Let's Blog Construction

A Tile Saw for Dad This Christmas

As we approach Halloween and then the holiday season, many of us are having trouble thinking of gift ideas for parents, family members, and friends. You've gifted dad ties, hand tools, dvds, and more throughout the years, but you're having trouble thinking of what to do this christmas. Although I don't usually recommend high-end tools for the DIYers because the high cost doesn't translate to savings in time or efficiencies for quite awhile in most cases.  However, there are a number of professional-grade tile saws that sell at lower price points, allowing serious DIYers to enjoy the production of an industrial saw, at a low initial cost. Although these "cheap tile saws" aren't necessarily cheap compared to other options available in the DIY market, they will not disappoint!

In particular, the Felker TM-75 8" Tile Saw offers the versatility and power needed to get any small to medium sized cutting job done with precision cuts.  The 8" blade capacity is perfect for cutting moderate sized tile for a number of kitchen, bathroom, and other tile projects. The saw comes with a high quality Felker Tile Diamond Blade and a water tray, making this saw ready to use out of the box.  For a little more, a saw stand can be added for ultimate portability on any job.  The Saw lists for $377 and the lowest price I've found online is $299.89 plus shipping. Considering the high quality the Felker brand continues to uphold, this is a minimal cost.  I've used the saw on several projects and have never had an issue! I can't say enough good things about this saw, one of the most popular on the market.

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.

How to Tile a Bathroom Wall

Below is a step-by-step guide on laying bathroom wall tile.  If you have any questions, or think we should add something, feel free to post your comments below.

Kit:

1. Tiles
2. Plastic Spacers
3. Pencil
4. Straight length of wood
5. Chalk
6. Tape Measure (Laser Measure)
7. Spirit Level
8. Small Nails
9. Hammer
10. Battens
11. Grout Mixture
12. Mastic trowel
13. Dowel
14. Damp Sponge
15. Crowbar
16. Grout Sealant
17. Wet Tile Saw 
18. Tile Cutter

I. Find a starting point to tile the bathroom Wall

1.  Lay a row of tiles ahttp://constructioncomplete.com/Catalog/Tile-Cuttersnd insert plastic spacers.
2. Mark the tile spacing on a wooden stick of about 6 ft. This will act as a gauge rod to help you set out your wall. Next, hold this against the wall to see how the tiles will appear.

II. Set out the tiles on the wall of the bathroom.

1. Measure the wall from top to bottom for the vertical center and left to right for the horizontal center. 
2. Draw a chalk line across the horizontal and vertical lines. The point where both lines meet is the wall center.
3. Position the tip of the gauge rod against the vertical center point and mark the tile spacing on the wall from top to bottom.
4. repeat these steps for the horizontal center point and mark the tile spacing on the wall from left to right.
5. Use the gauge rod to find the best tile arrangement.

III.  Pin horizontal and vertical battens.

1.  Leave a gap of about half a tile's width from the floor.
2. Next, mark a horizontal line starting at the bottom of the wall. Use a laser level to check if the line is straight. 
3. Mark a vertical line from the left hand side of the wall.  Again, leave a gap of about half a tile's width from the left-hand side.  Check with a laser level to make sure the line is straight.
4. Use the gauge rod to check for the position of the vertical and horizontal lines: you'll be fixing battens on these lines.  This step ensures that your tiling arrangement will appear correctly on the wall.
5. Position and nail the battens on these lines, use small nails to fix them.  These battens will be used as guides for putting your tiles up and can be removed when you're finished tiling.

IV.  Fix Tiles on the wall.

1.  Now that your battens are in place, spread the tile adhesive evenly with a tile trowel.  It should be enough to cover an area of about 10 square feet.
2. Hold a plastic spreader at a right angle to create ridges with its teeth on the tile adhesive. The ridges will make it easier for the tiles to adhere to the wall.
3. Bed and press the first tile at the corner of the horizontal and vertical battens.
4. Insert a tile spacer to leave some space from the next tile.
5. Fit the next tile and insert another tile spacer.
6. With a laser level, check that the row is level.
7. Continue laying the tiles in the same way until you've covered the whole wall.
8. Let the adhesive harden for 24  hours and pry off the battens with a crowbar.
9. Next cut and fit the border tiles. Helpful Tip: To ensure that the border tiles fit correctly, place a whole tile on top of the last whole tile in the row.  Place another tile on top of this with one edge touching the skirting board, and mark a line on the middle tile against the outside edge of the top tile. The exposed part of the middle tile will then fit the gap.
10. Apply tile adhesive into the gaps between the tiles.
11. Press the border tiles and insert tile spacers.
12. Wait for another 24 hours for the adhesive to harden and remove the tile spacers.
13. Spread the grout mixture with a trowel and push it into the gaps between the tiles.  Make sure that all gaps are filled.
14. Run a piece of dowel along the grout line to smooth the grouting and give a professional finish.
15. Wait for about 30 minutes before you use a damp sponge to wipe excess grout mixture from the tiles.  For easier cleanup of grout and sponges, use a Grout Sponge bucket.
16. Repeat the cleaning process using a damp sponge.
17. Apply a grout sealant.

Let's Blog Construction would like to thank www.ratedpeople.com for their article contribution.  For more 'How-to guides' or advice on home improvements, visit them here.