Cutting Tiles

[UncleEbenezer]

My new bath is now in place, with its foot in a neat recess that needs decorating (as does the room overall). I want to make a real feature of the recess, and am thinking mirror tiles. Foxed/antique glass-mirror tiles seem a likely bet.

That raises the issue of cutting tiles to size. I don't fancy trying that with glass, but the space will work with full 300mm tiles plus a fairly narrow feature border in some other tile I can cut. But what tiles? If I use sparkling black quartz, how easy to cut is that on a scale from porcelain (easy) to glass (no thank you)?

[richlist]

Most tiles are glazed and can be cut using an electric tile cutter fitted with a diamond blade. They can be bought for around £40.

[jfgw]

I have cut glass tiles (about 8mm thick IIRC) very easily using a good quality normal wheeled tile cutter - a Rubi TS400 Plus. (The breaker on this particular cutter is not ideal for glass but there are other ways to snap it). If the glass doesn't score and break easily, you probably need a new wheel.

I would put glass at the "easy" end of the scale, close to ceramic. Porcelain is harder but it still breaks where you want it to with a sufficiently robust cutter (not a cheap one).

I have not tried sawing glass tiles but, as long as you only have straight cuts, you shouldn't need to.

Those black quartz tiles saw easily using a wet diamond saw - you wouldn't get a clean break with a wheeled cutter. I did try a wheeled cutter with an offcut once and got a jagged edge but it did break along the score line. Whether it would do this when cutting a whole tile, I don't know.

Julian F. G. W.

[TheMotorcycleBoy]

Not done this for donkeys years but these tile hacksaws are good for cutting out corners.

Bloody hard work mind you!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-14132-T ... th=1&psc=1

[UncleEbenezer]

Hmmm. Thanks for the replies - food for thought there.

The assumption that glass is hard came from reading reviews of some of the candidate tiles I've looked at. Several people said they'd had a professional in to do the job, and they'd found cutting glass difficult. Well, if they find it difficult, then I'd surely be asking for trouble

A bit more googling finds someone demonstrating score-and-snap, and making it look as easy as ceramic. Others say that works but tends to leave jagged edges - which may be the problem referred to in the reviews. Can I hide any potentially-lethal edges under grout?

A wet diamond saw sounds far too ambitious, not least 'cos I don't actually have a workshop.

Maybe I'll try it, or maybe I'll find a suitable ceramic or porcelain border (I may have meant ceramic when I said porcelain above - it was so long ago I successfully tiled a bathroom with new shower that I think the bath was avocado ).

[bungeejumper]

You know this, obviously, but mirror tiles are a seriously hard taskmaster because they've got to be sooooooooo accurately flat to the wall or the reflections will go all over the place. Maybe fix them to a flat board, and then mount the board?

I'm confident with cutting glass, and I've cut ceramic and quarry tiles with files and tile fretsaws and suchlike, but personally I'd quail at the prospect of cutting a glass tile, which I presume is quite thick? On the rare occasions when we've had tricky tiles to do, I've asked a neighbour (builder and expensive bathroom specialist) to cut them on his own pricey equipment. Takes him moments, and well worth the beer tokens.

BJ

[richlist]

Are we reading different questions ?

The OP is not asking about cutting glass tiles. They are asking about cutting tiles to go around the border of the glass. Anyone can do it it ain't difficult with the right equipment. A diamond wheel tile cutter costing £40 quid will be more than adequate.

[oldapple]

Uncle Ebenezer, would mosaic tile sheets be a possible alternative in your situation, something like these which can be cut to strips which do look nice around mirrors?

https://www.tiles-direct.com/mosaic-til ... aics-c1737

[UncleEbenezer]

You know this, obviously, but mirror tiles are a seriously hard taskmaster because they've got to be sooooooooo accurately flat to the wall or the reflections will go all over the place. Maybe fix them to a flat board, and then mount the board?

The wall they're to go on is new plasterboard, so should be flat but no guarantees. Though not if I mirror three sides of the recess including the side that is the old wall, and carry the mirror on all around the bath where the cheap white tiles previously were.

Reflections aren't the point of this mirror, and I'm not looking for a regular mirror that'll give clear reflections but rather something like perhaps https://www.wallsandfloors.co.uk/foxed- ... x300-tiles or https://www.toppstiles.co.uk/busca/busc ... ver%20Flat . But you make a good point: whatever reflections there are need either to be true or fragmented-as-a-deliberate-feature. And the latter would seem to imply smaller tiles, possibly mosaic, which isn't what I had in mind.

I'm confident with cutting glass, and I've cut ceramic and quarry tiles with files and tile fretsaws and suchlike, but personally I'd quail at the prospect of cutting a glass tile, which I presume is quite thick? On the rare occasions when we've had tricky tiles to do, I've asked a neighbour (builder and expensive bathroom specialist) to cut them on his own pricey equipment. Takes him moments, and well worth the beer tokens.

BJ

Those tiles are 5mm, so not too bad if score-and-snap really works. But the feature border still has appeal - though from jfgw's post, quartz is not a candidate. I'm sure dark-and-shiny must exist in man-made materials.

Uncle Ebenezer, would mosaic tile sheets be a possible alternative in your situation, something like these which can be cut to strips which do look nice around mirrors?

The thought had crossed my mind, including some of the extravagant options at https://www.tilegiant.co.uk/tiles/bathr ... terial=283 , but I don't think it's what I want here.

Still thinking about my options. I'll probably go for a ceramic or porcelain border. Or maybe central stripe instead - though that'll demand more striking looks than something hiding in the corners, and will only work if the width is constant from bottom to top.

[bungeejumper]

That all sounds great, Uncle E. Glad that your new place is coming on well, and hope that you really enjoy it. Keep us posted.

BJ

[88V8]

Doing some tiling for the first time since 1992 when I did our bathroom in Minton Hollins.

A £40 electric wet diamond cutter from Topps Tiles makes the difficult easy. Quarter inch slices of thick Minton Rustic tiles? No problem sir.

I'm still using an old carbide file for some cleaning up and fine adjustment. And I have a rod saw, but haven't needed it yet.

If the surface is not perfectly flat, spread cement on the wall, and on the tile.

V8

[Dod101]

I have a very good tiler, called Steve. Costs about £40 per hour, but no hassle.

Dod

[bungeejumper]

I have a very good tiler, called Steve. Costs about £40 per hour, but no hassle.

No VAT and no cheques? I think I know him.

BJ