Cutting ceramic tile (?)

[Anonymous]

Hi all.

I am near completion on my first ever attempt at laying tile. I am using 12 x 12 ceramic glazed tile on my bathroom floor and am at a stand still on attempting to cut a hold for the toilet flange. I first tried a Dremel with a tile cutting bit, it failed. Then I tried cutting the tile across the angle and nipping a semi circle in each half, and that just got me about 4 broken tiles. I am now just considering cutting across the center of the tile as the length of the base will hide the 5 inches or so missing from the center (across the entire tile). I just thought I would post here to see if anyone had a suggestion before I did this.

Thanks

[Colbyt]

I can't see your layout or where the tile joints are in relation to your toilet. Cut your tile so that it looks right where the toilet base will not cover it or if need be there is an extra joint behind the toilet. Chip out or even use broken pieces under the base of the bowl where they won't show. Grout all and go on. A tile saw may help.

Second possibility is to drill small holes using a masonry bit around the hole before you use the nippers.

The dremel or roto-zip bits are a waste for this type of thing. They just don't cut it. Pun intended.

Colbyt

[D'Olier]

I was tiling all day today and was shown a great way to do this recently - although you need a wet saw. Draw a curved line on the tile where you want to cut it. Then make several parallel straight cuts with the wet saw, going from the edge of the tile as far as your curved line. These cuts should be roughly a quarter-inch apart. Use the nippers then to break these thin pieces of tile off. I assume you can do the same with any saw that can cut straight lines in tile but the wet saw for me today made the work quick and easy. I had to cut four tiles to fit around the toilet flange. If your tiles are laid out so that one tile fits over the flange, cut it in half first, then cut two semi circles using the method I mentioned.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'll try this. I bought a wet saw as the bathroom was the first of three rooms I plan on tiling. The flange hole is covered by one tile though a bit off center. If I cut the lines close together on each half inside the semicircle I can see where I would be able to nip the shards off without breaking the rest of the tile. Thanks a ton.

[Rudy]

This isnt how HOYLE does it but I 've cut various shapes in regular and porcelain floor tile using an angle grinder with a 4" dry diamond blade in it. The blades are relatively cheap, about $ 10.00 at HomeDEE. I usually brace the tile but use the angle grinder "freehand" like a Dremel tool (I have very large hands). You could start by cutting a square piece out then the diamond blade will definitely "round out" the remainder. Works well for me. R

[John McGaw]

I've had excellent luck using a dry diamond blade in an angle grinder. Even managed to cut out openings for double outlet boxes in the middle of 12X12 tiles while doing a backsplash. It is just a bit more difficult cutting clean curves but once you get the knack of nibbling away the waste it is almost trivial. Damned dusty operation though and best done outdoors with a breeze to carry the cloud toward a neighbor you hate. ;-)

[GeekBoy]

What if the hole in question in smack in the middle of one big tile? I have this problem, and the tile is very hard porcelin. A tile guy taught me this: Take your wet saw and pull out the sliding tray. Now hold the tile up to the saw four times, cutting a small square. Now flip the tile and do it again, from the back. Now give it a whack -- the piece should pop out. YMMV

[Charles Spitzer]

if you need a clean curved edge, you can dress it up by using either the side of the wet saw blade, or a wet diamond grinder (available at a stained glass shop).

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