Tile saw

[Nolan W.]

Looking for suggestions, on purchasing a tile saw. The job is going to be a one time deal, my shower area. Would you purchase something new, used? Maybe rent?

Thanks NW

[Terry Coombs]

Harbor freight has a usable tile saw for under a hundred . Blades are extra ... I've used mine to do hard body tile as well as regular wall tile .

[Ed Pawlowski]

Look for a good used on. Once the job is done, you can sell it again for about what you paid for it.

For a shower, use epoxy grout. Expensive and takes longer, but it never has to be resealed.

Why stop at the shower? I did my walls about 53" up (5 tiles and a trim section) Easy to clean, never needs paint.

[dadiOH]

Depending upon tile type and size, consider a score & snap cutter. They work well and can be faster; they are definitely less messy and are inexpensive...a good one can be had for less than $30. They do tend to leave a sharp edge...a few rubs on a stone takes it off.

If you just have to have a tile saw, you are at $55-100 minimum for new. For your use, one of the ones that looks like a mini table saw would work just fine. For a one time need I'd be looking for a used saw, possibly the aforementioned but more likely to find a sliding table one.

[Mayayana]

I'm on my second Home Depot saw. They don't look like much, and the fence is chintzy, but they work. It's a diamond blade. Last I saw they were $80-100, while a commercial saw was more like $600.

As is typical with HD, there's an extra cost for their lack of loyalty: When I wanted to get a new blade they had replaced the supplier and no longer had blades for the old brand. But I still got more than my money's worth. I do tiling commercially on an on-and-off basis, perhaps doing a bathroom 2-3 times per year and a floor or backsplash a few times per year. The HD saws have lasted perhaps 5 years each.

[Norminn]

For a one-time small job I'd consider having the tile shop cut them. Home Depot used to cut tiles for customers.

[TimR]

+1

That's what I did on my last ceramic tile job.

Well, I started with score and snap, and ended up breaking most of my spares.

Then I marked the rest of what I needed and brought them back to the shop. They cut them perfectly on their mud saw, and charged me 10 cents a tile.

At $100 for a saw, I could pay the shop to cut 1000 tiles, better than I could do it.

[Jon Danniken]

I used one of the little HF wet saws with the diamond blade, looks like a little table saw with a chrome top, blade cover, and a (rather chintzy) fence. It worked perfectly for cutting the tiles, but it cuts from the bottom, like a table saw.

The thing about tile is that when you make cuts, you make them after dry placing the tile and marking on the top of the tile where you want the cut to be; this is where the "table saw approach" falls flat, and this is why "pro" tile saws have a table where you put the tile, and the blade rides on a track *above* the tile. These are more expensive, but it makes the job a whole heck of a lot easier. HF sells this type as well, but I don't have any experience with their line.

I ended up getting a "score and snap" cutter for some of my more tricky cuts, after failing to get a good translation of the cut line with my otherwise fine "table saw" wet tile saw.

Jon

[HerHusband]

Nolan,

I bought a cheap wet saw similar to this one for $80 from Home Depot:

Despite the cheap construction, it works well and has lasted me several years. I always clean it up after a project and dry it off good before packing it away in the box again.

I used mine to tile two bathrooms, a fireplace hearth, and a laundry room floor. We even used it a few times to cut 2" concrete pavers. We just made a pass on each side of the paver then the paver cracked neatly on the little bit remaining in the middle.

Well worth the money.

Anthony Watson

[jamesgang]

I got a good mk tile saw. The one with the saw above a sliding table. It works great. I'm on my second blade but I tiled a kitchen, sunroom, and 3 baths in our last house. I'll use it to redo the baths in the house we're in now. I expect it to last my lifetime. Plus you can really get a great fit with it. I cut tile accurate enough that I do not have to add 1/4 roun d trim.

[Ivan Vegvary]

Bought the HF on sale for $40 about 4 years ago. Plastic table saw type. 4 bathrooms later (neighbors borrow it) maybe it's time for a new blade. Have to steady the fence with one hand while pushing tile with other. Very precise cuts with no chipout. Don't understand why people don't like the blade under style. Of course I am an amateur and never expected to do more than one tub surround.

[Terry Coombs]

I have probably the same saw , and I did tile work for a living ... this one's done quite a bit of tile in the last 3 years , and I much prefer it to my score/snap cutter . Makes clean accurate angle cuts on blocked floor tiles a snap . I set the top shield high enough to see where the blade is cutting . A bit messier , but I too get very nice cuts . Did yours include an angle slide for making 45? cuts ?

[Ivan Vegvary]

Yes, angle slide was included.