How to Cut a Small Rock for Tile
Rocks such as marble, slate, granite and limestone are popular materials for tile. Each of these rocks has unique colors and textures that make the tiles an interesting accent in your home. You can cut pieces of the rocks into tiles for your projects using a wet saw. The difficulty of the project will depend on the type of rock you choose since some of the rocks are harder and have less foliation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Rock
- Wet circular saw with diamond blade
- Measuring tape
- Chalk
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Instructions
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Set the rock on a flat surface, and measure the length, width and thickness of the slab using a measuring tape. If the rock slab does not have a flat-bottom surface, attach the slab to the wet saw equipped with a diamond blade and cut the base so that it is flush and sits level.
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Mark the rock with chalk lines where you want to cut the rock so that the lines form a grid that corresponds to the length and width of the finished tile. For example, if you want tiles that are 4 inches square, the chalk lines should be four inches apart in two directions.
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Attach the rock to the wet saw equipped with a diamond blade, and cut along the chalk lines. When you finish these initial cuts, you will have several blocks of rock. Use the saw's guide to make straight cuts. The tiles should be the correct width and length at this point.
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Mark each rock block with chalk lines corresponding to the tile thickness. For example, if your blocks are 2 inches thick and you want tiles that are one-half inch in thickness, make chalk lines on the block at half-inch intervals.
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Cut the rock blocks along the chalk lines that you marked for the tile thickness. Once you complete these cuts, you will have multiple tiles with the correct length, width and thickness.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use dry saws to cut rock although wet saws are preferred because they control the dust.
Some rocks, such as slate, naturally split along cleavage planes. You can split these planes using a hammer and chisel.
If you have not used a circular saw before, practice on scrap pieces of rock before you cut your tiles.
Wear appropriate safety equipment such as safety goggles and a dust mask while breaking and cutting the rock since cutting stone can produce significant dust.
Follow all of the wet saw manufacturer's safety recommendations.
References
- Photo Credit granite image by Andrzej Solnica from Fotolia.com
