Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

[Moody Blue]

At the stage of a major bathroom reno where I will be putting up the tiles. Have chosen porcelain over ceramic for a couple different reasons but the one thing I didn't figure on was how HARD this stuff is. I have a wet saw with diamond blade and it cuts, slowly, but leaves a chipped edge along the cut. Tried cutting face up and face down with the same results.

I also need to cut holes in the center of a few tiles. Have tried a tungsten carbide jigsaw blade, masonry blade in the grinder, carbide tipped masonry drill bits etc with little success. Even went out and bought a RotoZip with a tile cutting bit but it just barely scratches the surface of the tile. Any tile installers out there willing to offer a few suggestions.

 

[captmello]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

Porcelain is very hard and brittle. With some you can score and snap in order to get a straight line but not all. Your doing it the right way. I lay a lot of tile and make do with either a wet saw which leaves a jagged edge, a score and snap type cutter which may cut with a less jagged edge or a 4.5 inch grinder with a diamond wheel. You need to try to hide your cut edges whenever possible. Grout and caulk can hide some depending onwhere your working. Layout is key. Cutting holes in the center would be done with the handheld grinder cutting from both sides of the tile.

Good Luck.

 

[jackd1023]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

Board cutter can be rented for the straight cuts, holes on the other hand....menards and home deopt sell a carbide hole saw, 15- 20 works well (do not use hammer drill) center punch with a small punch ( enough to chip surface and go slow)

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

I have looked at those carbide hole saws but read that they won't work on porcelain. I have no experience so don't know one way or the other. Have you actually used carbide tools on porcelain tiles?

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

Its been a lot of years since I was tile setting But if it helps I seem to remember when I was cutting porcelain I would run a piece of duct tape down the cut line then cut it very slowly on the wet saw. The tape stops it from chattering so much and allows for a smoother cut.
My memory might be off but its worth a shot

Good luck
Bill

 

[captmello]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

I have looked at those carbide hole saws but read that they won't work on porcelain. I have no experience so don't know one way or the other. Have you actually used carbide tools on porcelain tiles?

I've tried those bits, you might get one hole per drill bit depending on the tile. If your cutting around water pipes, Like I mentioned before, us the handheld grider to cut a square small enough that it can be covered by trim or by the tub spout. Most of the cutting would be done from the back of the tile with your cuts extending much further on the back but only an inch or so on the front of the tile. Been there....

Or go buy some ceramic.

Good luck.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

Well I have an arsenal of tools at my disposal now so will have a go at it tomorrow. I have the diamond blade for the grinder, a masonry blade for the grinder, tungsten carbide jigsaw blades, diamond coated bit for the Rotozip tool, and diamond drill bits of 3/16" and 1/4". To finish cutting tiles on the wetsaw I'm going to try the tape method. Sounds like it could work.

Thanks for all the input. Will post results tomorrow.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

If you get jagged edges try cleaning them up with a belt sander, holding the tiles at a 45* angle and rotating the tile a bit. It's not really gonna make the cut look good but often makes the grout line smoother, hiding the jagged edges.

 

[scamoot]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

lowes cut mine for free...just lay them out and mark them with a grease pencil on . they cut mine and were ready the next day. maybe home depot does it too? worth a shot.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

Well I've made some good progress with the tiles. Used the xBit diamond coated flooring bit for the Rotozip and it worked like a charm. I layed the tiles in a shallow water bath and cut three holes (4.5", 1.5" and 1.5") with very good results. A little chipping but will be covered by trim pieces.

I tried the xBit on a piece of ceramic first to get a feel for how to use it and it blasted through it like softwood. Feeling confident I then went to work on the porcelain. Huge difference in hardness. Took probably 4 times longer to cut the porcelain but it got the job done without damaging or breaking any tile.

I don't have a belt sander (yet ) but I used a large coarse sharpening stone to clean up the cut edges with good results.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Cutting porcelain wall tile - help

Couple of strips of masking tape along the cut line did the trick for me.