Processing tiles: how to cut and drill tiles. How to treat the seams between tiles? How to process tile edges

In order to install tiles along the edges of the room, around window frames, pipes or various protrusions, you have to cut them. Cutting tiles in a straight line is relatively easy. Cutting along curly lines is much more difficult and requires practice and patience.

Cutting tiles with a tile cutter

1. Measure and draw a cutting line on the tile. Try to apply it correctly the first time - repeated marking may cause the tile to crumble or crack.
2. Align the mark with the pointer on the cutter.
3. While holding the tile level, slide the cutting wheel towards the edge of the tile. Push it forcefully away from you.
4. When the cutting wheel reaches the edge, press the handle to make the tile crack.

Cutting tiles with an edger

1. Measure and draw a cutting line on the tile.
2. Align this mark with the pointer on the cutter.
3. Hold the tile level and slide it towards the blade. Move slowly to prevent the tile from overheating and cracking.

Breaking tiles by hand

1. Place the scored tile face up on a nail or piece of stiff wire.
2. Place your fingers on both sides of the tile and press evenly until the tile cracks.

Breaking tiles with tongs

1. Clamp the tile with pliers in the center on the marked line and press down on the handles.
2. With your free hand, hold the part of the tile you are going to use.

We cut tiles of complex shapes

1. Using a compass and pencil, draw the desired outline on the tile.
2. Draw a glass cutter along the drawn line. Then draw several intersecting lines inside the portion of the tile to be removed.
3. Using wire cutters or pliers, begin to break off small pieces of tile from the part to be removed - little by little, so that you get fragments, not pieces.

Align the edges of the tiles:

1. Serrated edges - Using wire cutters or pliers, bite off the serrated edge.
2. Sharp edges - trim with a round file.
3. Cut edges - processed sandpaper No. 80 and grind.

Note to the master: always wear safety glasses when working with tiles!

When choosing what to cut ceramic tiles with, you need to decide on the upcoming amount of work and its type. A tool that can easily handle wall tiles will not work on floor tiles. Radial cutting requires different tools than simple cutting.

Ceramic tiles, which are usually used for wall decoration, are relatively soft. Therefore, cutting it, compared to other types of this finishing material(floor or facing tiles) is not particularly difficult.

Glass cutter: regular and oil

If you need to make a quick cut ceramic tiles in small quantities, it is most convenient to use a roller glass cutter. This tool is easy to operate. Place the tiles on a solid and flat surface, make markings with a marker. Roll the glass cutter along the intended line, pressing evenly towards you. There should be a visible stripe on the surface. After this, we break the tile along the cut line. To do this, place a small object under it - a match or a nail, and gently press on both sides.

If you use an oil glass cutter, cutting ceramic tiles will become even more convenient.

The handle of this tool has a reservoir into which a mixture of kerosene and machine oil is poured. Flowing down a special channel, this mixture falls on the roller and greatly facilitates the cutting process.

The advantages of the tool include speed, low price and ease of use. At the same time, it is difficult to process a large number of tiles at one time using a glass cutter.

With a large volume of work, more than suitable tool for cutting ceramic tiles - a manual tile cutter. It consists of a base, guide tubes and a cutting element.

To work, place the tile inside the device. Move the cutting roller away from you, while trying to keep the pressure even. When you are finished making the cut, press down on the handle to break the tile.

Advantages of a tile cutter: it is convenient to work, using a lever reduces effort, cutting ceramic tiles is more accurate.

Disadvantages - the tool is not universal; it cannot cut strips less than 5 millimeters wide. The edge of the fracture is sometimes uneven and must be sanded by hand.

How to cut floor tiles

Ceramic flooring has a high hardness coefficient and is more high requirements to the instrument. When choosing the best way to cut ceramic floor tiles, choose one of the options discussed below.

If you are looking for a way to cut ceramic tiles quickly and efficiently, then use an electric tile cutter.

An electric machine for cutting ceramic tiles consists of a motor, a platform on which the cutting element is fixed (most often a diamond-coated disk) and a container with water. In some models, the disc is partially immersed in water, in others, only the cutting area on the tile is wetted. This principle of operation reduces the amount of dust, protects the tiles from cracking and extends the service life of the cutting disc.

An electric tile cutter is a universal tool. It is suitable for cutting ceramic tiles of any hardness; makes straight cuts with smooth edges that do not require additional processing; cuts pieces of tiles less than 5 mm wide. In addition, it can be used to make a cut at an angle of 45 degrees, as well as a hole or recess.

When deciding how to cut ceramic tiles, keep in mind: a good electric tile cutter is a fairly expensive tool.

Such a purchase only makes sense if you plan to use it regularly.

Bulgarian

The main advantage of this method is that cutting ceramic tiles with a grinder does not require special skills and is accessible to a non-professional. The principle of operation is very simple: we connect to the network, press the start button and, after the disk reaches the desired speed, we cut “from ourselves” according to pre-applied markings.

Cutting ceramic tiles with a grinder with a diamond wheel installed

It is advisable to cut ceramic tiles with a tool that has the ability to regulate speed. It is recommended to work at a speed no higher than 3.5 thousand rpm. At higher speeds, the ceramics begin to crack, and hot chips and dust fly in all directions at great speed.

You should also not use discs designed for cutting metal. Choose discs for concrete or diamond (non-segmented).

The grinder is an inexpensive and easy-to-use tool. But it has several significant drawbacks. Firstly, cutting produces a huge amount of dust and debris. Secondly, the edges of the tiles are not very neat. They have to be processed additionally: remove jagged edges with nippers, process the cut with a file and sandpaper.

Also, despite its simplicity, this tool requires careful handling. To avoid harming yourself while working, you need to know how to cut ceramic tiles correctly. Always hold the tool firmly in your hands so that the space in front of the cutting blade is clear. Be sure to use safety glasses, gloves and a respirator.

Shaped tile cutting

During repairs, it may be necessary to make holes in the tiles for pipes, hoods or sockets. It may also be necessary to trim tiles to fit around a toilet, claw-foot sink, or door trim. Below we will look at how to cut ceramic tiles in these cases.

Are you deciding how to cut ceramic tiles to get a hole of a certain diameter? Choose a circular ballerina drill for this job. The distance to the cutter is manually adjustable, and you can set any diameter that you need.

To make the hole neat, use a special tripod for a drill while working. Using one ballerina you can make up to 20 holes in the tile.

For minor renovations, shaped cutting of ceramic tiles can be done using wire cutters. This simple tool allows you to create your own cutouts. different shapes. You should bite from the edge. If the tile is glazed, then the size of the pieces should be minimal.

The common disadvantage of these methods is that, regardless of what the ceramic tiles are cut with, the edges turn out uneven.

Figure cutting requires good command of the tool and experience working with ceramics.

In addition, some tasks that arise during repairs are difficult to solve without the help of a professional tool. In this case, you have to look for where you can cut ceramic tiles so that the work is done efficiently and at a professional level.

If you need professional cutting of ceramic tiles, the price for all types of work is usually indicated on the website of the company providing such services. After reviewing the price list of several companies, you can choose the option that suits your planned budget.

Ceramic tiles are a durable and beautiful finishing material. But the cladding process itself requires thoughtful preparation and patience. Very often, when laying walls, solid ceramic tiles have to be cut to height and width. To tile various protrusions along the edges of the room, in inconvenient places, you also need to cut the tiles or drill different holes in it.

Cutting ceramic tiles with a glass cutter

For small cutting jobs on ceramic or glass wall tiles use a regular glass cutter.

1. To perform this operation, you must first wet the tile, then mark it on the front side with a marker or pencil.
2. Next, the tiles are placed on plywood or a board so as not to damage the table with a glass cutter.
3. The incision is made once.
4. Then, using uniform pressure, the glass cutter is applied towards you until a noticeable groove appears on the enamel.
5. In order to break the tile strictly along the cut strip, place a match or nail under it and lightly press on both sides of the line.

For large volumes of work, it is difficult to use a glass cutter, since constant attention is required to make the correct cut. Therefore for cutting large quantity For floor tiles and ceramic wall tiles, experts recommend using a tile cutter.

Cutting ceramic tiles with a tile cutter

The main difference between a tile cutter and a glass cutter is the presence of a larger wheel. Therefore, the tile cutter makes a deeper cut. This tool is equipped with a device that breaks the tile strictly along the cut line. For maximum speed of work, you can use an electric tile cutter, which makes cuts with smooth and slightly rounded edges.

1. Before working, ceramic tiles should be soaked in water for about an hour.
2. After this, the specialist marks the part of the tile that needs to be cut. To do this, draw a cut line on its enamel with a marker. For cutting tiles the right angle, the mark is made with a square on which divisions are marked. You should know that the cut should be no closer than one centimeter from the edge of the tile. The mark on the tile must coincide with the pointer located on the tile cutter.
3. During the cutting process, the tile is kept in one place, and the cutting wheel is moved “away from you” to the starting edge of the tile. It is necessary to move the wheel slowly to avoid overheating and cracks in the cut. To do this, you should apply even pressure on the tiles, since very strong pressure will lead to breaking of the tiles or deviation from the markings.

A manual tile cutter is not suitable for cutting tiles less than 5 millimeters thick.

Aligning the edges of ceramic tiles

To smooth out sharp jagged edges, use nippers or pliers, which can easily “bite off” the uneven edges of the tile. Then the sharp edges are smoothed with sandpaper or a file.

Contour cutting of ceramic tiles

It is often necessary to select the desired contour from one side of the tile, leaving the remaining sides intact.

1. Before starting work, use a pencil and a compass to mark the required contour, and then use an electric tile cutter to make several parallel cuts inside the contour, which end at the marking.
2. Then the excess part of the tile is removed, and the cut is smoothed with a grinding machine and sandpaper.

When carrying out such work, you need to pay special attention to the cuts.

Drilling holes in ceramic tiles

1. To obtain a hole, you should first mark the drilling location with a tap, tapping it lightly with a hammer.
2. a special drill bit with a feather tip or a tubular diamond drill bit for working on glass and ceramics. Drilling should be done with an electric drill at high speeds of the electric drill, but without much pressure. If there is no special drill, then the hole is drilled with a Pobedit drill under water at low speeds. Without water, chips and cracks may appear on the edge of the hole. You need to drill the tiles slowly and carefully.

When the tile is fixed to the wall, the hole is drilled with a hand drill with a drill clamped in a chuck.

Ceramic tiles are a durable and convenient material in many ways. But the installation process requires some preparation, accuracy and patience. For beautiful and high-quality tiling working wall or the floor in the kitchen, you must not only be able to lay it, but also know how to cut tiles. When decorating with tiles kitchen apron Whole tiles are not always laid. To line protrusions, window frames, electrical sockets and switches along the edges, tile cutting or drilling is often necessary.

Wall tiles or glass tiles can be cut with a regular roller glass cutter. Before cutting, mark with a marker or pencil. Floor tiles are thicker and stronger, so a glass cutter won't be enough.

In such cases, a tile cutter (tile cutter) is used. It differs from a roller glass cutter by a wheel, which is much larger in size on a tile cutter, so the cutter can make a puncture in the tile to a greater depth. Tile cutter by appearance resembles tongs, with its help you can not only cut, but also break the tile after the cut. The mechanism for breaking tiles consists of a metal tooth corner on the bottom of the tongs and a special corner on the top.

Electric tile cutting machine

If you have to cut floor tiles, the corner on the top of the tongs should only be made of metal. Therefore, if you decide to purchase a tile cutter, choose a tool not with plastic, but with metal corner. A tile cutter with a plastic corner is only suitable for wall tiles. Most cutters are equipped with a metal ruler with a limiter, which is designed for serial cutting - if you need to cut tiles of the same size (for example, for a border).

Manual tile cutter

Ceramic tiles can also be cut with a grinder with a diamond wheel - it is best suited for working with tiles. But this method is the noisiest and dustiest, so you can use a grinder only when cutting with a tile cutter or other tool is impossible.

How to use a tile cutter

The main difference between a tile cutter is a larger wheel, which can be used to make a deeper cut, and the presence of a mechanism that, after making a cut, allows you to break the tile. Electric machines for cutting tiles, which are also on sale, cut the tiles very carefully, the edges are smooth and slightly rounded.

Before cutting the tile, it should be soaked in water for 30-40 minutes, and then mark the part to be cut by drawing a cut line with a marker or pencil.

Working with a manual tile cutter

Using a tile cutter, you can make a cut at a given required angle. In this case, the markings are applied using a square with divisions. The cutting line on the tile is located no closer than one cm from the edge of the tile. When using a tile cutter, align the mark with the index on the cutter. The tile is fixed at the same level, and the cutting element is moved in the “away” direction. You need to move the cutter very slowly towards the edge of the tile. This way you can avoid overheating of the tiles, cracks and chips.

It is very important to break the cut element correctly. When using a tile cutting machine, apply pressure evenly to avoid breaking or deviating from the markings you have made. If you are using a manual tile cutter, you will not be able to cut strips smaller than 5 mm wide.

Cutting ceramic tiles with a glass cutter

If the amount of work with tiles is small, it is quite possible to do without a special machine for cutting tiles, using a regular roller glass cutter (diamond). Cutting ceramic tiles with a glass cutter is done in a similar way. First, the tiles are soaked in water for 30-40 minutes. After marking with a marker or pencil on the front side, the tiles are laid on a flat board or plywood. The incision is made with strong pressure - just once. Applying even pressure on the tool, roll it from the far edge of the tile towards you so that a groove appears on the surface of the enamel. To break along the resulting line, place a nail, match or thin wire under it, and press the tile on both sides at once.

Cutting tiles with a glass cutter

It is quite difficult to perform a large amount of work with a glass cutter, since the process takes a lot of time and requires concentration. After all, you need to constantly ensure that the cut is in the right place. And of course, it is impossible to cut thick floor tiles with a glass cutter.

Aligning edges after cutting tiles

If you get sharp, jagged edges, use wire cutters or pliers to smooth them out. The uneven edge is bitten off, and the chips are smoothed with a round file. The edges of the tiles are treated with coarse sandpaper.

Subtleties of working with an angle grinder

If cutting ceramic tiles is done with this tool, it is very important to follow safety precautions. When working with an angle grinder, use eye protection. In addition, the instrument must have a protective cover that can absorb most fragments from ceramic tiles. A protective cover is also needed to ensure your safety if the disc suddenly cracks at high speeds.

Cutting tiles with a grinder is carried out using a diamond wheel. Before starting work, make sure that the circle is securely fastened, then turn on the tool and cut along the pre-designated line. Remember that this method of cutting tiles is the dustiest and noisiest, so use the grinder only in emergency cases, for example, when you need to cut porcelain tiles. A grinder is also necessary for leveling the edges of tiles when an angled cut is needed (for joining tiles on ledges).

Cutting tiles with a grinder and a diamond wheel

How to cut porcelain tiles

This tile's texture resembles a natural stone. Modern technologies allow you to give the porcelain stoneware surface almost any color - wood, volcanic hardened lava, rough-hewn stone, aged stone. The properties of porcelain tiles arise from the specifics of the raw materials that are used to make this finishing material. Unlike ceramic tiles intended for interior decoration premises, porcelain tiles can be used for both interior and facade works. After all, the components of the tile during the production process interact at the molecular level and are sintered so much that they form a monolith. Therefore, cutting porcelain tiles is a labor-intensive process, which only a grinder can make easier.

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