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How Using a Wet Saw Cut Tiles?

Choose a wet saw if you need to cut larger or thicker pieces of tile. Large tiles can be difficult to score deep enough to be snapped or nipped, but a wet saw can effectively cut through the thickest glass tile. Wet saws release a steady stream of water as the blade cuts to decrease friction and are more time-effective and have less of a chance of damaging glass tiles.


Wet saws allow you to cut squares out of larger pieces of tile quickly and evenly, but isn’t great for cutting curved or irregular shapes. You can rent wet saws from home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s for about $50 a day.


Use a glass tile blade on the wet saw to cut your tile. A glass diamond blade will create a smoother cut in the tile and ensure an even edge. Glass tile blades have a finer and softer blade, which means it will take longer to pass through the saw, but will result in a better edge on the glass tile pieces you cut.


Use a straightedge and washable marker to draw cutting guidelines. Washable markers are easy to clean up later, but will still draw clear lines for you to follow with your wet saw. Use a straight edge as a guide and form straight lines with your marker where you want to cut the glass tile. Make sure the lines are straight and even. You can always just wipe the marker away and form the lines again.


Put on rubber gloves for extra grip. Because the wet saw uses water to reduce friction and cool the blade, the glass tile could become slippery to hold with your hands. Use a pair of rubber gloves to increase your grip on the glass. Don’t use leather or fabric gloves because they’ll become soaked in water. Latex gloves work fine, too.

Bathroom Decorate Knowledge

 

Use small shims or other spacers to allow a small amount of space between the bottom of the tile and the lip of the shower pan. Small pieces of cardboard work great as makeshift shims. After the mortar is set, you can simply remove these shims and caulk between the lip of the pan and the bottom of the tile.

Continue laying the tile, making sure to use spacers in between tiles. Spacers will leave you identifiable grout lines between tiles. Small 1/16″ or 1/8″ spacers (or even bigger) can be placed at several places on the x- and y-axis of the tile to leave adequate space for an even grout line.

Repeat the procedure, setting each row of tile on top of the last row of tile. Continue until you reach the top of the shower stall. Measure up from top of the last row. Mark the line with a level as a guide for your next row. Spread thin-set onto your tiles with v-notched trowel and place the tile just below the marked line. Use spacers all around.

Make sure to measure every third or fourth row to ensure that you have an even grout line. Let the tile set for 48 hours. This will make sure that the mortar has adhered properly to both the tile backing and the cement board backer. Do not use tile nippers made from slate. You can use them on ceramic tiles, however. You can also use a wet saw to make basic cuts on most tiles.

Cut the tiles while they are still on the mesh. Using your sketched line as a guide, cut the tiles down to the right size. A wet saw should do the trick for most tiles. If the tiles are smaller than 1 or 2 inches (2.5 or 5.1 cm), a pair of tile nippers may work better. The tiles should fall away from their mesh backing as you cut them. If they don’t. cut them away with your box cutter.