When laying porcelain tiles, the need to cut the tiles inevitably arises. It is impossible to select and make a ruler without using a tile cutter for porcelain stoneware. Along the walls there is always a size that is not a multiple of the size of the tile and it needs to be trimmed. Pruning is also necessary when bypassing communications. It is often necessary to drill tiles.

There are several technologies for cutting porcelain stoneware tiles. The choice of tile cutting technology, and therefore the tool, depends on the quality of the tile and what kind of cut needs to be made. Let's look at the basic methods of drilling and cutting porcelain stoneware.

Briefly, this process goes like this: draw a line, position the tile, run the cutting roller along the tile, break the tile into two parts. But first you need to check the tile cutter for functionality. And now more details.

After long-term storage, as well as after long-term operation, the mechanical tile cutter must be checked and prepared for use. Most often, the “diamond” roller and its fixation system wear out. The edge of the roller must be sharp; even with minimal rounding or the appearance of small chips, the quality of the cut will noticeably deteriorate. If wear on the roller is noticed, it should be replaced. Often the roller becomes loose and begins to move from side to side; it needs to be fixed by tightening the fastening bolts. To facilitate the movement of the roller and reduce wear, you can drop oil on it.

The movement of a mechanical tile cutter along guide rods can be on bearings or cylinders. Before using the tile cutter, you need to check the movement of the mechanism. Even when simply pulling along the guide rods, the mechanism should not jam or flop around. Such problems also need to be eliminated by replacing bearings, cleaning guides, etc. And a drop of oil wouldn't hurt here.

Before using a tile cutter for porcelain stoneware, you need to take accurate measurements of the required width or length of the tile. On a solid tile, mark according to the measurements, and draw a line along which the cut will go with a marker or pencil. Place the tile on the base of the tile cutter and align it so that the roller runs exactly along the line from start to finish. When placing tiles, do not run the cutting element along them.

Secure the tile with your hand so that it does not move while cutting. With your other hand, lift the handle and lower it so that the paws do not rest against the tile, and the diamond roller touches it. Bring the roller to the edge of the tile, press the handle and evenly (with the same speed and pressure) move it to the other edge. Uniformity is needed to ensure a clear, uniform cut.

Make the cut only once; if you make multiple cuts along the same line, 70% of the resulting cuts will be of poor quality. While holding the tile in the same position, lift the handle of the tile cutter and place the claws in the middle of the cut so that it rests against the tile. Press down on the handle, increasing the pressure until the tile breaks into two pieces. Ready.

The quality of the cut largely depends on the structure of porcelain stoneware, its density and production method. The minimum width that can be cut with a mechanical tile cutter also depends on these same properties. You can remove small excess from the tiles with wire cutters, biting along the cut line or breaking off with pliers.

If the cut is not of sufficient quality, it can be corrected by grinding. Take a stone cutting wheel and place it on the grinder. Draw a thin line parallel to the cut with a pencil or marker so as not to remove excess. Sand the cut until the desired quality is achieved. Please note that even the poorest quality of cut, regardless of what you use to cut porcelain stoneware, is enough if it is subsequently covered with tiles, baseboards, platbands, ceilings, etc.

Cutting with a dry cutter

A cutter is a cutting disc with a “diamond”, sometimes continuous, coating that does not have slots. This disc is placed on a grinder and used to cut tiles.

It should be noted that the direction of rotation of the disk should be combined with the direction of rotation of the grinder mechanism. If the directions are not aligned, the risk of injury increases and the quality of the cut will noticeably deteriorate. If you need to cut porcelain tiles at home, then this is the easiest option. The grinder is to some extent a universal tool and can be used for many types of work. A mechanical tile cutter is a highly specialized tool and is intended exclusively for cutting tiles.

With skillful and careful use of a dry cutter, you can achieve the same results as when cutting with a tile cutter. To do this, you need to saw off the tiles not along the line, but leave a margin of 2-3mm. When working with a dry cutter, the cut always leaves chips and cracks on the front surface of the tile. This quality of cut is more than enough if it remains invisible. To ensure that such chips form as little as possible, try to make the cut in one pass, rather than moving the grinder back and forth. With each new pass, cracks and chips increase in number and size. We grind the remaining stock around the stone.

The main advantage of cutting with a grinder over a mechanical tile cutter is the ability to cut both straight and curved. You can get different geometric shapes. In general, if you wish, you can do everything you need with a dry cutter.

There are also disadvantages. Firstly, this process is technologically more complex, secondly, it requires care and strict adherence to safety rules, and thirdly, a lot of dust and debris is generated during the work.

Cutting with a wet cutter

Quite often in the process of laying tiles there is a need for very clean and high-quality cutting, how to cut porcelain tiles in this case? It is possible to achieve a clean cut by working with a mechanical tile cutter or dry cutter, but it takes too much time. This is exactly what an electric tile cutter is designed for.

The design of an electric tile cutter includes a table and a cutting element driven by an electric motor. Models of electric tile cutters are distinguished by which of these parts is movable. For some, the table on which the tiles are fixed is stationary and cutting occurs as the cutting element moves along the cutting line. In other models, on the contrary, the cutting part of the structure is stationary and cutting occurs as the table advances

This mechanism can cut all types of tiles, but the cutting elements, i.e. discs are selected according to the material. This article has already described how to cut porcelain stoneware; a diamond blade can also be used with an electric tile cutter. But unlike cutting with a grinder, in this case you need a disc for wet cutting.

High-quality and safe work with this tool requires constant cooling of the material being cut and the cutting disc. Therefore, in most cases, electric tile cutters use water cooling. The models also differ in cooling principle. Some models have coolant in a tray under the table, and part of the disk is constantly immersed in water. For other models, the disk is cooled using running water, i.e. Water constantly pours onto the cutting disc.

Working with an electric tile cutter is not difficult. Draw a line with a pencil or marker where you want to make the cut. Place the tile on the table so that the cutting line is parallel to the cutting disc; you can check this visually. And with a smooth, uniform movement, slowing down at the beginning of cutting and at the end, make the cut.

Apply minimal force at the beginning and end of the cut to avoid splitting the tiles. At the very beginning of the cut, with a strong or sharp approach, a piece of tile may break off and injure the worker, the tile will be damaged. If you are lucky and the tile does not break off, then it will be impossible to adjust the direction of the cut. When approaching slowly, you can adjust the direction by moving the tile in one direction or another.

During cutting, the tile should be firmly fixed with one, or better yet, two hands, on both sides of the tile being cut, pressing evenly on both parts. If you hold the tile loosely, vibration may occur. During vibration, the disk will chip, just like the tile, and the disk may become jammed in the tile. This is very dangerous and the consequences are often unpredictable.

In models of electric tile cutters with disc cooling in the bath, the water should be changed frequently. During the cutting process, crumbs and dust fly, mixing with water, and some of this debris ends up in the cooling bath. During further operation, the disc becomes wetted in dirty water and picks up debris particles, this makes it difficult to cut tiles, shortens the service life of the disc and degrades the cutting quality.

Over time, a disc for cutting porcelain tiles may become clogged with ceramic or granite chips. It needs to be cleaned periodically. This can be done, for example, in two ways. Cut some sand brick (compressed sand) or turn the disk in the opposite direction if there is no direction indicator on it.

With certain skills and abilities, an electric tile cutter can make both curved cuts and

This cutting method is not available at home and you can only order such a service. After waterjet cutting of porcelain stoneware, no traces, cracks or chips remain. The cut does not require additional processing. This is achieved through a special installation in which water and tiny abrasive particles are mixed. The resulting mixture is high pressure fed through a very thin hole with a diameter of 0.2-0.4 mm. This jet cuts through porcelain tiles and many other materials up to 200mm thick.

Waterjet cutting can realize the most unusual and daring decisions of the customer or designer. Using this technology, you can cut out figures of any design and curved shape, create rosettes, panels, etc.

Drilling porcelain stoneware

When using porcelain stoneware in interior decoration, it is impossible to do without drilling it. But how to drill porcelain tiles? Porcelain stoneware is difficult to drill, because it is a durable material. But small errors and shortcomings during the drilling process can lead to breakage of the tile. Therefore, you need to know not only what, but also how to drill porcelain stoneware, keeping both the tile and the working tool intact.

Drill porcelain tiles only from the front side, because, as when drilling any tile, when the drill comes out, the back of the hole ends up with chips. If you drill from the face, then chips on the inside of the tile will not affect the properties and beauty of the tile. To increase the service life of the drill, the hole is drilled two-thirds or three-quarters of the thickness of the tile. The hole is then punched with a sharp blow. This way the drill saves its resource.

Before drilling porcelain tiles, you need to mark the location and determine the required hole diameter. If the hole diameter is more than 6mm, then drill with the smaller diameter first, and then with the required one. The tiles must be placed on a flat surface, with chipboard, plywood or something similar underneath, so as not to spoil the floor covering.

To drill a hole of any diameter, it is better to use a powerful, low-speed drill. A “driller” is not needed when drilling tiles. You need to drill at low speeds with great force while pressing the drill. This reduces overheating of the drill caused by friction. You need to drill strictly perpendicular to the plane of the tile, this reduces wear on the drill; to maintain perpendicularity, it is better to use a drill stand.

To prevent the drill from overheating, just like a diamond crown for porcelain stoneware, they quickly wear out when overheated. Therefore, you need to monitor their cooling. Simply apply a little water to the drill or bit, the water will flow down to the drilling site and cool the tile and tool.

You can drill porcelain tiles with a simple drill with a carbide tip,

pen, diamond tip,

diamond-coated tubular drill

and diamond crowns.

All this is suitable for drilling holes in porcelain stoneware, they differ only in how many holes their resource is enough for.

Porcelain stoneware tiles are a universal facing material. With its help, you can finish both walls and floors, and it is used both indoors and outdoors. Naturally, as when working with any facing material, when laying porcelain tiles you cannot do without trimming them. And if a regular glass cutter is suitable for tiled or ceramic tiles, then with porcelain stoneware the issue is somewhat more complicated.

Since porcelain stoneware tiles are much harder and more durable, cutting them will require special tools, when working with which you must follow certain rules. So what and how is it better to cut porcelain tiles?

Overview of tools for cutting porcelain tiles

How to cut porcelain tiles? Experts advise choosing a tool based on what goals you are pursuing. Let's look at each in more detail.

The glass cutter is not intended for cutting porcelain stoneware, but if there are no other options, you can use it

This tool is not intended for cutting porcelain stoneware, however, if there is no alternative, you can use it, however, only in cases where small amounts of work are involved.

Manual tile cutter

A simple and reliable tool for cutting porcelain tiles

A simple and easy-to-use tool that allows you to cut even strips from porcelain stoneware. The tile is fixed with special clamps, after which an incision is made using a lever with a cutting element. As a result, the tile easily breaks at the point of the cut.

Professional cutting of porcelain tiles

A professional tool that allows you to make almost perfect cuts with straight or slightly rounded edges. An electric tile cutter is designed specifically for these purposes, and therefore has clear advantages not only over manual devices, but also over electric ones.

Porcelain tiles can also be cut with an ordinary grinder

This is a universal tool that can also be used to cut porcelain tiles. True, in this case the grinder must be equipped with a special “diamond” disk. The grinder is a good option for both professionals and amateurs.

Wire cutters

Nippers - the simplest tool for curly cuts

Nippers are the simplest tool for curly cutting tiles in general and porcelain tiles in particular. To be precise, the nippers do not cut, but break off small pieces of tiles, resulting in a groove or bend of the desired shape.

"Ballerina"

With the help of a ballerina you can make holes of any diameter

This is the name of a special tool with which you can make holes of different diameters in porcelain stoneware.

A hole saw or diamond bit makes perfectly straight holes in porcelain tiles

The best tool for both curly cutouts and making holes in tiles. Allows you to cut porcelain tiles of any thickness and hardness.

Comparison table of tools for cutting porcelain tiles

Porcelain stoneware cutting technologies

Let's look at the technologies for cutting porcelain stoneware using the most popular tools.

Manual tile cutter

Despite its simplicity, a manual tile cutter provides a fairly high quality of work. The tool consists of a support platform, two guides, thanks to which the cut is perfectly smooth, a lever with a cutting roller and clamps for breaking the tiles.

Some models of manual tile cutters are equipped with a “ballerina”, which allows you to make round holes of various diameters in the tiles.

The manual tile cutter is suitable for tiles with a thickness of 8 mm, 1 cm, etc. (up to 12 millimeters). Please note that the thicker the tile, the larger the cutting roller should be in diameter. Ideally, these two values ​​should coincide.

Preparing the tile cutter for work

Before starting work, you must make sure that the cutting roller is not dull and its size corresponds to the thickness of the selected tile. If necessary, the roller is replaced.

After fastening, the roller should rotate freely. If this does not happen, try dripping a little oil into the mounting points.

The ease of movement of the tile cutter along the guide rods is determined. If the cutting element passes tightly or, on the contrary, dangles, it is worth checking the bearings and cleaning the guides.

Cutting porcelain stoneware

The cutting technology on a manual tile cutter is quite simple.

• After taking measurements, make appropriate marks on the tile with a pencil or marker;
• the tiles are laid on the tile cutter platform, the cutting line is aligned with the cutting roller;
• so that the tile does not move during cutting, it must be fixed by hand;
• the roller is installed on the edge of the tile and, gently pressing the lever, it is drawn along the entire cut line;

The smoother you move the roller, the better the finished cut will be.

IMPORTANT! To prevent chips from appearing at the cut site, try to cut the tiles “in one step.”

• after the cut is made on the tile, it is secured to the platform with fixing tabs so that the cut line is between them;
• They begin to press on the part of the tile protruding beyond the platform with their hand until the tile breaks.

When cutting with a manual tile cutter, the edges of the tiles are quite smooth, but the appearance of small chips and unevenness is possible. In this case, the deformed edge must be sanded.

Video: how to cut porcelain tiles with a manual tile cutter

We offer you a master class on cutting porcelain tiles with a manual tile cutter.

A grinder can be used to cut a wide variety of materials, porcelain stoneware is no exception.

Preparing for work

To cut porcelain stoneware, a special “diamond blade” must be installed on the grinder. When installing the disk, check that it is securely fastened, and be sure to wear safety glasses and gloves.

IMPORTANT! Since the grinder is a very dangerous tool, the use of all protective elements and compliance with safety regulations is mandatory.

Working with an angle grinder

The technology for cutting porcelain stoneware differs little from cutting other materials.

• Markings are applied to the tile with a pencil along which the cut will be made;

Using a grinder you can make curved cuts and even holes

Unlike a manual tile cutter, a grinder can make not only straight, but also shaped cuts.

• The tiles are cut along the marked line with a grinder. To reduce the number of chips, try to cut the tiles “in one go”;
• Since when cutting porcelain stoneware with a grinder, small chips and cracks may remain on the edges and front side of the tile, the end of the tile after cutting is cleaned with sandpaper or a grinding disc.

Video: how to cut porcelain tiles with a grinder

If the two previous methods are considered within the framework of “dry” cutting, then the next technology refers to “wet”. In other words, during the process, water is supplied to the tile cutter, which protects the cutting element from overheating. This ensures an almost perfectly even and smooth cut.

Electric tile cutters come in two types: with a movable and a fixed disk. In the first case, the cutting module moves along the tile along special guides, in the second, the tile is fed onto the disk using a platform or simply by hand.

IMPORTANT! When working with stationary tile cutters, you must carefully follow safety regulations.

In addition to the platform and cutting module, most electric tile cutters are equipped with a container of water into which part of the cutting disc is immersed. This helps protect the disk from overheating and also significantly reduces the amount of dust during operation.

Preparing for work

Before starting work, you should check the reliability of the disk fastening and the presence of water in a special container.

If the tile cutter has already been used, then the cutting disc must be cleaned and the water changed, since porcelain stoneware chips that have fallen into it interfere with the cooling process.

Tile cutting

A professional tool allows you to cut porcelain tiles almost perfectly

The cutting technology itself with an electric tile cutter is very simple: a pre-designated cutting line is aligned with the cutting disk and a special lever moves it along the tile or feeds it onto the disk.

Since the cut edges on an electric tile cutter are almost perfectly smooth, no additional processing is required.

How to make holes in porcelain tiles

Sometimes situations arise in which porcelain stoneware does not need to be cut, but a hole must be made in it. In principle, this problem can be solved with the help of a small grinder, but in this case the hole will not be very even. Let's look at the two most successful methods.

"Ballerina"

A special tool that allows you to cut tiles and thin porcelain tiles. In its design, the “ballerina” resembles an ordinary compass. The cutter moves along a special bar from the central support, thereby making it possible to make a hole of any diameter.

To make work easier, the ballerina can be inserted into an electric drill

The technology of work is very simple: the center of the “ballerina” is fixed on the tile, and a circle is drawn with a cutter pre-fixed at the required distance. After this, knock out the central part of the hole with a light blow. If you are working with porcelain stoneware, it is better to make several turns of the cutter without lifting the tool from the tile. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to get into an already drawn line.

Diamond crowns

A diamond crown makes it possible to make a perfectly even hole in porcelain stoneware without much effort. Its only drawback is that the size of the holes is clearly limited by the diameter of the crowns themselves.

A diamond bit allows you to drill perfectly straight holes in porcelain stoneware

The crown is inserted into a conventional drill, after which a hole is made in the selected location.

Please note that the drill must be set to maximum speed.

To avoid chipping, porcelain tiles should be drilled only from the front side.

Video: how to make holes in porcelain stoneware

You can learn more about the technologies for drilling holes in porcelain stoneware by watching the following video:

Cutting porcelain tiles is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. It is enough to “arm yourself” with the necessary tools and after a little practice you will definitely achieve an excellent result. Good luck with your renovation!

At the end of the twentieth century, a new finishing material- porcelain stoneware. It is made by dry pressing a mixture of crushed clay, quartz sand and feldspar. The result is an easily moldable and extremely durable material with 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 service life while maintaining appearance.
• Resistance to aggressive environments and other contaminants. Porcelain tiles do not stain and are easy to clean.
• Environmental friendliness. Made from natural ingredients without the use of chemicals harmful to health and the environment. 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. This is especially noticeable in damp rooms; tiles with a rough surface texture are recommended for them.

Features of the material

The main features of porcelain stoneware are

• high homogeneity of the material;
• 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, their high strength poses a difficult question: 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;
• manual tile cutter;
• electric tile cutter;
• hydraulic cutter

Angle grinder or grinder

An angle grinder can be found in any home workshop. This is a universal tool designed for stripping welds, has found a thousand and one uses in the home. 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 personal protective equipment: glasses (or better yet, a transparent shield), a respirator, thick clothing that does not leave exposed skin;
• cut 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

You will also need to install a “diamond” blade on your circular saw. The safety rules are the same as described above. It is necessary to securely fasten the porcelain stoneware 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 its design 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

The mechanization of production processes is 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 the tile, it should be secured to the bed, mark the 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 from 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.

7430 0

Porcelain stoneware (ceramic granite, ceramic granite) is an artificial finishing material that 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 a natural stone, but in physical characteristics superior to it. 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 stoneware at home is more difficult than working with tiles, but is quite doable if certain rules are followed.

Choosing a porcelain tile 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 the porcelain stoneware and the 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 one);
• 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 stoneware 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 a hard surface, preferably a wooden one, to avoid damage to the tool or injury. When cutting porcelain stoneware with a grinder, the tool must have a protective cover.

Laying porcelain tiles is impossible without cutting porcelain tiles.

You cannot lay tiles on the floor or walls so that there is no free space around the perimeter of the surface.

These places have to be filled with strips that are cut off from whole products. It is also necessary to trim the slabs in places where communications are supplied. In addition to cutting the slabs, drilling may be required.

How to cut porcelain tiles? Different tools are used for cutting.

Professionals give the following advice to beginners: it is best to cut porcelain stoneware with a special device - a tile cutter, and if you don’t have one at hand, then with a grinder with a diamond disc.

How to cut porcelain tiles with a tile cutter?

The tile cutter allows you to cut porcelain tiles most accurately, quickly and efficiently. A tile cutting machine is a manual or electrical appliance, designed for cutting tiles from various materials: tiles, ceramics, stone.

Cutting porcelain tiles at home using a tile cutter is the best option. To cut porcelain tiles with a manual or electric tile cutter, you will need to buy a special disc with diamond-coated teeth.

The edges of porcelain stoneware cut with a tile cutter are rounded and look very neat. Even figure cutting is possible on a high-quality machine.

But to create real artistic products from this material - mosaics, ornaments - the following are used:

• waterjet cutting of porcelain stoneware - the role of the blade is played by a stream of water with finely ground abrasive material added to it;
• laser cutting of porcelain stoneware - cutting is carried out by CNC machines equipped with industrial lasers with a power of 1 to 40 kW.

The household electric tile cutter is equipped with a retractable surface and a cooling device.

Discs and porcelain tiles must be cooled during cutting - this makes it possible to maintain the working qualities of cutting surfaces longer. The material and machine are cooled using ordinary water.

• the master must move the slab along the blade with even pressure, ensuring smooth and accurate pushing from start to finish;
• there is no need to press hard at the moment when the tile is just coming into contact with the blade, so that chips do not form;
• at the end of cutting, release the pressure to a minimum - this is required by safety regulations;
• When cutting porcelain tiles, you need to hold the tile with both hands by both edges so that it does not fall to one side.

Advice: before work, you need to wear safety glasses, since during cutting, fragments of porcelain stoneware and particles of the cutting elements of the disk may fly off.

The water in the pan needs to be changed more often, as dust and porcelain stoneware particles settle in it. Clogged water impairs the quality of cutting porcelain stoneware and leads to premature wear of the blade.

Cutting with a household manual tile cutter is just as comfortable as cutting with an electric one. The manual machine is small, has no cooling, and is inexpensive.

Cutting with a manual tile cutter is carried out as follows: porcelain stoneware is placed on a table with a rubber surface and a carriage with a blade is moved over it by hand.

Cutting porcelain stoneware cannot be done on every hand-held machine; there are especially durable models for this.

A manual machine can make straight cuts; some models are additionally equipped with a device for cutting round holes, but shaped or artistic cutting of porcelain stoneware is not possible on a manual machine.

Cutting with a grinder

Porcelain tiles can be cut straight with a regular grinder. It can also be used to make shaped cuts and parallel slots.

Because Grinder- a manual device, when cutting there are often deviations to the point that the edge of the cut turns out to be jagged. In addition, cutting with a grinder rarely goes without chipping.

Therefore, if the quality of the cut is a fundamental condition, then you need to use not a grinder, but a tile cutter.

The advantage of an angle grinder is its speed of operation - it can “cut” porcelain tiles much faster than any other cutting device, manual or electric.

The main thing when working with an angle grinder is not to rush. The grinder has an increased risk of injury, so you need to protect your eyes, hands and face.

So, let’s look at how to cut porcelain tiles with a grinder correctly:

• The slab must be installed securely so that it does not wobble. To do this, you can lay it on the edge of the table, leaving part of it hanging over the floor, or lay it directly on the floor or ground, placing a board under one edge, etc.;
• draw a straight line on the slab with a pencil at the cut site;
• The grinder is held with one hand and the plate is held with the other;
• Having made a shallow cut from edge to edge of the slab, they begin to move the grinder in the opposite direction. This is how they pass along the cut several times, each time deepening it until the desired part of the tile falls off on its own;
• There is no need to press on the edge of the tile, trying to break it at the cut point - this will lead to chips;
• the slower you move the grinder, the smoother the cut will be;
• If necessary, the edge of the cut can be slightly sanded with sandpaper.

Used for cutting porcelain stoneware various disks. A high-quality disc leaves a minimum of chips on porcelain tiles.

A regular diamond-coated dry cutting blade can be used when cutting porcelain stoneware if a perfectly straight edge is not needed.

A good result can be obtained by working with a Rapid disc with a thickness of 1.2 millimeters, since it is half a millimeter thinner than similar products. Husqvarna discs have high cutting quality.

Advice: if you need to cut a figure in the shape of the letter “L” from porcelain stoneware, then it is better to place the tile not on a hard, but on an elastic base - this will protect the material from cracking in the corner part of the figure.

As an elastic base, you can use a thick sheet of ordinary foam.

With some skill, you can even make semicircular cuts on porcelain stoneware with a grinder, although this will require time and effort.

If you don’t have a grinder in your house, not to mention a machine for cutting tiles, but you somehow need to cut and cut porcelain tiles, then you can use a glass cutter.

Porcelain tiles are cut with a glass cutter in the same way as glass:

• the slab is placed on the edge of the table so that part of it hangs over the floor;
• draw a line with a pencil;
• take a ruler and draw a glass cutter along the line;
• press on the edge of the slab with both hands, the desired piece breaks off.

Drilling porcelain stoneware

When finishing a room with porcelain stoneware from the inside, you cannot do without drilling the slabs. But this material is difficult to drill as it is very hard.

In addition, even small errors during drilling lead to the appearance of cracks. How can I properly drill a porcelain stoneware slab?

It is best to drill this difficult-to-process material with a powerful drill operating at low speeds.

A hammer drill and similar tools that work on the principle of chiselling are not needed in this case.

The drill is turned on at the lowest speed and a hole is drilled, pressing firmly on the tool.

It is important that the drill is perpendicular to the surface of the slab during operation. To maintain perpendicularity, it is convenient to use a special drill stand.

Tips for drilling porcelain tiles:

• before starting drilling, mark the location and determine the diameter of the future hole;
• if you need a hole wider than 6 millimeters, then drill first with a narrower drill, and then use a nozzle of the required diameter;
• The slab is drilled only from the front side, since the hole on the back side (where the drill will come out) will be chipped;
• in cases where it is necessary to increase the life of the drill, the hole can be drilled only 2/3 of the thickness of the material, and then pierce the remaining part with a sharp blow.

When working with porcelain stoneware, the drill quickly overheats, so add water to the crown and drill. The liquid flows down and cools the material and tool.

You can cool the drill while working with a well-moistened foam sponge by moving its edge towards the rotating drill.

You can take a regular drill, with a carbide or diamond tip. The quality of drilling does not depend on the quality and hardness of the drill - these characteristics only affect how long the drill itself will last.

There are special ring drills for cutting porcelain stoneware, which look like tubes with diamond dust sprayed around the edges.

Round holes with a larger diameter, for example, for a socket, can be drilled with a galvanized diamond core bit.

Such a drill attachment is inexpensive, but it is enough for only a few times, unlike ring drills, each of which can drill at least a hundred holes.

So, to cut porcelain stoneware at home you will need a grinder, you can also use a tile cutter, and if you only need to cut one or two slabs, then a regular glass cutter will do.