How To Cut Tile Without A Wet Saw – A Guide for Beginners

Last Updated on October 17, 2021

If you are interested in learning how to cut tile without a wet saw, then this article can help.

Now, much like most other tasks such as this, you will need some kind of experience and guideline you need to follow before you can successfully get it done.

Doing a job such as this without having a wet saw might get a little confusing, but thankfully you have me to help you out through the whole journey. So keep reading to learn all the tips and tricks you need to know to do to precisely cut the tiles without a wet saw.

Things You Need to Cut The Tile

First and foremost, we need a list of all the tools and equipment you will need to get your tile cutting work into action. Without these tools, you will have a very difficult time getting anything done, as you will not be using a wet saw for it.

Manual Snap Cutter

This tool is commonly used to cut tiles, much like the wet saw. They operate the same way as a glass cutter does and will also give you the same effect on the tile. You will have to do a lot of the work yourself while using this, but the result will be pretty great.

Glass Cutter

Just like you would use the Manual Snap Cutter to cut the tiles, you can also use the glass cutter to cut tiles. This tool is mainly made to cut glass as the name suggests, but it works just as well with tiles. You might need a little bit of practice before you are able to perfect the art of cutting tiles with it.

Tile Nipper

If you are looking into making some type of irregular cut on the tiles, then you could opt for using the tile nipper. For the price you pay to get this, the results are pretty good. But at times, you might be left a little unsatisfied with the way they look if the finishing isn’t perfect.

Rotary Cutting Tool

This tool will rind you of a drill bit, to be honest, and can be mainly used to cut corners and edges of the tiles. Therefore, the cuts made by this will not be good when it comes to straight cuts. Even though you will be able to cut the tile using this, but the results will not be good.

Angle Grinder

Now, this is not something people commonly use when it comes to cutting tiles. But, if you are in need and do not have a wet saw, then Angle Grinder will do the job. Maybe the output will not be as good as a glass cutter or manual snap cutter, but overall it will work.

Jigsaw

If you are looking for a tool that will help you in making angled cuts, then there is no need to look any further; the jigsaw will do the job perfectly for you. You have to use a diamond blade while you are making the cut. Though one thing you need to keep in mind is to spray water on the tiles while making the cut.

We have covered most of the tools you can use to cut tile. There are a few others, but they will not really give you much of a good result, so I saw no point in adding those items to our list. We are here to drive you with the best one for your convenience.

How to Cut the Tiles without A Wet Saw

Now that we know about all the tools we can use to cut the tiles, we can now move on to the actual task. We will be talking about cutting two different types of tiles that you might most commonly use in your house or the workplace.

Porcelain Tiles

Cutting porcelain tiles is actually not that difficult, even if it has to be done without a wet saw. There are a few things you will need on hand before you start the work: clothing hanger, a marker to make out where to cut, and something that has a straight edge.

Step 1: Use the Edge and Maker to Figure out Where to Cut

At first, you must place the object with the straight edge on the tile and make a line with the marker to figure out how much to cut off. While making the line, keep in mind that the marker will eat up some of the space. So, calculate the width of the marker’s line when figuring out how much of the tile to cut.

Step 2: Cut with the Glass Cutter

Now that you have the line drawn out with the marker, you have to draw a line over the marked line with the glass cutter. Make sure you use the edge of an object to guide you along with the cut so that you do not make a mistake. You will need to press down on the cutter for it to make its way into the tile.

Step 3: Separate the Two Halves of the Tile

At this stage of the process, you will need to use the cloth hanger. You should place it just below the line you cut on the tile, making sure that the bottom part of the hanger is aligned with the marked line. All you have to do is put some pressure on the sides until they split into two parts.

And with that, you are done cutting the porcelain tile.

Ceramic Tile

Most tiles nowadays are made of ceramic, and therefore, it is very important for us to know how to cut these specific tiles. In order to make straight cuts, you can make use of carbide-tipped pens; they make very precise cuts on the tiles. But if you want to make cut many tiles with this tool, then it will take you a very long time.

If you want to make a straight cut, then you can just follow the steps that you did for the porcelain tile, where you have to draw a line on the tile using a marker and then draw another line on the marked line with the carbide tipped pen. After that, you have to break the tile into two pieces.

But the process will not be the same when it comes to making angles cuts, which is especially needed if the tiles have to be fitted around the toilet.

The most important part to consider when it comes to cutting the tiles that have to go around the toilet is the toilet itself and all the measurements that go around it. Otherwise, you will see that you have cut up tiles that are not fit to be placed around the toilet.

Step 1: Use Sheets to Make Measurements

The first thing you should do is find sheets of papers that are the same size as the tile you are using. If they are not, then you have to trim them into size. These papers can be marked and cut according to the curves at the bottom of the toilet seat to see if they can be placed properly around the toilet.

Remember that the tiles have gaps between them, so do not place the sheets too close together. The gap between them should be the same as the one between the tiles.

Step 2: Paste the Sheets to the Tile to Make Cuts

When you see that all the sheets put together are actually fit for your toilet, you have to tape the paper the tile so that you know much much of the tile you will need to cut.

For this, clippers would be a good option as you can take small areas of the tile off and gradually approach the line you have drawn on the tile using the help of the sheets. Don’t clip too much off as you might cut more than you planned to. So, gradually move towards the line.

Step 3: Sand off the Rough Edge

Now that you have cut the tile using the clippers, you will see that the edge might not be as smooth as you want it to be. In this case, you have to use sandpaper and sand off the sides so that you have the perfect sides.

In all of this, try to be as careful as possible, especially if you are a beginner and have not done something like this before. As there is a chance, you might take off too much off the tile and have to keep replacing the ones you ruin.

Conclusion

Cutting tiles without a wet saw might not always be ideal, but with the proper tools and some practice, you should be able to achieve what you have set out to do. I hope you find this helpful, and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

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