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If you offer services for cutting porcelain tiles, you must have an appropriate knowledge of the right procedures, methodology, tools, prevention techniques, and safety protocols. If you make even a single mistake, it will result in client complaints and defamation in the construction market. As a professional contractor, you must know the right process of cutting a porcelain tile.
In this post, you will learn about the appropriate tools, which diamond blades to use with those tools, and pro suggestions you can act upon to avoid porcelain damage. You will also find an authentic source of these tools, i.e., Johnson Tools, and why you should prefer them.
Why Porcelain Tile Is Difficult to Cut
Contractors face several problems when they are cutting porcelain tiles. The biggest problem is actually the material of porcelain. It is more tough and denser than the ceramic tiles. The reason lies in their baking at increased temperatures. Though their hardness is perfect for a long life, you can not cut it easily.
The density of the material creates more problems in cutting. If you do not use the appropriate blades and right tools, you will damage your expensive porcelain tiles. You must be extra careful when working on large tiles in porcelain projects as a single mistake can cost you a huge amount of money. So, by having the right knowledge, you can conduct a winning project.
Tools Used to Cut Porcelain Tiles
For a successful porcelain project, you must know the appropriate tools you can use. For this purpose, there are two major tools you can use.
If you want to traverse porcelain tiles wet, use a wet saw. It is suitable for long, linear, straight, and frequent cuts. It administers water to give a cooling effect to the system. As a result, it reduces heat buildup, dust, and material waste. You will get fine cuts on entire tiles using this tool.
If your project aim is to achieve complex, intricate, and curved cuts on tiles for aesthetic purposes, use an angle grinder. This grinder must be incorporated with a high-grade diamond blade. You can use this tool for small, narrow, or customized cuts.
There is another tool called a manual cutter tool. This tool is also famous as score-and-snap. You can apply this tile cutter for the type of porcelain with a large thickness. But, experts do not recommend its usage. It forms rough breaks across the straight lines.
Tile Nippers are another tool that contractors have the authority to use only. They can use the nippers for just surfacing, shaping, or extracting a small piece of tile.
Choosing the Right Blade For Cutting Porcelain Tiles
You must go for an accurate diamond-incorporated blade to cut porcelain tiles. If you use a blade with a cheap quality, it will increase chipping and result in rough cuts. As a result, you will waste a valuable porcelain tile. For this purpose, you must buy a diamond blade particularly manufactured for hard materials.
There are several types of diamond saw blades. As a pro contractor, you must know all of them along with their specific features. It will help you decide which one you will use for an angle grinder and a wet saw.
| Type of Blades | Characteristic Features | Suitable Application |
| Continuous rim diamond-incorporated blade | Clean cuts, fine edges with reduced material waste | Perfect to use for dense porcelain and soft stones |
| Turbo diamond-embedded blade | Quick results with fierce cuts in tiles | Applicable for porcelain as well as ceramic |
| Electroplated diamond-incorporated blade | Thin lining with accurate results | Suitable for dry porcelain cutting for intricate cuts |
| Brazed diamond saw blades | Incorporate the best bonding matrix, have a long life, remarkable strength, and administer cooling effect | Used for tough and hard materials and stones |
At Johnson Tools, you will get a vast range of blades suitable for cutting porcelain tiles. You can select between them for your specific use, either for a wet saw or an angle grinder.
How To Cut Porcelain Tile – Step-Wise Guide
If you want to know the cutting methodology of porcelain tile, you must know it always starts with using appropriate tools. Let’s discuss two major processes involved in cutting the porcelain tile.
Process For Wet Saw
- Mark and Prepare: You should start by marking accurate cutting lines across the tile. You can do this using a wax pencil. When you are dealing with glazed porcelain, it is better to apply protective tape before putting marks along the line to prevent rough cuts.
- Manage Water Cycles: You should check the working of water pumps and they must be filled with clean, debris-free water. If the pump is working smoothly, it will keep your blade cool and avoid heat buildup.
- Make An Accurate Cut: Now, put the porcelain tile against a wall and start working with a saw blade. Initiate with a slow speed and minimal gentle pressure to start moving the porcelain. This careful administration will allow you to achieve accurate cuts in your project.
- Avoid Forcing the Blade: One of the most inappropriate mistakes you do without knowing the consequences is to force the blade. You give too much force as an input that destroys the whole process. It can cause heat accumulation and damage the entire, expensive tile. You must allow the blade to work at its natural capacity. For input, apply optimal pressure with a slow velocity.
Process For Angle Grinder
- Follow Safety Protocols and Setup the System: When you start working with an angle grinder, take safety protocols such as wearing your face mask, gloves, and goggles. Then, switch on the power of the angle grinder. After doing the above two steps, attach your tile with a clamp to restrict its position.
- Equip the Specific Blade: You should incorporate the angle grinder with an accurate diamond-embedded blade. It will minimize material waste and increase the efficiency of the tool. Remember, you use angle grinder for achieving complex or curved cuts in tiles.
- Control Dust: It usually involves dry cutting without any administration of water. As a result, it creates a dusty environment. You should use a vacuum attached to the system on one side or choose a site with good ventilation to free the area from dust and debris.
- Make a Perfect Cut: It is time to make a cut along the tile. But you should avoid making one cut across a long line. Rather, it is suitable to make several small cuts with short breaks. It will prevent the blade from building heat and help you to get accurate results.
Major Problems and How To Prevent Them
Sometimes, when you are using the right tools, you might face material waste and slow performance of tools. For these problems, you must know how to solve them as a professional contractor.
- Chipping: If you notice some sort of chipping on the surface or along the cutting line, know that there are two reasons for this. You are applying excessive initial force or using inappropriate saw blades. Now, you have to take corrective actions before the situation gets worse. Replace the current blade with a rim blade incorporated with top-grade diamond molecules. Plus, apply gentle force to start the cutting and gradually increase to the optimal speed for accurate cuts.
- Overheating: You can face heat buildup within the system when cutting dry tiles with an angle grinder. There are two signs of this situation you must notice on the blade: burning smell and glowing. Stop working and use a cooling method to cool down the blades. Also, take pauses between working as it will prevent your blade from heating up again.
- Crooked Cuts: Facing asymmetrical cuts while cutting tiles is a common problem. If you want to achieve a clean, smoother cut, equip your wet saw with guide rails or attach a straight guide on the tiles. It will prevent you from diverting the straight lines. You can also mark the sides of the porcelain to prevent rough cuts.
Pro Tips for Efficient Results
If you want to ace the porcelain project, you must know these tricks as a contractor. These suggestions will make your name stand out in the market and increase the project’s profit.
- Blade Quality: You must use accurate diamond-incorporated blades suitable for tough materials. You should buy from Johnson Tools as the overall price of an authentic blade is less than wasting an expensive tile using cheap blades.
- Cooling Method: You can use the cooling method to increase the life of the blade and achieve clean cuts. You must allow blades to cool when cutting tiles through dense materials or after any strenuous work.
- Masking Tape for Edges: Use protective electrician’s tape along the whole line you are going to cut. It is mandatory to use when you cut through glazed porcelain. The tape protects the edges from chipping and allows smooth surfaces.
- Pre-Scoring: If you are dealing with materials with high density and thickness, you must pre-score the tile. You can pass them through delicate, not very deep materials first. It will help you to get accurate cuts when applied on the porcelain.
Why Prefer Johnson Tools Tile Saw Blades?
When your tools’ maintenance and material waste costs affect your project’s profit, you must use high-quality tools. At Johnson Tools, we deliver tools that align with the market demand. We manufacture blades with top-class diamond molecules and make sure they are bound through durable bonding forces. They continue to give remarkable results for a long period.
We have a large format tiles range of tools suitable to cut both wet and dry porcelain tiles. The exciting feature of our tools is that they all follow the international regulatory standards. Each blade complies with CE/EN13236 certifications to develop durable relationships with the clients.
Click to Buy Tile Blades from Johnson Tools
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FAQs
Which is the ideal tool I can use to cut the porcelain tile?
If you want to cut across the whole tile to get long, straight cuts, go for a wet saw incorporated with an accurate diamond blade. If your project deals with customized (curved, intricate) shapes, use an angle grinder aligned with a rim tile blade. Both tools are suitable for your specific project goals.
How can I cut the porcelain tile without chipping?
If your aim is to prevent chipping during the tile cutting process, use a kind of rim diamond blade by applying optimal pressure. You must adjust and put gentle input at the start. It will allow the rim blade to work naturally. If you are working with soft glazed sheets, remember to paste the protective masking tape before cutting.
Can I score and snap porcelain tiles?
You can do the scoring and snapping of porcelain tiles. But, it is not suitable for the toughness and density of porcelain. If you snap without automatic systems, you will get rough surfaces as a result. You must use a wet saw with a diamond-embedded blade to get smooth, even cuts.
Should I cut porcelain tile when it is wet or dry?
You must cut wet porcelain tile through a wet saw with a diamond-incorporated blade. The moisture gives a cooling effect to the blade. As a result, it reduces dust, chipping, heat accumulation, material waste, and pollution. If you want to cut dry porcelain tile for curved and customized cuts, use an angle grinder with a rim blade.
Should I cut porcelain tile upwards or downwards?
You should cut porcelain tile facing upwards with proper techniques, meaning when your glazed surface’s side is up. Use a wet saw to get clean cuts on the glazed surface. If your aim is to cut porcelain tile facing downwards, apply pressure through angle grinder to balance the edges and achieve even cutting. In both cases, if you use protective tape before cutting, it will increase the quality of your cuts.
Which blade is suitable to use for the grinder to cut tile?
If you want to cut dry porcelain tile or tile while facing downwards, go for an angle grinder. Use a continuous rim blade incorporated with high-grade diamonds. You can use turbo saw blades for achieving faster results. But be mindful that they can cause chipping at the sides and result in rough cuts.
What is the life span of a tile saw incorporated with a blade?
The life of a tile saw blade is different for various saws. It depends on two factors: the toughness and density of the porcelain and the amount of water added for cooling effect. If you use authentic tools like from Johnson Tools, your tile saw blades will handle a large distance, such as hundreds of feet. You must avoid forcing the tools to optimize work. Let them do their work at their inborn speed.
