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.

A Glass mosaic tile is difficult to cut, as you can see through it. The coating on its back brings the tile’s color. This coating gets uneven cuts while using a tile saw (wet saw).

Here are a few methods, techniques, and tips that help you know how to cut glass mosaic tile:

Score & Snap Method:

In this method, you need to use a sharp cutting tool, place the tile on a worktable, mark the cutting line with a ruler, and glide the cutting tool along the ruler not too tight, not too loose. Then, place the tile on a soft surface keeping the cut at the top of it, and snap from both sides. You can attain a perfect and neat cutting of the tile with ease. This method is ideal for small-sized glass mosaic tiles.

Diamond Blade:

Choosing the best-quality diamond blade, specially designed for cutting swimming pool glass tile or other types of glass mosaic tiles, is crucial. The uniform and minute diamond grains on these blades make the cuts smoother.

Using a diamond blade is ideal to avoid uneven or irregular edges. This method ensures the cuts on your glass tile for a backsplash last longer without any damage to the finish. 

A Glass mosaic tile is difficult to cut, as you can see through it. The coating on its back brings the tile’s color. This coating gets uneven cuts while using a tile saw (wet saw).

Here are a few methods, techniques, and tips that help you know how to cut glass mosaic tile:

Manual Tile Cutter:

This method requires a specialized cutting tool that consists of a guiding roller, a worktable to place the tile, and a cutter with a lever handle. The equipment helps to execute the score and snap method with ease.

All you need to do is:

1. Place the tile on the table keeping the required cutting line along the guiding ruler. 
2. Then, you need to pass the cutter through the cutting line applying slight pressure. This technique scores the tile along the desired cutting line.
3. Finally, you can press the breaker against the cut tile to snap/split the tile along the cutting line.

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. 

Wet Saw:

A wet saw is a popular tool for the precise cutting of glass wall tile for larger areas. Wet saw ensures accuracy in your long-running cuts on glass mosaic tiles.

Simple steps to follow:

1. Measure and mark the cuts using a washable marker
2. Switch on the wet saw
3. Feed the tile aligning it to the cutting guide on the wet saw. Make sure you exert a slow and steady pressure on the tile, moving it away from you.

Tips:

• Clean your blade and the surface of the tile before taking a cut. Cleaning helps you avoid irregularities in finish and ensures proper cutting operation.
• Get your blade sharpened using a fine-graded abrasive at regular intervals to ensure smooth cutting.
• Cut the beginning and end of a tile before cutting the middle. This method helps you avoid chipping edges and other irregularities.
• Cut your glass tile for the fireplace and other types of glass mosaic tiles upside down. The coating on the backside of a tile receives the abrasive penetration of the blade first. You can repair any slight chips on the transparent upper surface of the tile.
• As you finish taking a cut on the tile, switch off the saw first and then pull the tile back. This practice ensures minimal damage to the coating on the backside of the tile.

Nipper:

You can use nippers to cut smaller glass mosaic tiles. Hold the tile in the nipper blades. Make sure you keep the blade tips on the diagonal, aligning the tile with the cutting edges. Now, press firmly to cut the tile.

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.