Cutting Tile - DIY Chatroom

rookie1 · 10-16-2007, 10:24 AM

I am retiling a small bathroom and have heard that there are small saws I can purchase for around $100 that have tile cutting blades. Supposedly these will work well enough to cut small quantities of tile and would allow me to not have to rent a tile cutting saw. Anybody have any experience with this?

KUIPORNG · 10-16-2007, 12:55 PM

you can purchase a used cordless Makata Wet Tile cuting saw from Ebay at real low cost... I did that and the tile cutter is working great...

jscholl411 · 10-17-2007, 10:59 AM

My friend bought one of those small tile cutters for his kitchen about a year ago. It worked fine for what he needed. He doesn't do it all the time. I think now he is going to re-tile the bathroom in his home and use the same cutter. If your going to do the project over a couple days and maybe do a similar project down the line it might not be a bad idea to get one. Good luck.....

Boomersooner · 10-17-2007, 12:11 PM

I bought one of those cheap $100 tile saws thinking that anything would be better than using a manual cutter or having to rent. I've had it for a few years not and it has worked like a champ. I have tiled my front porch, a bathroom, kitchen and entryway with no problems. Other than replacing the blade I have had to do nothing else. Granted, it does not have some of the nice features of the more expensive saws but I have no complaints with mine.

Oldhouseowner · 10-17-2007, 12:55 PM

I did my small bathroom a couple of years ago. I found that a manual tile cutter with a scoring wheel is all you need for any straight cuts in most floor or wall tiles - a lot less messy and more quiet too. They sell for $20-40.

For irregular cuts in wall tiles you can use a nibbler as I call them - or a small wrench which will be able to nibble edges off the tiles - it takes a bit of practice but works well.

As for the Floor tiles which is more of a challenge, in a small bathroom you probably are using fairly small tiles for the floor, so depending on how you plan it, you wouldn't have that many odd cuts.

I ended up having only 4 floor tiles that needed odd cuts and took them to my local hardware store which charged me a couple of bucks to cut them.

Good luck

KUIPORNG · 10-17-2007, 12:58 PM

yes straing cut using manual scoreing cutter is the best.... but that equipment is quite expensive, if you go for the cheap one, it will likely be last for only one or two projects.... the best is you have the manual straight score cutter plus a cordless wet Makata saw... these two you can be a professional installer for regular tiles... not marble though... with marble/stones... you need machine wet saw as well....

Oldhouseowner · 10-18-2007, 09:02 PM

Kui****g, you're right the cheap stuff will not last as long in any tool category. I have not used the Makita cordless tilesaw so can't say anything about it.

I guess rookie1 will need to decide what kind of tool is worth it for him in the long run. My scoringwheel and cutter has lasted me a couple of jobs but I'm not looking at tiling for a living - not yet anyways - hahaha.

The main advantage I for me was the fact that I could finish tiling even in the evening due to the lack of noise involved because I wasn't running powertools at 11.30pm. Apart from sporadic swearing of course.

Kitchen sinks · 10-22-2007, 01:05 PM

using hand tools for cutting tiles is quite tricky and difficult...not unless if you're a PRO.anyways, hope you were able to choose the right cutting tool.

KUIPORNG · 10-22-2007, 01:44 PM

I have to disagree on this one... manual straight cutter are easier than they look.... once you try a few sample pieces... if the tool is functioning... I don't see any difficult in it at all.... it is just score and snap action... how complicated can it be...

Ron6519 · 10-22-2007, 06:25 PM

A wet saw is needed on jobs that need clean inside corners cut and essential if you are using porcelain tile. An added feature to have is that the saw cuts 45 degrees. If you go around corners or have returns into a window this is good for those tiles that do not have bullnose tile available. One of those low cost saws should last a homeowner years.
Ron