Cutting Ceramic Tiles - How to cut ceramic tiles

Welcome to the sixth part of our tiling guide.

continued from: marking your tiles for cutting

This page describes how to use different tools for cutting tiles.

In this section:

Using a tile scriber
Using a ceramic tile cutter

Before you follow this guide you must read and agree to the terms of our disclaimer.

When working with ceramic tiles always wear safety goggles and thick work gloves !

Ceramic tiles can be extremely sharp when trimmed or cut.

Cutting tiles with a tile scriber

After marking the tile for cutting, place it face up on a solid surface.

Place a steel rule (or suitable straight edged guide) on the tile and line the ends up with your cut marks.

When you are happy with the positioning, use the tile scriber to firmly score the tile from top to bottom.

Some thicker tiles may need extra attention paid to the edges, score these independently if required.

Once you have scored the tile, get to hand a chopping board (or similar) and a piece of thin wire.

Place the piece of wire onto the board in a perfectly straight line, it is better to attach the wire to the board if you are making a lot of cuts.

Position the tile face up onto the board lining up the wire with the score mark at the top and bottom of the tile, once positioned correctly apply pressure to both edges of the tile at the same time, the tile should break along the score mark leaving a clean cut.

Cutting tiles with a tile cutter

If you are cutting a lot of tiles then a tile cutter can be invaluable.

Line up the tile by moving the carriage towards you and checking the position of the blade on your marks at both edges of the tile.

When you are ready to cut, move the carriage to the mark nearest you. Place the blade (bit) on the edge of the tile, then using a forwards motion score the tile all the way along.

If needed have a few practices with some scrap or old tiles first.

You should only need to score the tile once (with a decent blade), but you may find you need to score it again. You will find some tiles score easier than others, depending on the finish.

Before you snap the tile ensure it is still in position on the tile cutter.

To snap the tile, bring the handle down towards you firmly, and the tile should snap cleanly.

In part 7 we will be showing you how to make those awkward cuts.