How to cut tiles with a tile cutter: proper operation and safety - Setafi

There are a few rules regarding how to cut tiles with a tile cutter. The tool is quite simple, but it is important to learn how to feel it. When working, the characteristics of the material should also be taken into account. Practical recommendations and useful tips are described in this article.

Which tile cutter is suitable

To understand how to use a tile cutter, you first need to figure out which tool is right for you. All appliances are divided into 2 classes - household and electrical. The latter are more powerful and are used mainly for industrial purposes.

As for household ones, these are hand-held devices that are suitable specifically for home use. There are 3 classes of such tools:

1. With a cutting roller - they are often used in conjunction with a saw station.
2. Another way to properly cut tiles with a tile cutter is to use devices on bearings. They are well suited for ceramic products whose thickness exceeds 16 mm.
   instagram viewer
3. Mechanical ones are equipped with a rigid carriage, which allows for more accurate cutting.

It is important to understand that all these models can cut a strip from the edge with a width of at least 10 mm. If you need to understand how to properly cut a tile with a manual tile cutter so that just a few millimeters remain, you should use wire cutters. They provide more accurate results.

How to use the tool

The main question is related to how to work with a tile cutter. This is a fairly simple procedure that requires minimal skills. The work is carried out in several stages, which are described in detail below.

Preparation

The main way how to properly use a tile cutter is related to the preparatory stage. Before turning on the device, you should make sure that it is working properly. Most often, the roller suffers. Its surface should be perfectly smooth - if there are notches, replacement is required.

First, the device is inspected to make sure that there is no dust or dirt. All components of the mechanism are tightened using screwdrivers. If it has not been used for a long time or there is no certainty, the carriage is lubricated with machine oil.

markup

Before cutting the tile with a tile cutter, you need to outline all the fault lines. To do this, determine the desired size in advance and put a line with a special marker or pencil.

cutting

The next step is the actual cutting. To do this, the blade is installed directly above the line and passes along it to the end. If you need to cut a small edge (up to 10 mm), you should figure out how to use a tile cutter and wire cutters. It is he who will help in such cases.

On the eve of cutting and during this process, it is recommended to act as follows:

1. An hour before work, the tiles are covered with a wet towel or other cloth. Due to this, the material will crumble less, chips will practically not appear.
2. Provide immobility of the die.
3. The cutting part is placed directly above the intended fault line.
4. Next comes the main stage - you need to feel how to work with a tile cutter.
5. The cutter is placed at the very beginning of the line.
6. With a little effort, move it over the surface of the ceramics. At the same time, it does not have much movement, where to direct it (on itself or in the opposite direction). You need to work the way you want.

After that, it is easy to figure out how to use an electric tile cutter or a manual device. Further, as soon as the cutting element has passed the entire strip, the operator gently presses the lever. After that, the product splits exactly along the line.

Formation of a round and figured cut

The simplest method of how to properly work with a tile cutter involves a straight, even cut. But in practice, it is often necessary to perform other operations, for example, a figured or round cut. One example is installing a socket in a tile.

For such cases, a diamond crown, also called a core drill, should be used. If you need a more complex cut of a curly type, use several devices at once. To do this, take a set of cuts - you will need straight and round views. If you need to cut along a broken line, use a grinder. You can also use the grinder.

Features of cutting porcelain stoneware

It is clear how to cut tiles with an electric or manual tile cutter. But a material such as porcelain stoneware is much stronger than classic tiles. Therefore, hand tools are practically not used for it. It is best to use electrical devices. Otherwise, you will have to deal with why the tile cutter breaks the tile.

For work, it is better to choose a tool with a high-quality cutting element made of high quality steel. But even with such a device it will not be easy to work, so a lot of effort is required. And a hand tool will also come in handy. It is used to form straight cuts on a porcelain stoneware product. The result will be good if the thickness of the tile does not exceed 15 mm.

Features of cutting tiles

As a rule, in domestic conditions you have to work with tiled blanks. They cover the walls in the bathroom and in the kitchen. If we talk about how to properly cut tiles with a tile cutter, the principle will be exactly the same. But it is worth considering that, in comparison with classical ceramics, and even more so with porcelain stoneware, tiles are noticeably more fragile.

Therefore, you need to correctly feel how to use a tile cutter. During operation, less effort should be applied so that the surface does not crack. But at the same time, they must be sufficient so that the workpiece breaks exactly along the line. If the groove is shallow, an even fracture cannot be achieved.

Another important point - cutting tiles with a tile cutter is done only once. Even if the groove is shallow, it will not be possible to hold the cutter with high accuracy in the same place. Therefore, it is worth buying tile blanks with a small margin and practicing 1-2 times. This is the basic rule of preparation, which allows you to understand how to properly cut with a tile cutter.

You can work with tiles with different tools. Often, a grinder or tongs, a glass cutter are used for these purposes. But it’s better to figure out how to cut tiles with a tile cutter. The tool allows you to draw a straight line exactly at the specified location. Thanks to this, the tile breaks along the groove and will look beautiful in the bathroom, in the kitchen or in other rooms.