Drilling and Cutting Ceramic Tiles
THE TILE SOURCE guide to drilling and cutting ceramic tiles

Always use the correct tools to cut and drill ceramic or stone tiles. Do not forget to wear eye protection while cutting ceramic or stone tiles.

Cutting
Tiles cuts can be straight, angled, rectangular or curved. As tiles have become larger and harder the traditional scribe and break method of cutting will only work for non-porcelain wall tiles smaller than 200mm.
Rubi TS Tile Cutter
Straight or diagonal cuts are best made using a score and separate machine like the Rubi TS cutter. Check first that the cutter’s base is large enough for your tile (diagonal cuts need a cutter that is 50% longer than the tile). The basic process is to measure the cut, line the tile face up under the scribing wheel, scribe the tile firmly across (avoid scribing so firmly that the face of the tile chips) and then use the cutter’s mechanical separator to break the tile. Large numbers of straight or angled cuts can be made quickly using this type of cutter. Rectangular cuts are
Rubi D125 Tile Cutter
best done with an electric diamond bladed tile saw like the Rubi D125. This type of cutter is fairly slow for straight cuts but will cut angles and straight cuts in tiles too hard to cut with a score and separate machine.		 Electric tile cutters use water to cool the blade and it is therefore wise to use a circuit breaker if using a 240 volt supply. Mark the tile with a pencil and feed the tile onto the blade adjusting the pressure applied to maintain blade speed. Too much pressure and the blade may stall. When cutting porcelain the diamond blade may become dull and fail to cut, if this happens the blade can be sharpened by cutting a house brick. Curves are best cut with tungsten tipped tile nippers. The technique is to grip the tile with the nippers and pull down to break off small bits at a time. The nippers are also used in the same way to reduce the tile size where the cut is too small for other cutters.

Drilling
Drilling non-porcelain tiles is straightforward. Standard wall tiles and traditional floor tiles can be drilled with a good quality masonry drill bit. Cover the tile surface with some masking tape to prevent the
alt
drill bit skidding and damaging the tile. Mark the holes position and drill the hole. Porcelain and glass tiles can only be drilled using a diamond tipped bit. Water cooling of the drill bit is required otherwise an expensive drill bit can burn out quickly. Also see Tiling tools.
If you are still unsure how to cut your tiles, ring us now!