How To Cut Tiles With a Grinder?

How To Cut Tiles With a Grinder?

Tile cutting can be a daunting task, but with the right tools, it can be a breeze. One such tool is a grinder. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to use a grinder to cut tiles.

We’ll also provide some tips on how to make the process easier and more efficient. So read on to learn all you need to know about tile cutting with a grinder.

So, how to cut tiles with a grinder? The short answer is that you need to mark the tile, place and secure it, use a grinder to cut the tile, and finally clean the cutting. For details, let’s dive into this post.

What Is a Grinder?

A grinder is a powerful tool that’s designed to make the cutting and shaping of stone, metal, glass, and tile easier. A grinder uses a cylindrical rotating disc (also called a grinding wheel), mounted on an axle, and contains an electric motor that turns the disc at high speed.

Grinders have been around for over 100 years and they’ve been used in various industries for many years.

A quick tip: Check our comprehensive guide on tiling around the outlet, and tiling inside of a corner.

3 Reasons Why You Should Cut Tiles With A Grinder

There are a few reasons why you should use a grinder to cut tiles.

1. More Powerful

First, grinders are more powerful than other cutting tools, such as saws. This makes them ideal for cutting through tough materials like tile.

2. Versatile

Second, grinders are more versatile than other cutting tools. They can be used to cut a wide variety of materials, including metal, stone, and glass.

3. Accuracy

Finally, grinders are more accurate than other cutting tools. This makes for precise cuts and helps you to minimize the amount of tile you need to replace.

Things To Consider Before Cutting Tiles With A Grinder

It’s important to understand that high-speed tools like grinders do not provide precision cuts. It takes some practice and patience to cut tiles with a grinder because you need to ensure that the wheel is properly supported to ensure that the cuts are flush. Also, many tile cutting grinders have a high RPM (revolutions per minute), which means they can break your tiles if you’re not careful.

Requirements For Cutting Tiles With A Grinder

When using any power tool, it’s important to take the necessary safety precautions. This is especially true when using a grinder, as they can be dangerous if not used correctly. Here are some of the safety equipment you’ll need when using a grinder to cut tiles:

1. Safety Glasses

It’s important to protect your eyes when using any power tool, and this is especially true when using a grinder. The flying debris from the tile can cause serious injury if it comes into contact with your eyes.

2. Ear Protection

Grinders can be very loud, and prolonged exposure to the noise can cause hearing damage.

3. Protective Clothing

You’ll need to wear protective clothing when using a grinder. This includes long pants, a shirt with long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes.

4. Gloves

Grinders can cause flying debris to occur when they come into contact with the tile or stone you’re cutting. This flying debris can severely injure your hands if it comes into contact with them. Gloves will help protect your skin from these flying particles.

5. Safety Footwear

Although not required, safety footwear is highly recommended when using a grinder to cut tiles. This includes steel-toe boots or shoes.

How To Cut Tiles With Grinder – A Step-by-step Guide

To cut the tiles properly you should consider the following steps

1. Marking The Tile

Choose a tile and mark it with either a pencil, chalk or tape (optional) to indicate where you need to cut.

2. Placing The Tile

Place the marked tile on top of another tile that is larger than the one you want to cut. This ensures that you cut the desired tile out without damaging the larger tile underneath.

3. Secure Tile In Place

Securely clamp the marked tile down to a solid surface, such as a table or workbench, using a C-clamp. You may also secure it by nailing or screwing a piece of wood onto your working surface and then placing the tiles on the wood. This will prevent your marked tile from moving when you cut.

4. Grinding The Tile With A Grinder

Put on all of your safety gear, including protective clothing, gloves, and safety footwear. Next, turn on the grinder wheel to its maximum RPM setting.

Slowly bring down the wheel onto the marked tile. Hold the grinder firmly with one hand and push down until the wheel cuts through the tile. Ensure that you keep the grinder at a 45-degree angle to ensure that it is cutting properly.

It may take some practice before you can get a perfectly flush cut, but don’t worry if your first few attempts are not successful!

5. Cleaning The Cut

Once you’ve completed your cut, use a damp cloth to wipe away any residual dust and debris. Inspect the tiles and touch up any scratches that occur during the cutting process with a marker or chalk.

6. Cutting The Tile To Size

Repeat the process until you’ve cut all of the tiles to their desired size. You can also use this same technique to cut other materials, such as glass or marble.

7. Finishing Your Tiles

Finally, seal your newly-cut tiles with a clear coat sealant to prevent any liquids from staining them.

Angle Cut vs Straight Cut – What is the Difference?

An angle cut is a type of cut that is made on a tile with a grinder. This type of cut is made at a 45-degree angle to the desired length of the tile.

A straight cut is another type of cut that can be made on a tile with a grinder. This type of cut is made along the desired length of the tile without angling it at all.

To properly cut tiles, you need to use either an angle or a straight cut. An angle cut is made at a 45-degree angle to the desired length of the tile, whereas a straight cut is made along the entire length of the tile without angling it at all.

Additional Tips For Cutting Tiles With Grinder

In addition to the step-by-step guide provided above, here are some additional tips for the smooth and carefree cutting of tiles with a grinder.

Use the Diamond Blade Wisely

The diamond blade in your angle grinder is the tool that will help you to cut tiles faster. It’s made of diamonds and cuts through anything like butter. This is the best tool and the only one you should use.

Now, while using the diamond blade, you must consider the following two points:

Fast Cutting

Yes, a diamond blade can help you do the job fast but it’s not all about speed: faster can mean messy. A quick-cutting blade could also produce a jagged edge on your tiles, which nobody wants. You could end up making more work for yourself, as you’ll need to clean up that uneven edge afterward with some coarse sandpaper.

Slow Cutting

On the flip side, a slow-cutting blade, while making for a smooth cut surface without requiring any further work on your part, will take forever to complete the job.

What Speed Is Best?

it really depends on how deep you need to cut into the tile. Maybe start with 5000 RPMs, which is a good middle ground, and see how the cuts are looking. Keep increasing or decreasing it until you find what works best for you.

Conclusion

Although you can cut tiles with hands, the process of cutting tiles with a grinder is not only fun and rewarding, but it may save you money as well. It can be done by anyone and if done properly, will ensure that each tile has a clean-cut edge. Use this safety equipment and steps to effectively cut tiles with a grinder so you can get back to enjoying your finished project!