ceramic floor tiles won't cut

Leif

I tried a B&Q manual cutter, it worked well with some tiles, but not with the ones I was going to use.

James_Lahey wrote: »

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting%20&%20Decorating/Tiling%20Tools/Diamond%20Wheel%20Wet%20Tile%20Cutter/d150/sd3286/p10565

Cheaper (I think) than screwfix and free delivery (probably not as good as a hire shop one but will do the job and you can keep/resell)

Wear goggles, ceramic (or any) tile fragments aren't very comfortable in your eyes.

I bought a wet saw from Homebase for £45, which looks exactly like the above one. It worked a treat. It feels cheap and nasty, but really it is nothing more than a diamond saw blade, and a table, and it should last long enough to earn its keep. Good enough for amateur use.

jonesjw

Get a wet saw, like shown above. The toolstation one will probably do the job.
However if you have big tiles, get one with a big deck, such as this:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb337tcb-750w-tile-saw-230v/34771;jsessionid=65LnQDTW6LQcDNcBbG60Gbnh53TGL2tGkqDm74pPDBJJ040szmTN!1228335929

The extra power is good, if you are likely to tile more floors.

drummer_666

my tiles are 330 x 300mm and I'm unlikely to use bigger tiles than this in the future

how loud are these types of cutters? i've never seen one in operation and wondered if I could use one at night

i will get a wet cutter, just didn't think I'd need one for ceramic tiles! I'll take it back to the shop on Mon!

Leif

drummer_666 wrote: »

how loud are these types of cutters? i've never seen one in operation and wondered if I could use one at night

They do make a noise, not unlike a drill, or a lawn mower, in terms of loudness. You should be alright before 9pm.

drummer_666

Leif wrote: »

They do make a noise, not unlike a drill, or a lawn mower, in terms of loudness. You should be alright before 9pm.

cheers, my walls are paper thin, so I'll say 8pm in my case. I'll get a few done after work then. guessing it'll take me a while to get used to it anyway..

thanks

southcoastrgi

a wet cutter really needs to be used outside as they spray water & will soak the floor as you will find out on the first use when you get up with a wet crutch

jonesjw

You can use a wet cutter indoors. Don't over fill the water tray. Use just enough to stop the dust. Then use some cardboard or loads of old newspapers to absorb what small quantity of water does run off.

gibson123

Drummer good decision, instead of every night for the next few weeks, it will only take you a few nights and the finish will be a lot better.

tpt

a classic cause if this is scribing the tile more than once, this chips the wheel and from then on the cutter is knackered.
A good quality manual tile cutter with a good breaker will work fine, but a cheap one with lots of plastic and a narrow breaker will often break tiles.

tile saws are great for shaped cuts but can be slow if used for every cut. think about hiring a good (rubi) manual cutter

southcoastrgi

jonesjw wrote: »

You can use a wet cutter indoors. Don't over fill the water tray. Use just enough to stop the dust. Then use some cardboard or loads of old newspapers to absorb what small quantity of water does run off.

a wet cutter is just that wet, the water isn't there to stop the dust flying everywhere it is to remove the material being cut away from the blade, cool & lubricate the disc, therefore the cutting disc needs to be kept wet, it will cut better & last longer, you will get wet if you sit or stand in front of it & so will the floor