A wet tile saw often called a diamond wheel tile cutter will cut almost any type of tile with ease. These tile cutters will cut all natural stone, ceramic, porcelain and even glass tiles (with the correct cutting wheel).
A traditional tile cutter which scores and then snaps the tile is great on smooth porcelain and ceramic tiles but often will not cut textured or tiles that do not have a smooth surface.
Cuts like this are almost impossible using a traditional tile cutter!
Here we have a Floor tile and we need a square section removing from the tile.
I have marked the square that needs removing and I am going to cut it using the diamond wheel tile cutter.
A chinagraph pencil is ideal for marking tiles.
This is a diamond wheel tile cutter, this was less than £40 and has easily paid for itself.
The base of the table is slotted so that you can position the fence (guide) on either side of the cutting wheel. If possible it is best to use these outside as they are noisy and can spread water all over the place.
Goggles should also be worn!
Never push the tile in the line of the cutting wheel, always ensure that your hand is at the side of the blade, not in front of it!
The machine has a trough underneath that needs filling with water, it is essential that this trough is kept topped up so that the water level is maintained.
Always start the machine before the tile touches the blade and never let the trough run dry!
Here I have positioned the fence so that the cutting wheel of the machine is in line with the line that I have drawn on the tile. Ensure that the safety guard over the blade is as near to the tile as possible.
Switch the machine on and the cutter will spin and be lubricated and cooled by the water in the trough.
Once the wheel is spinning the tile can be gently pushed through the cutting wheel.
Now the fence has been positioned on the opposite side of the blade, the tile has been turned and the second cut will be made. Ensure the machine has started before the tile touches the blade and gently push the tile through the cutting wheel.
Here is the cut tile!
This is a small 10cm square tile that is 10mm thick and has a rippled surface (it is not smooth).
A Traditional tile cutter would not cut these and so the diamond wheel cutter was used.
When doing a Diamond pattern you can cut the tiles from corner to corner using the special guide that comes with the diamond wheel tile cutter.
You can get traditional tile cutters that will cut textured tiles and will cut tiles diagonally but they are very expensive and not really practical for the DIY user.
