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Thread: cutting tile

  1. #1

    cutting tile

    I know, we're wood guys but any suggestions here are appreciated. I have to make some surgical cuts in a mortar bed and tile stall shower. The shower walls and pan will be a complete demo. But the entry jamb locations require perfect cuts to preserve the obsolete tile wainscot and existing floor.
    I intend to make careful plunge cuts along existing grout lines and completely through the mortar bed and sheetrock beyond. Once these cuts are made I am confident the shower demo can be completed without damaging the exterior surfaces. I have a 5" diamond wheel for my grinder which may be accurate enough. I have looked into tile cutting blades for my oscillating Fein Tool. The available blades are advertised as "grout cutting" with very little info regarding deep tile cuts.

    Anybody?
    Mark

  2. #2
    I'm not 100% sure I understand what you're trying to do, but the oscillating blades won't cut ceramic tile (I'm assuming it's ceramic tile). They will only cut the grout.

    You might try putting a cutting disk on a circular saw or trim saw and make a fence to cut a clean line. I would try to cut out the course nearest to where you need perfection, then clean up the back side of those tiles with a grinder and then make whatever cuts were necessary on a tile saw, then reinstall them.

    Pics of the bathroom would help.

    Regardless of how you go about it, without water, the dust is going to be awful

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    The diamond coated multi tool blades will cut ceramic tile---slowly--but they will cut it. I'd be inclined to use a spray bottle or the like to keep the dust down and flush away the swarf. A diamond blade in a grinder will be much faster, but as Jamil said the dust will be horrible. If you can rig up a wood or steel guide for the blade, that will help cut where you want to.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  4. #4
    Thanks guys. Yes I'm aware of the need to wet cut because of dust. I own an old Makita 4 1/2" trim saw, also with a diamond blade. I intend to make a rip fence for the saw and double stick tape it to the tile along the desired grout line. My helper will man the Hudson water stream. This saw will do most of the cuts but the delicate end and corner cuts require stealth. A Fein blade advertised for "grout" cutting won't be aggressive enough but might work slowly.

  5. #5
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    I think a oscillating tool will be harder to guide than a diamond disk in an angle grinder. A lot slower too.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    I use the little diamond disks sold by Dremel. They're about $27 a piece, and will cut about 4 feet of old tile, and thick mortar bed. You also need the quick release arbor for them. You can find that stuff hanging on pegs in the Dremel section of the tool department in box stores.

    I don't know of anything else that you can cut a pretty, finished edge with, and not make a Big mess in the room. I hold the Dremel with one hand, and the shop vac hose in the other, and it gets all the dust. You have to hold the hose on the correct side.

    I used probably $150 dollars worth of those blades on the conversion of this green fiberglass tub into a handicap accessible shower.

    The floors and walls were fifty year old ceramic tile, and I didn't want to redo any more of it than absolutely necessary, in this rental house.

    In the tile sections of the box stores, they sell a Carborundum rub block that you can smooth down the cut edges with.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  7. #7
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    Here's the exact disk. I tried some of the cheaper ones, but they don't last any time.

    https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-EZ545-.../dp/B000Y4ZTFS

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    I have ceramic tile kitchen countertops and had to cut away some tile to make room for our new range.

    I used the $40, 4.5" dry tile saw from harbor freight , with one of the smooth diamond blades and it really worked excellent. The smooth blades are supposed to be wet cut, but I just had my wife spritz with a spray bottle while cutting. For a long fence I got some super heavy duty double sided tape and taped one side to the counter and then to a long length of plywood. That vhb tape really sticks good.

    I also used painters tape on all cut lines which I read somewhere could help with chipping.

  9. #9
    thanks Tom. I'm not too concerned about the dust mess. It's unavoidable in a full demo so I won't be using a vac. The main concern is the careful cutting. Dremel looks good.

  10. #10
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    Due to the size of the wheel, and the diameter of a Dremel, you have to undercut a little in one direction. Just take that into consideration, which way you cut.

    The Dremel motors, these days, are pretty poor. It would be worth using a shop vac, so maybe you can finish the job with one Dremel. Starting these jobs, I make sure I keep the receipt of a new one, and it's not unusual to have to return one. The black one in the picture is probably 50 years old. It stands by, at the ready, for when one of the new one burns up. I needed it to finish that job.

    I wouldn't want to make that cut without the vac, and that's with using a supplied air hood. You don't want to breathe that stuff.

  11. #11
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    We do a lot of tile, the diamond blade for your grinder is the best tool for the job. Slow and don't let it skip off to scratch other tiles. Clamp a board to use as a straight edge to cut against if possible. We use cordless grinders to avoid some of the electrical/water issues, and a spray bottle. Doesn't take a ton of water but it needs to be constant so definitely have a helper. Be careful, you probably have backer deeper than you think, demo later on will destroy the tile you are trying to save if you don't get all the way through. Wire lath behind everything is the worst.

  12. #12
    I use the abrasive discs sold to cut concrete in my angle grinder to cut tile. I tried a cheap diamond disc once but I like the abrasive discs better. But they make a mess so I cut outside. If your hand is good, you can cut pretty well with it. I once cut a picture frame shape out of a wall tile for a soap dish. Took two tries but it did it.

  13. #13
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    Go slow. A gentle touch works surprisingly well, but rushing often results in small chipping.

  14. #14
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    I use the little Harbor Freight wet tile saw. it works pretty good on stucco. never used it for tile I was able to use a tile saw for that. Every time I use it I have to cut the water hose back one inch so it does not blow off the garden hose fitting. Make sure you have a GFCI outlet!
    Bil lD

  15. #15
    Get one of the new 3” cut off tools by any of the major brands I do this work with it all of the time.

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