Any easy way to cut mosaic tiles ?

Q: I am working on kitchen backsplash and need to custom cut some 2” x 2” tiles. I tried a handy tile cutter from home depot that had a scoring wheel but it always got me slanted cuts and think the scoring wheel is just for show. I am currently trying with a hacksaw with a carbide cutter but that is going to take me forever to cut.

That leaves me with two options –

1. rent a tile cutter (but isn’t that for bigger tiles) ?

2. Get carbide reciprocating saw blades (I already have the saw)

Does anyone have a better method ?

A: 1. Home Depot rents two sizes of tile saws: large and small. The small tile saw is for tile up to 6 inches or so.

2. An angle cutter with a diamond blade works really nice.

3. If these are not floor tiles, a Dremel with a tile bit works very very well.

Options 2 and 3 are best if you’re doing curves, but option 1 is hands down the best for doing straight cuts; no dust, no fracturing, all goodness.

A: The small ones are pretty cheap – we just bought one for $80. Saves you “rushing” to return a rental – you just don’t want to rush when cutting tiles…

A: And if you’re really bored, $200 at Harbor Freight buys you a bridge tile saw with a 25” cutting capacity (18” floor tiles on point, chiropractor cost not included).

You didn’t specify what kinds of tiles these are: stone, glass, or ceramic. (Since you’re trying a scoring wheel cutter, I assume ceramic.) The wet saw tile cutters (e.g. the ones you might rent) will work for stone and ceramic tile quite handsomely, with far better accuracy than the scoring type. You’d need a different blade on them for glass, if you do lots of glass.

A: Related question – I have a tile wains coat on my back wall in my bathroom that goes up about 38” – I need to mount a sink and need the tile to stop at about 30” above the floor. It’s a pretty small section. Is it possible to cut tile off with a saw if it’s already cemented to the wall? Or am I better off ripping down the tile and installing new tile? Thanks!

A: Try cutting it off and see how it goes – worst case is you rip it down and install new tile.

A: I used one of these with a diamond blade and it worked great. Just keep a steady hand and the air generally moist (I had someone with a spray bottle of water help me). As Fab said, worst case is you mess up, rip it down and install new stuff.

A: Helps if I post the link, eh?

http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=149

A: You could also consider a dremel with a diamond blade. It will be a lot slower but considerably less likely to break tiles.

Note that if you have to tear down the tiles, you will likely have to replace the wallboard/backer board before you put up new tiles.