cut away.

2. Hold the tile firmly above your work surface.

3. Cut away small pieces of tile with the tile-nibbling tool. Take small nibbles and not big bites to keep from shattering the tile. Continue nibbling away at the tile until you reach your markings.

Rotary Cutter

1. Mark the part of the tile that you want to cut away.

2. Place two pieces of scrap wood on your work table with a space in between them. Lay the tile on top of the wood, with the area to be cut away hanging over the space between the wood.

3. Turn on the rotary cutter and move the blade into the ceramic tile from the side for edge cuts and from the top for center cuts. Move the rotary cutter blade along your markings until you have removed the necessary piece of tile.

Wet Saw

1. Mark the part of the tile that you want to cut away.

2. Use a snap cutter to score the cut line parallel to the tile's edge.

3. Place the tile on the wet saw's cutting table. Turn on the wet saw and push the tile towards the cutting blade, stopping when you reach the scored line. Make several parallel cuts 1/4 inch apart inside the area to be removed.

4. Cut away the strips of tile left behind by the cutting with a tile nibbling tool.

References

• "Tiling"; Editors of Sunset Books; 2009