How to: Properly Cut Glass Mosaic Tile
Properly Cutting Your Glass Tile
Congratulations!
You've purchased a new tile for your project. Maybe you're renovating your kitchen with a new backsplash. Perhaps you're upgrading your bathroom and shower. Or getting rid of all that carpet and redoing your living room. The only thing left to do is the installation, but it's not so simple as laying the tile down, you've got to cut it to fit in some places!
Glass, porcelain, and stone tiles provide gorgeous options for kitchen and bathroom tiling projects. However, cutting these hard materials can present a unique challenge. Although for the most part, cuts are easy to make with a diamond wet saw, cutting some curves or holes requires special techniques. For now, we’ll focus specifically on accurately cutting glass tile.
Diamond Blade & Wet Saw
As we mentioned before, most simple cuts can be made with a diamond blade and wet saw. But to make sure we have the best finish possible, there are some other precautions to keep in mind.
- Make sure to use a high-quality blade, specially made for cutting glass tile. These are made with a uniform and very fine diamond grain.
- Make sure your saw and cutting surface area is clean. The smallest piece of glass or leftover debris can prevent the saw from operating correctly and result in less than ideal results as well as damage your tile.
- With any good blade, make sure to keep it sharp. Unless brand new, not all blades maintain a "ready-to-cut" diamond edge and must be "revived" or "cleared" by using a fine-grained abrasive stone.
- Use plenty of water while cutting! If your water cutter has an adjustable flow, make sure your tile is getting plenty of it when it is on an operation. Superheated glass can crack or even chip while being cut, so make sure it's getting enough to stay cool along with the blade.
Manual Tile Cutter
Glass tiles can also be cut using a manual tile cutter, those are recommended for more straightforward, non-compound cuts. A manual cutter can be cheaper than a wet saw, but they are not recommended for large tile installs. The added benefit of using a manual tile cutter is that your edges remain bright and clear for a much more refined and clean finish. Diamond blades can be more “abrasive” resulting in opaque finishes.
Making the most of your Investment
No matter the room where you've installed the tiles, nor what materials or the finish or texture you've selected, it's essential to maintain it as lovely as the day you've installed it. By spending a few extra minutes, you can protect against contaminants, stains, spills and the effects of time. To learn more about the best care and maintenance of your tile, always check the manufacturer's recommendations and if you have any additional questions, contact us.
At Mosaic Tile Outlet, we help you get and keep the look you want for your home with an impressive selection of products, and the always friendly customer care.