The best way to cut porcelain tiles at home. How to cut porcelain tiles at home with a grinder, glass cutter, manual tile cutter and jigsaw? Methods for cutting ceramic granite

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Porcelain tiles (ceramic granite, kerogranite) - artificial finishing material, which is produced by semi-dry pressing of press powder followed by firing and is used for

Technical and artistic finishing of surfaces when decorating the interior of a room.

Classic porcelain stoneware in a modern design is a beautiful rectangular tile with a surface or deep pattern, imitating natural stone, but surpassing it in physical characteristics. Floors and walls, as well as window sills, countertops, bar counters and counters, are covered with porcelain stoneware, including with your own hands, which is accompanied by the technological need to cut this durable material.

Properties of porcelain stoneware

The format of porcelain stoneware varies from 5x5 cm to 120x180 cm, and can also be striped. Classic options formats 30x30, 40x40 and 60x60 cm. The thickness of porcelain tiles is from 7 to 30 mm, but more often 8-14 mm.

The advantages of porcelain stoneware over ceramic tiles are increased hardness, wear resistance, resistance to temperature changes and low water absorption. These same advantages give rise to the disadvantages of porcelain stoneware: fragility, difficulty in processing with your own hands. Therefore, cutting porcelain tiles at home more difficult work with tiles, but is quite doable if certain rules are followed.

Choosing a porcelain stoneware cutting technology

There are several ways to cut porcelain stoneware. The choice of method depends on the thickness of the porcelain stoneware, the configuration of the cut and the requirements for the quality of the cuts.

Methods for cutting porcelain stoneware can be divided into dry and wet. With dry cutting methods, the surface of porcelain stoneware and cutting tool are not wetted with water for cooling. With wet methods, water is supplied to the cutting edge of the tool so that the equipment does not fail due to overheating.

Dry cutting methods include:

glass cutting;
cutting with a manual tile cutter;
cutting with a grinder with a dry cutter (a steel disc without slots with continuous diamond coating);
cutting with a mechanical tile cutter (a type of electric);
laser cutting.

Wet methods include:

cutting with an electric tile cutter;
drilling with crowns and drills with pobedit tips,
waterjet cutting.

Electric tile cutters, in addition to mechanical ones, can be either with or without the ability to supply water to the cutting point.

Making straight cuts

If you need to cut porcelain tiles with a thickness of 8-10 mm in a straight line, then this can be done by making a through cut, or by applying a groove to the front surface with a glass cutter or a manual tile cutter, followed by breaking the tile along the line of the groove. The groove method does not allow cutting porcelain stoneware into strips less than 4-5 cm wide.

To cut porcelain stoneware with a thickness of 10-30 mm in a straight line, the tile is cut with a grinder according to the cut markings, and then broken, placing it on a steel corner with the cut up along the edge of the corner. With this method, the fault plane is additionally trimmed with a grinder and processed until it is smooth and free of chips.

You can make straight cuts of porcelain tiles with an electric tile cutter, the use of which ensures even cutting lines, no dust and high productivity.

Shaped cutting

Shaped cutting of the outer contour of porcelain stoneware tiles can be done with a mechanical tile cutter or a grinder with a dry cutter. To apply smoother cutting lines on the front side of the tile, cut porcelain tiles with a grinder, holding the dry cutter at an angle of 45-60 degrees to its surface. In most cases, cutting porcelain stoneware with a grinder can only be used as a roughing option when perfectly straight edges are not needed.

Holes of complex configuration in porcelain tiles at home are made by drilling the contour, followed by destroying the partitions between the holes and processing the edges.

Drilling holes with a diameter of up to 12 mm in porcelain stoneware is done from the front side after drilling a smaller hole with a diameter of 4-6 mm to a partial depth to prevent the formation of chips. The drilling point on the porcelain stoneware is punched with a light blow on the dowel until a chip is formed on the surface.

Figure cutting in porcelain tiles with ideal cut edges is carried out using the waterjet method, but this type cutting can only be done to order in a workshop with special professional equipment. With this method, no chips or cutting marks are observed on the tiles, and there is no need to process the cuts.

The equipment used in this method performs the cut by using water with abrasive particles, which are simultaneously applied to the cutting point under high pressure, which makes it possible to cut harder rocks.

Technological holes in porcelain stoneware

Drilling holes for pipes, sockets and faucets in porcelain tiles can be done with your own hands using a drill or hammer drill at low speeds using diamond-coated core drills. The drill must be powerful, the slotting mode is not used, the bit is periodically cooled in water. You can make the work of the crown easier by preliminary drilling along the contour of holes with a diameter of 4-5 mm.

To create large-scale, grandiose compositions, a method of cutting porcelain stoneware with a laser is used. For household purposes, cutting porcelain tiles with a laser is irrational.

When cutting porcelain tiles with your own hands, you must use special clothing and safety glasses, and in the case of dry cutting, a respirator. Cutting porcelain tiles should be done on hard, preferably wooden surface to avoid damage to the instrument or injury. When cutting porcelain stoneware with a grinder, the tool must have a protective cover.

At the end of the twentieth century, a new finishing material was developed and first produced - porcelain stoneware. It is produced by dry pressing a mixture of crushed clay, quartz sand and feldspar. The result is an easily moldable and extremely durable material with an excellent appearance. High strength results in some processing problems - porcelain stoneware is not so easy to cut. Many methods are used for this - from manual to high-tech.

Advantages of porcelain stoneware

Porcelain tiles have clear advantages over traditional ceramics produced by firing wet clay. The extremely durable material has an excellent appearance, very close to natural stone. Construction experts formulate the following advantages of porcelain stoneware:

Durability and abrasion resistance. Provide long term services while maintaining appearance.
Resistant to aggressive environments and other contaminants. Porcelain tiles do not stain and are easy to clean.
Environmental friendliness. Made from natural ingredients without any harmful or harmful ingredients. environment chemicals. Germs and other microorganisms slowly multiply on the surface.
Forms smooth edges and cuts. This allows you to accurately cut the material and form seamless surfaces.

Most of the advantages are due to the low porosity of porcelain stoneware.

Disadvantages of porcelain stoneware coatings

In order to cut porcelain tiles correctly, you should know about its disadvantages:

High price. Due to the complexity of high-pressure pressing machines. It should be taken into account that natural stone will cost more.
High thermal conductivity. The floor will be cold on your feet. This disadvantage is combated by installing heated floors.
Slippery surface. Particularly evident in wet areas, tiles with a rough surface texture are recommended for them.

Features of the material

The main features of porcelain stoneware are

high material homogeneity;
almost complete absence of internal and surface pores.

Other features follow from these properties:

high strength;
abrasion resistance;
resistance to temperature changes;
resistance to chemicals and exposure to fire;
long service life;
high hygienic and environmental qualities;
inability to accumulate charges of static electricity.

These features attract the attention of manufacturers and consumers to the material. However, high strength challenges them complex issue: how and with what to cut porcelain stoneware?

The best ways to cut porcelain tiles

When starting renovation or construction, many home craftsmen are misled by the similarity of the material to traditional ceramic tiles.

How to cut porcelain tiles?

It will not be possible to cut porcelain stoneware in the same way as they are used to cutting the ceramics they are familiar with. Attempts to take durable material with a glass cutter, cut it with a metal cutting disc, and the like will not be crowned with success. The performance of such attempts will be very low or zero.

How to cut porcelain stoneware?

For this use:

angle grinder;
circular saw;
electric jigsaw;
tile cutter with manual drive;
electric tile cutter;
hydraulic cutter

Angle grinder or grinder

An angle grinder can be found in any home workshop. This versatile tool, designed for weld stripping, has found a thousand and one applications in household. To cut porcelain stoneware, instead of a cutting disc for metal or stone, you should purchase a diamond-coated disc.

You should work taking the following precautions:

use funds personal protection: glasses (or better yet, a transparent shield), a respirator, thick clothing that does not leave exposed skin;
cut into outdoors or in a well-ventilated area;
Do not use open fire and do not smoke: dust suspension is explosive.

You should come to terms with the fact that it will not always be possible to cut without chipping. They will have to be leveled with a file or sanding disc.

The tile is placed on a smooth surface and secured with a clamp or clamp. You need to cut on the front side so that chips and irregularities remain on the back. The cut must be made from the far edge towards you, without jerking and in one pass. This will reduce the number of chips.

Circular saw and jigsaw

On circular saw You will also need to install a diamond blade. The safety rules are the same as described above. It is necessary to securely fasten the porcelain tile to the work table and press the circular platform firmly against it.

An electric jigsaw will also require the installation of a diamond thread instead of a conventional file. It will allow you to cut not only in a straight line, but also along an arbitrary trajectory. You need to move the tile slowly and smoothly, without stopping or jerking. You should try to go through the entire cutting line in one step. This is not easy and requires a certain skill and forethought, but this is the only way to minimize the number of chips.

Cutting porcelain tiles with a manual tile cutter is not very easy, but it is quite possible. You just need to make sure that by its design it is designed to work with tiles of large thickness and large sizes. It must have sufficient lever travel, a strong and wide frame, and a long and strong handle.

If you see that the tile cutter does not cut, but only slightly scratches the porcelain stoneware, you should sharpen the cutter or even replace it with a carbide cutter made of good tool steel.

The procedure for cutting porcelain tiles with a tile cutter is as follows:

Draw a cutting line.
Place the tile on the frame so that the device rollers rest on it.
Move the lever away from you to make a cut.
Lowering the lever, break the porcelain tile along the cut line.

Before starting work, it is worth practicing on scraps. Working with a manual tile cutter will require significant physical effort and a significant investment of time.

Electric tile cutter

Mechanization production processes designed to relieve the worker from monotonous repetitive movements and excessive physical effort. It is this effect that will be observed in the case of using an electric tile cutter. Electric tile cutters can be in one of three versions:

compact;
ordinary;
cantilevered.

Compact and regular ones are cheaper, but for porcelain stoneware it is better to use a cantilever type. With it you will get not only straight cuts, but also lines of arbitrary shape. If possible, it is better to use a tool with a wet cut (the cutting disc is immersed in a pan of water), this will eliminate work area from dust and will extinguish the energy of possible fragments.

If the device is equipped with an automatic fluid supply device, do not forget to regularly replace it with a clean one. This way the cutting organ will last much longer.

To cut a tile, it should be secured to the bed, mark a cutting line and run the edge of the disk along it. On compact devices you will have to feed the tiles manually; here it is important to ensure that there are no distortions.

Professional waterjet equipment

Such machines cut materials with a very thin stream of water supplied at high speed and under high pressure. They are capable of cutting natural stone and even metal. This equipment is quite complex and very expensive, it has high energy consumption and requires a lot of space for installation.

But the capabilities of such a machine are truly unique - with its help you can not only cut out arbitrary shapes, but even do the work of a stone carver. The quality of the cut is exceptional, the accuracy and smoothness do not differ from the factory edges obtained by pressing.

Along with the flow of water, tiny abrasive particles are also applied to the material being cut. A machine that can handle metal can easily handle porcelain stoneware.

Since buying such a machine means opening a small factory, it would be wiser to find a production facility that already owns such equipment and order cutting from them.

How to make holes in porcelain tiles

During construction and renovation, it is often necessary to make a hole in the tile for supplying communications or installing equipment. In this case, specialized tools come to the rescue.

Most of all, the device resembles a compass. One leg rests on the center of the future hole, it is clamped in the drill chuck. The other can change its reach by moving along the horizontal bar. A carbide cutter is attached to its end.

When the drill is turned on, the central leg is held in the center of the future hole, and the leg with the cutter, rotating, scratches the tile to a sufficient depth.

Diamond crowns

The industrial diamond-coated bit cuts exceptionally straight holes and does not require much effort.

There is only one minus - it will not be possible to make a hole of any diameter. Crowns can only be of certain sizes. The tool shank is also attached to the drill chuck, and the central drill is positioned at the marked point. You should work at the highest speeds.

Both the ballerina and the diamond crown should only be used on the front side of the tile. Otherwise, chips are inevitable.

When planning façade cladding or installation flooring indoors or outdoors, many people choose porcelain stoneware. This material is an order of magnitude superior to conventional ceramics in terms of strength, while maintaining decorative qualities. At the same time, such tiles are close in durability to natural stone, but much more practical to install. However, it is not always possible to form an even coating without additional processing of the material, which raises a fair question about how to cut porcelain tiles at home without the use of machines and other specialized equipment.

Features of cutting porcelain stoneware

The difficulty of processing porcelain tiles is due to their characteristics. This is a fairly hard material that resembles stone in structure. Accordingly, the tool for cutting it should be selected with special care. Porcelain tiles are a cross between granite and ceramics. But in the case of stone, you cannot do without the help of professionals if you need to get perfectly straight sides. With ceramic tiles, things are not so dire, and it is quite possible to limit yourself to standard cutting kits. When deciding how to cut porcelain tiles at home, you can immediately consider tools such as a grinder, tile cutter, jigsaw, etc. The processing process is quite painstaking and time-consuming, but this is the only way to get optimal result without outside help or financial costs.

Preparing the tool for work

Regardless of which tool will be used in the work, it is necessary to check its technical condition. Even knowledge on professional level How to cut porcelain tiles at home will not help if the equipment is in poor condition. This is especially important if you plan to operate a device that has been in storage for a long time. So, first of all, the integrity of the cutting organs is checked. These can be diamond rollers, saws, crowns and other abrasives. At the same time, the quality of their sharpening and the fixation system are checked, on which safety will directly depend. Next, the reliability of the housing fastenings and the position of the nuts and screws are assessed. If a power tool is used, it is necessary to check all contacts, and in some cases, the lubricant.

Cutting with a grinder

If you choose this tool, you should immediately prepare for the fact that the work process will be accompanied by a large amount of dust and dirt. In addition, safety measures must be observed - the presence of gloves and safety glasses is prerequisite preparation for surgery. must have a special cover that protects from material fragments.

Depending on the planned result, you can determine how to cut porcelain tiles at home with a grinder - for example, it can be figured or straight-line processing. During the work, it is not necessary to try to cover the entire thickness of the element, since the tile can easily break along the created cut. However, this line should be deeper than in the case of cutting conventional ceramic tiles. Among the disadvantages of using an angle grinder are the need to provide special working conditions and the relatively low quality of the cut. The first disadvantage is due to the fact that a lot of dust and fragments appear, and the second is associated with rough processing with diamond abrasives.

Using a tile cutter

Popularity this method This is due to the fact that the tile cutter is designed specifically for working with materials such as ceramics and porcelain stoneware. The quality of the resulting cut in this case is higher than when working with an angle grinder, but subject to the rules for operating the equipment. Despite the prevalence of electric models, it is a good idea to know how to cut porcelain tiles, as this method is more accurate. But it is important to note that it is advisable to make the cut once, since repeated attempts to get it and make the desired break can spoil appearance element.

Techniques for working with a tile cutter

When the initial cut is ready, you should continue fixing the tile, raise the handle of the tool and place the paws in the center of the line so that its stop is directed into the tile. Next, you need to press the handle and increase the force, achieving a break. The parameters and quality of the resulting cut are determined not only by the user’s manipulations, but also by the structure of the porcelain stoneware itself, its composition and hardness. If there are excess chips left on the edges of the tiles, they can be easily removed with pliers.

Processing porcelain tiles with a glass cutter

The amount of force required by the glass cutter is not so high compared to the tools described, so this method is advisable to use only in cases with a small amount of work. Now we can move on to the question of how to cut porcelain tiles with a glass cutter to obtain a result of equally decent quality.

A roller glass cutter must have a diamond element to process tile material. Before work, the tile itself is immersed in water for about 30 minutes to make the cutting process easier. Next, the element is placed on smooth surface. The incision should also be made only once with strong pressure. The cutting part must be rolled along a pre-marked line from the far point towards you. As a result of this operation, a groove should form on the porcelain stoneware coating - it will serve as the basis for further fracture. To facilitate breaking, it is necessary to place a thin wire, nail or match on the formed line. By applying double-sided pressure, the tile is divided into two parts.

Cutting with a jigsaw

This method will also require considerable effort and is more suitable for modest volumes of tiles intended for cutting. Unlike alternative methods, this option involves sawing. By the way, knowing how to cut porcelain tiles with a jigsaw will allow you to perform similar operations. In addition to patience, you should stock up on replaceable cutting blades, which will probably be required when working with dense material.

The first step is to fix the file. A jigsaw should be drawn along the marked line on the tile so that the most even cut is formed. To eliminate the possibility of overheating of the tool, it is also necessary to wet the material. This is how it works electric model, but there is also hand jigsaws, which, with appropriate skill and effort, allow you to create precise and even figured cuts. Again, the main thing is to use files or diamond wires suitable for specific purposes. Of course, the cutting procedure will take a lot of time, but this is one of the best examples, demonstrating how to cut porcelain tiles at home with maximum precision. This method is especially useful if you need to create curved cuts for the further implementation of electrical devices.

Creating holes in porcelain stoneware

Often, cutting operations are complemented by drilling. To do this, you can use special drills, and if you need to create holes of large diameters, you will need a powerful low-speed drill. Knowing some principles of how to cut porcelain tiles at home will help with this procedure, but there are also some nuances. For example, drilling can only be done with outside porcelain stoneware tiles, because reverse side the release of the working element will cause chips. In some cases, it is also possible to use a ballerina to create holes. This tool is good because it allows you to manually adjust the cutters, so you can precisely adjust the parameters of the hole.

Processing of any material that is intended for decorative design, aims to obtain a high-quality result without affecting aesthetic properties. In the case of tiles, this is especially important, since it will not be easy to disguise defects. Obtaining smooth sides and precise lines is largely ensured by initially correctly marked contours. For example, taking into account the principles of technology on how to cut porcelain tiles with a grinder, we can draw a conclusion about the meaning of the cutting lines. The performer takes the contours as the main direction in the work process. In addition, safety issues are also important - protection from splinters, dust, as well as protection from failure of the equipment itself are primary measures in preparation for work. Of course, you can’t do without small tricks, including the use of water to wet porcelain stoneware, the use of suitable cutting elements and uniform distribution of loads during the cutting process.

Porcelain stoneware is one of the hardest materials used for various coatings(floor, walls, kitchen tables etc.). During the installation process, there is a need to cut porcelain tiles. For large volumes, the recommendation is clear - professional tool. At home, you can get by with one of the following methods, or a combination of them (especially if you take into account the little tricks):

angular grinder(Bulgarian);
manual tile cutter.

The raw materials, consisting of clay, kaolin, quartz sand, feldspar and mineral additives, are pressed under high pressure and then sintered at high temperatures. The resulting material has virtually no pores and has a hardness equal to that of corundum (7 – 8 on the Mohs scale). It is inferior in hardness to only a few materials, such as diamond, sapphire, ruby, etc. At the same time, thin tiles (3 mm and thinner) are quite fragile.

Note! Cutting material of such hardness will not work with hand glass cutters, stone blades or jigsaws. They can only be used as an auxiliary tool.

Let's look at two ways to cut tiles at home. The methods have limitations, which will be discussed below, as well as ways to circumvent these limitations. They can achieve acceptable results, but it is better to cut porcelain tiles using professional equipment. Only he will give guaranteed result in an acceptable time with a relatively large amount of work.

Cutting with a grinder

An angle grinder (grinder) is a universal tool for cutting and processing a variety of materials. Due to its versatility, it is not classified as a special tool. In the household, you can solve many issues with the help of an angle grinder.

In order to cut porcelain stoneware, almost any grinder is suitable. There is no need for high power. It is even preferable to use a small, lightweight tool. RPM is more important than power. A powerful tool will cut the tiles faster, but speed can have a negative impact here - it will turn out less neatly.

The main issue is the selection of the cutting wheel. It is the choice of circle that you should pay attention to Special attention. And we are not talking about the landing size (that goes without saying).

Selecting a cutting blade

The material is cut only with diamond blades. Diamond blades are produced in two types: solid and segmented. For getting best results It is recommended to try making different cuts cutting wheels. For cutting porcelain stoneware, there are features when using both solid and segmented discs:

In addition to the type, the discs differ in a whole set of parameters: diamond coating density, height cutting edge, disk thickness, etc. It is better to follow the recommendations of the disk manufacturers. The disks themselves usually indicate for what purposes they are used.

For cutting manual grinder Discs less than 2.0 mm thick are not acceptable. The height of the cutting edge should be greater than the thickness of the tile (affects the cleanliness of the cut).

Advice! Before each cut, check the condition of the disc. For any deviations, the disc is replaced, otherwise the risk of chipping increases.

Technology

Mark the tiles. The best way to do this is to use a construction marker.
Place the tiles on a flat surface. In some cases, it will be more convenient to secure the tiles to the surface with clamps or secure them in a workbench.
To obtain an even cut, you can additionally strengthen the metal strip with clamps along the cutting line. Then you will have to cut along it.
Cutting is carried out from the front side, since the output produces the largest number of chips. You can make double cuts. First, make a small furrow on the front side, and make the main cut on the back side. This method will minimize damage to the front surface.
If there are no strict requirements for the cut, then you don’t have to cut it all the way. After making the cuts, break the slab with your hands.
It is recommended to lead the instrument starting from yourself.
Additional sanding of the cut if necessary.

When using an angle grinder, be sure to use protective equipment:

a suit covering legs and arms;
safety glasses (preferably a mask);
protective gloves or mittens;
a respirator (for a significant amount of work is required).

Advantages of using an angle grinder:

The ability to cut an element of almost any shape. Curly cutting requires good tool skills;
Possibility of trimming tiles already laid in place;
Tool availability.

Flaws:

injury hazard;
it is very difficult to obtain geometrically accurate sections;
greater difficulty in obtaining a clean cut without chips;
low speed;
a lot of dust and noise.

With a grinder you won't be able to get the perfect cut the first time. To obtain precise cuts without chipping, cut with a distance of 2-5 mm from the line. Then it is brought to the required dimensions by grinding. This is a rather labor-intensive operation and takes a lot of time, so it is recommended to carry out it only with elements that will be in a visible place.

Or they use a trick, as in the video below:

Cutting with a manual tile cutter

There is only an electric tile cutter for porcelain stoneware. There is no specialized manual tile cutter for porcelain stoneware. But for these purposes you can use a good quality manual tile cutter. Cheap suitable tool Most likely you won’t be able to find one, and if you use one, the output will just be a broken tile.

Basic requirements for the tool:

A good frame with a powerful stiffener. Otherwise, when a tile breaks, the frame will bend and the tile will break out of line;

No play in the carriage (usually depends on the thickness of the guides). With use over time, any manual tile cutter begins to play. Therefore, it is not recommended to use old, untested ones;
The thicker the tile, the thicker the diameter of the cutting roller should be;
The carriage should move smoothly. This is achieved by special bearings. A bearingless carriage can also have a smooth ride, but according to experience, it doesn’t last long and is unstable, i.e. One time it rolled smoothly, but the next time there was no guarantee.

Technology

Mark the tiles; it is recommended to use a construction marker.
Lay the tiles on the tile cutter exactly along the line.
Carefully draw a line away from you with light pressure. In this case, it is important to maintain the same pressure throughout the entire line. Important! A line is drawn on porcelain stoneware once. Drawing multiple lines is unacceptable. Otherwise, the fault may not go along the line.
Place the foot on the tile and press to break along the line.
Sand the cut if necessary.

Please note the restrictions on using a manual tile cutter:

only straight cuts through the entire tile;
it is almost impossible to accurately break off strips less than 6 - 7 cm (depending on the thickness of the material);
problematic, with chips, oblique lines break if the cut hits the ribs on the back side.

Advantages:

speed of work;
absence of dust and noise;
ease of operation.

To obtain particularly neat lines, you can use the same technology as for the angle grinder. Draw a line with an indentation of 2-3 mm, and then polish it to the right size. Used only in visible places.

Little tricks

These two methods do not exhaust all methods. With their help, you can get an acceptable result for any cuts at home. Round holes in the material are made with ordinary tools without any special nuances: drills with carbide coating, ballerina drills, crowns. The only difference is that due to the hardness of the material, the cutting tool will fail faster.

To solve the problem of laying tiles, you can use an integrated approach:

The easiest way to cut tiles is with a manual tile cutter. It is recommended to cut the bulk of the tiles with it;
Tiles with cut edges, covered with skirting boards or overlays. In this case, it will be enough to use a manual tile cutter or grinder (in limited cases);
There are few tiles with an exact fit. Adjust by sanding;
Lay all intact tiles. Depending on the available tools, adjust the tiles that are covered with baseboards and trims. The remaining elements should be accurately measured and marked on the tile. Either rent a professional tile cutter, or take it to the nearest construction company that has such equipment and cut it.

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What is ceramic granite or porcelain tile? This is an artificial finishing stone. This is, first of all, ceramic tile with a slightly modified composition of raw materials (feldspar and mica). Fired tiles high temperature, about 1200 ᵒС and was subjected to high pressure.

Porcelain stoneware is an excellent finishing material that combines best qualities ceramics and natural stone. The material is stronger than granite, wear-resistant and resistant to aggressive environments. There are a variety of tiles produced by industry.

Types of porcelain tiles:

Technical porcelain tiles;
Glazed;
Matte;
Polished;
Structured or patterned porcelain tiles;
Lapped;
Aged;
Thin - slim.

Porcelain stoneware tiles can be cut into any shape and configuration at home. Porcelain tiles are often used to decorate floors, stair steps, porches, walls and basements of a house. Although the material is very hard, it often leaves inaccurate chips at the cut site. Types of cutting porcelain tiles at home - using a grinder with diamond blade(diamond), tile cutter, glass cutter, jigsaw, waterjet cutting (only industrial cutting on professional equipment).

A grinder with a diamond wheel is often the only option for cutting porcelain tiles. But when working with this famous tool, there are some nuances. The fact is that when cutting tiles, this work involves the release of a huge amount of harmful dust, an unpleasant burning smell and wild noise. Therefore, when working with an angle grinder, it is necessary to protect your eyes with safety glasses and also wear a respirator.

When cutting tiles, you need to know that the diamond wheel must be held straight, without moving it, and clearly follow the line drawn on the back of the tile.

You must work with the disc carefully, guide the disc along the line, stepping back beyond the cutting line by 2-3 mm from the line towards the chips. You also need to press the tool firmly and move it along the line calmly, with great pressure. If you make a cut this way, the cut will be neat, without chips. There is also one piece of advice when working with porcelain tiles. Ceramic granite tiles must be firmly fixed, clamped with clamps and screwed to a stationary surface, for example, to a table. The fact is that this must be done in accordance with safety regulations - after all, when cutting, you need to press hard on the tool.

The best way to cut porcelain stoneware

Porcelain tiles are wonderful as reliable finishing construction material. It is especially used when finishing floors in public buildings with a high degree of traffic, for example such as trading floors supermarkets and shops, hotel lobbies, floors at train stations and airports. What are the sizes of porcelain tiles?

Dimensions of ceramic granite tiles (cm):

30x30;
45x45;
60x60
120x360.

The last size of porcelain tiles belongs to the so-called thin porcelain tiles, which are most often used in residential renovations. It is especially beautiful when decorating walls and plinths of facades of private houses. There is another way to cut porcelain tiles, but for small amounts of work - this is using a glass cutter.

How and how to cut porcelain tiles for flooring

It is best to cut porcelain tiles for the floor using a grinder with a diamond wheel. But it is necessary to use personal protective equipment against dust and noise.

Personal protective equipment when working with an angle grinder:

Protective gloves;
Glasses;
Headphones;
Respirator.

Experts give some tips for beginners when working with an angle grinder, if you need to cut porcelain tiles for the floor, because these tiles are thick. It is necessary to place polystyrene foam under the tiles, placing it on a hard, flat surface. To reduce the number of chips, you need to stick on the cut place on the tile on the front side. masking tape and apply the cutting thread on top of the tape with a pencil.

The tiles must be cut only on the front side.

If the tiles are thick, to control the cutting accuracy, it is necessary to use a metal construction corner; it is attached with clamps to the tile, on the front side, and thus it is possible to cut the tile correctly.

Complex figured cutting of porcelain stoneware

Very often it is necessary to cut shaped sections into porcelain tiles. For example, for curved steps, holes in tiles for columns or pipes. How should this be done?

Which method to choose to cut porcelain tiles into shapes:

Hole saw;
Ballerina;
Bulgarian.

What is the specialist advice in these cases? Hole saw - does a great job when you need to make round holes in porcelain stoneware. But alas, it works slowly but neatly. Ballerina - also copes with the task of sawing round holes in tiles, but does it very sloppily, the edges remain uneven and often have to be finished by hand, and trimming is inevitable. Bulgarian is the most the best option for curved cuts.

When cutting tiles, the cutter should go slightly beyond the cutting line by 2-3 mm towards the chips.

Thus, it is possible to correct the unevenness of the cut with a grinding machine. The grinding machine must be operated independently. All tile ends must be sanded grinder or sandpaper. Next comes the final processing of the tile sections - it is necessary to finish it with a grinding machine, using flexible grinding wheels grit number 80-100.

Simple cutting of porcelain tiles with a tile cutter

You need to find out what types of tile cutters there are. Types of tile cutters - manual and electric (this is a stationary machine). In fact, the operating principles of an electric and manual tile cutter are almost the same. But they differ in price.

An electric tile cutter has more convenience and quality in cutting tiles compared to a manual tile cutter, but an electric tile cutter has a fairly high price, no one rents it out, and it has high energy consumption. But the quality is, of course, excellent. During operation, there is practically no dust from the tiles, since when cutting, water is supplied to the circle and cools it.

Processing granite at home (video)

It is clear that cutting porcelain tiles is quite difficult. And most often, beginners should seek advice from specialists. They have special tools and experience.