Curved patio bad cuts

[Lee Nowell]

Hi All

I am tiling our patio (900x600x20 porcelain tiles) which has an elongated S shaped curve in it formed by a small rendered wall that the tiles will butt up to. The likelihood of me being able to cut these curves with a perfect continuous gap between them and the wall is zero. For ease, I would rather straight cut the tiles at an angle but this will obviously create a bigger gap and will vary along the tile - even if I get it right !

So assuming either way I will get a varying gap, any idea how best to cover / camouflage it? I was thinking of some sort of flexible beading (although if I straight cut them this would have to be big) or maybe flower beds or something. Seating might have been an option but the wall around the patio is too low so would then have to build the back to them too as there is a drop of a few feet the other side.

Any ideas?

Many thanks

Lee.

[Colin Bignell]

This is a case where the uk.d-i-y traditional answer of angle grinder might actually be the answer. Cut a slot into the base of the wall, so that you can slide the cut edges of the tiles into it and hide them. Fill any gap above the tiles with mastic or mortar.

[Paul]

I think they do pages like this, just to intimidate DIY people :-)

I agree that any of the tools on that page, could be engaged for making straight cuts. But following a curve, only scoring the surface is going to work properly. The deeper the blade goes, the worse the geometry problem is. Maybe that's part of the reason they cut from both sides, is 10mm on one side and 10mm on the other, reduces the geometry errors and mess.

After scoring the surface (to reduce chance of cracking before you're done), that could be done with the rotating tool. And maybe a diamond jig saw blade could finish the cut. It would take a while. And the equipment would be unlikely to have water for the cut.

( In the "Tile Saws, Cutters & Blades" section... )

If that's intended for an actual hobby jig saw, the guide on those is not good enough to do quality work. So whatever cutting tool that's supposed to be fitted into, it would have to be better than the average jig saw. The jig saw I bought is heavy, and made of solid materials, yet the guide action is almost non=existent. You know your own tools best, as to whether your jig saw could be trusted to do a job like this. But at least the blade geometry is a bit better, but not by much.

Paul

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is what I thought till I hired a massive stone cutting angle grinder with a diamond blade.

Even a normal angle grinder with a diamond edged blade will make short work of your problem and porcelain can be sanded to final perfection with a Permagrit block (tungsten carbide). Before you go off on a tangent, get yourself a diamond disc for your angle grinder and try...

[Brian Gaff]

Well, mine is just cement. If you leave it open and disguise it from above it will not be long before stuff starts to grow and poke out. Brian

[Lee Nowell]

Thanks all. For the straight cuts I was planning on hiring a table saw a bit like the one in the video Paul sent. Good tip to try first. Will do that and get a diamond blade for my angle grinder to try the curves. The tiles are big and heavy. Any top tips for getting the contour correct from the wall. I was thinking of positioning the tile over the one before it and offer it to the point it touches the wall then somehow try to scribe the contour (e.g. measure the distance from the furthest edge and repeat that along the width of the tile)?

[Colin Bignell]

Use cardboard to make templates for each tile. You can keep cutting that with scissors until you get it just right. Then it is simply a matter of transferring the shape to the tile.

[alan_m]

Make a template out of cardboard or thin MDF etc.

[Lee Nowell]

Trouble is that I have around a dozen to cut so would be a lot of cardboard given the tile size

[jkn]

So you'd hire a saw, buy a new blade, but baulk at sourcing some bits of cardboard?

I understand the tendency, but sometimes you have to just realise what materials can be 'sacrificial'

J^n

[Colin Bignell]

You obviously need to but more from Amazon. I wish I had a use for all the cardboard boxes I get from them :-)

[Theo]

You can get cardboard on a roll:

You only need the edge of the tile, so make a spacer of say 600x600mm (could do out of more rigid cardboard if you have it) and then temporarily fasten a new piece from the roll to the edge of it, making a 600x1200 combined piece. Cut that down to the appropriate profile. Unfasten the spacer and move it to the next tile, fasten a new strip of fresh cardboard, and repeat. Any time the cut is going to go into the spacer, just use a strip from the roll without the spacer (or make a second smaller spacer).

Theo

[alan_m]

Not necessarily, tackle the big ones first (smallest off cut) and then reuse the card for the smaller ones (biggest off cut).

You don't have to template the whole tile - only the non-square bit at the end of the tile. You can place your template on a (squared off) reference line you have drawn on your tile.

When I had to make a template for something* I used something similar to

*A replacement 3m kitchen work top that had to be fitted into an exiting location where the tiled back wall had a S shape dip and bulge, the walls at either end were not at 90 degrees to back wall and there had to be some cutouts for some pipes.

[The Natural Philosopher]

CAD

Cardboard Aided Design. Cut all the shapes out of cardboard as many times as are necessary to get it all looking right. Then draw round the shapes onto the tiles with a sharpie.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Order more stuff from amazon

Another option is to get some stiff wire like rebar rod or something and bend it to the wall.

And then lay the tiles out and mark them with that

[Thomas Prufer]

Plus: one can cut a piece of cardboard to fit, scribe the tile, and then re-use the cardboard, just shorten it up. Just measure how far from the edge to place it...

or this:

(using a washer to scribe)

Thomas Prufer

[jkn]

I didn't realise that twin-walled stuff was as inexpensive as that, thanks for the pointer

[Lee Nowell]

Thanks very much all. Good tips for not wasting the cardboard thanks. Funnily enough I had a load of the surface protection sheets and have been sat there for about 10 years. Only threw them out a few months ago.

[Colin Bignell]

Thus proving that it really is worth while hanging onto stuff, just in case it is ever needed. :-)

[Lee Nowell]

Exactly. It was my wife who played the "you haven't used it for X years what will you need it for now" card. Clearly without a coherent idea they went in the bin 😄