How to Cut Tile Like a Pro

Here’s good news about tiles: the installation process remains essentially the same no matter the surface or room. The bad news is: one of the trickiest, and most time-consuming, steps is cutting. In order to cut tile like a professional, take a look at the three types of tile cuts followed by seasoned D-I-Y-ers and professionals. Tools you’ll need: Tile cutter, tape measure, wet saw, tile nippers, wire, chipboard, tile sander, felt-tipped pen, paper. 1. Cut the main tiles: Unless your tiles are precut and measured, cut the main tiles as you go. With a tape measure, accurately measure out the entire space to be tiled to determine the necessary size of each tile. Be sure to allow space for 1/8” of grout between the tiles. Practice cutting on some scrap tiles before you begin. For ceramic tiles, you can cut with a hand tile cutter, but for thicker material (e.g. granite), use a wet saw, which can handle the strain. When cutting by hand, score the tile only once, that is; cut entirely in one smooth motion. Multiple scores will only dull the blade and create jagged edges on the tile. To achieve this streamlined cut, align the arrow on the cutter on the marked tile line. Place the breaking wings, located at the bottom of the handle, about ½” from either edge of the tile and slowly but firmly press down on the handle until the wings break the tile. Smooth away the rough edges with a tile sander. 2. Cut the border tiles: Once you have completed the main area, cut the border tiles to fill the gap between the main tiles and all walls or edging. Place a border tile face down, and with one edge next to the wall or edge, mark where to cut--but remember the grout space! Use a felt-tip pen to replicate the mark on the tile face. Take the tile cutter and holding it against a straightedge, score across the face in a single stroke. Take a length of thin wire and stretch it across a sheet of chipboard. Align the scored tile over the wire and press down on both sides to snap the tile. If this process intimidates you, you can alternatively use a purpose-made tile-cutting jig to cut boarder tiles. After cutting by hand or jig, take a tile sander and smooth over the cut edges of the tile to round all the edges and corners of the tiled area. 3. Cut the irregular tiles: After cutting and laying the main and border tiles, the last step is to cut the odd-shaped tiles that encircle appliances, pipes, and faucets. When measuring and fitting these tiles, it's best to set them out so that you can cut the shape, such as the semi-circle, from the edges of two adjacent tiles. If this is not possible, mark the center of where obstacle will intersect from the side edges of the tile and draw lines across from these points. Using a coin, or something slightly larger than the diameter of the object, draw a circle around the crossed lines. Make a straight cut through the center, then use a tile saw to cut out the remaining circle. To cut an irregular tile in a curved shape, use a piece of thin paper and replicate the exact shape and size you need. Next, align the tile with your drawing, and cut small, evenly-spaced slits along one edge. Transfer the gradient of the curve onto the face of the tile and then cut using a tile saw. Use tile nippers or a micro-cutter to score all edges and then smooth with a blade. However, if you plan to make many complicated cuts, rent a machine from your dealer, such as a diamond cut-off wheel or saber saw. Denver Tile Installation wants you to remember to always to measure twice and cut once. Although cutting tile may feel like a drag, when you take the time to do each one correctly, the finished product is worth it.