How to Cut Tiles For a Kitchen Remodel

You've planned on remodeling your kitchen since 2007, but now that you're a little more strapped for extra cash, the contractor your friend recommended for the job is a little pricey.  The solution for any motivated homeowner is to DIY.  Learn how to cut and lay the tile yourself, save some money and gain some personal satisfaction from your experience.

Below is a short How to Guide for cutting tiles in your next kitchen remodel.  

Materials you'll need to get started:

1. Goggles
2. Pencil
3. Tile Cutter
4. Steel Ruler
5. Tile nippers
6. Power Drill
7. Hacksaw
8. Rod Saw
9. Tile Saw (depending on the scale of your job)

To cut a straight edge on a tile:

1.  Using a pencil, draw a straight line on the back side of the tile.
2. To achieve a straight cut, use a handheld tile cutter.
3. Position a steel ruler on the line that you have drawn. It will help to guide the cutter.
4. Score the tile with the tile cutter using one strong pull across the face of the tile.
5. To break the tile along the scored line, hold the tile on both end and place the scored line face-up on an edge (such as a kitchen counter or table edge).

Note: Be careful not to cut yourself as the tile's edge will be sharp.

To cut a curve out of a corner:

1. Choose the tile you plan to cut.
2. USe a pencil to mark a curved shape on the tile. Add an extra 3 mm gap to the actual curve. This will prevent you from making any mistakes.
3. Draw a straight edge on the circumference of the curve (a straight edge from one end of the curve to the next).
4. Using a tile cutter, cut away the circumference of the curve.
5. Place the tile glaze side up and score the straight edge with a handheld tile cutter.
6. Place the scored line face-up on an edge and snap it downwards to break off the waste piece.
7. Now that most of the wast part is gone, score the curve shape pencil mark with the handheld tile cutter. Take extra care when tracing the curved shape on the tile.
8. Next, use the tile nippers to nip away small pieces of the tile until you've shaped a curve.

To cut irregular edges:

1.  Draw the irregular edges on the front of the tile.
2. Use a handheld tile cutter to cut away most of the unwanted part of the tile.
3. Cut away the remaining part with the tile nippers until the irregular edges are created.

To cut holes in tiles for pipes:

1.  First measure the diameter of the pipe.
2. Position the tile on top of the space where the pipe is.
3. Using a pencil, measure and mark the position where you plan to create the pipe hole on the tile.
4. After you have transferred the location of the pipe on the tile, then find the center point of the circle.
5. From this center point, mark the radius of the circle and include an additional margin of about 1/4" for the grouting, and draw the circle using a compass.
6. Drill a hole at the center point with a power drill.  The hole should be big enough to allow the rod saw in.
7. Take the rad saw off the backsaw frame and thread it through the hole and saw along the line to create the pipe hole.
8. For faster and easier cutting, use a perfect hole kit or other tile drill bits.

Note:  It's not a bad idea to invest in a tile cutter if you plan to cut a lot of tiles.  To master using a tile cutter, just practice on some scrap tiles!

Let's Blog Construction would like to thank www.ratedpeople.com, a UK company that helps you find tradesmen in your area, for this article submission.  For more advice or help finding a recommended bathroom fitter or tradesman in the UK visit www.ratedpeople.com.

Comments

[Kitchen Tiles]

Oh Very Nice..I am trying so many time to remodel my kitchen.. But due to high cost of installation ..I could not do that..But your post help very much to me..Now i have a Good Kitchen. Thank You.

[free construction job board]

Thank you very much for your article. This is great construction blog post

[Article submission]

good job

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