Which disc to cut tiles with a grinder. How to cut tiles with a grinder: without chips and dust. Chips and dust are inevitable

Often, not everyone has a special device for cutting ceramic tiles (tile cutter) at hand, but there is an alternative - an angle grinder (angle grinder, grinder) can easily cope with this task. A wide price range makes them accessible not only to professionals, but also to home craftsmen. In addition, such a tool has wide functionality.

You need to remember that the grinder is dangerous, so when working with it, do not forget about the safety rules. For home use, a tool with a cutting wheel diameter of 125 to 150 mm is used; professionals use wheels with a diameter of more than 280 mm. It is more convenient if the tool is equipped with a speed regulator.

To minimize the risk of injury, you must adhere to the following rules:

Basic cutting methods

There are three main ways to cut tiles with a grinder:

In order for the wall or floor covering to look neat and without chips after cutting to the required size, you need to approach the cutting and cutting process responsibly. To ensure the smoothest possible edge, be sure to follow these guidelines:

Cutting discs for tiles

To cut ceramic or granite tiles, stone discs or steel circles with a diamond-coated edge (Cutters) are used. As practice has shown, diamond wheels had the best performance when cutting the edges of porcelain stoneware or just ceramics. Further, about each of the disks in more detail.

Simple discs for stone

Such wheels are the cheapest of those intended for stone, their service life is short, and they are subject to frequent replacement. In addition, they are thicker than their diamond competitors; accordingly, the cutting line with these wheels is thicker, and there is also more dust formation during operation. In such circles, there is a high risk of chipping on the cutting edge, and it seems that the disk remains intact, but for safety reasons it must be replaced, because further destruction of the edge can cause injury to the worker.

Diamond coated discs

Dry cutters are capable of bearing high loads without overheating and destruction. The only condition is that direct contact with the cutting surface should not exceed 90 seconds, then the disc must be cooled at idle, after which you can start working again. When buying cutting tools, craftsmen often prefer solid diamond coating.

If during cutting you notice a luminous strip along the entire edge of the circle, then stop the process immediately, otherwise the tile will be overheated and damaged. But don’t be upset, the disk is still working, but has overheated. Just make a couple of cuts on any abrasive surface (rubble stone, granite, sandstone), and the wheel will be like new again. There are two types of dry cutters: segmented and solid.

Cutting tiles without chipping

To keep the number of chips to a minimum, try to adhere to the following rules when working with the tool:

If desired, you can cut a hole of any diameter and shape in the body of the tile, especially since in the modern construction world there are all kinds of attachments and devices for angle grinders. The only thing you should never forget is compliance with the necessary safety measures when working with an angle grinder!

Tiling work cannot be done without trimming. Trimming is needed to get around pipes, counters, put a small strip at the end of a row, and the like.

A professional tile cutter will speed up the cutting process, but there are times when only a grinder will help. Our article is devoted to the question of how to cut tiles with a grinder.

Choosing an angle grinder and attachments

Surprisingly, the grinder was originally conceived as a grinding machine. That is why in the store you will see such an incomprehensible name as angle grinder next to the grinder.

Angular cipher machine stands for angle cipher machine. In our case, an ordinary grinder with the ability to install 125 mm and a power of up to 1 kW is suitable for cutting tiles, this is quite enough.

You should not take a powerful two-handed angle grinder because the extra weight and dimensions of the tool will interfere with making an accurate cut. And indeed, a grinder can be used to grind metal and clean various types of surfaces. In addition, you can cut ceramics, wood or metal. To do this, you just need special attachments.

Abrasive cutting wheel

Cheaper than other types of wheels, but wears out quickly. It is difficult to make a neat cut in such a circle, because the seam is wide. Professionals rarely use an abrasive wheel to cut ceramic tiles, especially expensive ones.

Diamond coated steel circles

For cutting tiles and porcelain stoneware, steel circles are used, which are called “dry cutters”. This name was obtained due to the specifics of the work: the tiles are cut dry, and as a result a lot of dust and noise is obtained.

These circles are coated with diamond chips. Thanks to this coating, tiles are cut; if the coating is worn out, you will not be able to cut anything.
In turn, steel circles are divided into solid and segmented.

Overview of diamond blades for cutting tiles

Solid ones are distinguished by greater cutting speed and accuracy; the absence of detonation allows you to create the most even and beautiful cut. But such circles heat up quickly and need to be cooled by idling.

Segmented circles are distinguished by the fact that the disc has slots directed towards the center of the circle. They conventionally divide the circle into segments, hence the name. During operation, the circle detonates a little, but cools more slowly.

You can cut tiles without dust using special wet cutting wheels. It will be necessary to organize a water supply to the circle, but it will never heat up, and there will be no dust.

Learn more about discs suitable for cutting tiles and porcelain stoneware in this video

Safety precautions

In no case should safety precautions be neglected, because even experienced craftsmen get injured and injured due to careless work.

Use personal protective equipment: goggles, respirator, suitable clothing. Glasses will protect your eyes from accidental contact with a piece of ceramic that may break off during cutting.
But it is not necessary to wear gloves. You can feel the tool better with bare hands; there is a risk that the glove will get on the rotating element, which will lead to injury.
Work in a well-ventilated area; dust clogs your lungs.
A protective cover must be installed on the grinder.
The cutting is carried out “on your own”, and the tile adheres to it during cutting.
Do not operate at maximum speed: the tiles may crack.
The translational movements of the grinder and the rotation of the cutting disk should occur in the same direction.

Straight cutting with an angle grinder

Direct cutting is most often carried out with a tile cutter, but if you don’t have one or you only need to cut one tile, you can also use a grinder. Also, the tile cutter will not cut a strip less than 2 cm wide.

But the grinder can cope with any tasks assigned.

Marks are made on the front side of the ceramic. A pencil or pen will be hard to see, so use an alcohol marker. You need to cut only from the front side, but not from the back. Otherwise, the glaze will be damaged and the tile will lose its visual appeal.
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To make the cut line even, make marks on both sides of the tile, and then draw a line between them using a level.
Before starting work, make sure that the grinder is plugged in and that the circle is securely fastened. The circle is fixed manually or using a special key.
The tiles are laid on a flat base so that they do not crack during cutting. The easiest way is to place the tile on a wooden base and hold it with your hand or foot.

If you hold the tile with your hand or foot, avoid sudden movements. Be careful. It is better to wear special closed shoes.

Start at low speeds and then accelerate. Cut through the ceramics to a depth of at least 0.5 cm. It is better to cut through the tile completely, but if this is not possible, you need to place the tile in the cut area above the edge of the table, for example, and carefully break it off.
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You can put a screw under the tile at the cut point at the beginning of the tile and at the other end. After this, lightly press on the ceramic, it should crack at the cutting site.
If burrs are formed during the trimming process, you can bite them off with nippers or carefully polish them with a grinder.
Some people make the first cut to mark the line and go through the glaze layer. After this, they cut several more times until parts of the ceramic are separated.

After cutting, it is better to wear gloves, because the cut ceramic is very sharp and you can easily get hurt.

If you need to cut a hole in ceramic

Cutting tiles with a grinder will help in many cases. For example, if you need to cut holes.

For small diameter holes, special crowns are used. So you can cut holes in the tiles for pipes, a socket or a switch.

But large diameter holes need to be cut in a different way.

Mark the center of the circle on the tile. Then the outline of the circle is drawn: the principle of drawing circles with a compass.
Use a drill to carefully drill a hole. Work at low speed at first to prevent the tile from cracking. To drill tiles, a special attachment is used, which is popularly called a “feather”.
Make slits in different directions from the center to the outline of the circle. Don't try to cut right through the tile, just make notches to make the tile easier to bite.
Using nippers inside the circle, bite off small fragments.
Chips and burrs form inside the cut circle, which can be removed with coarse sandpaper or wire cutters.

Shaped cutting

If you need to cut a shaped fragment, for example, a semicircle for pipes, also use a grinder. Use short cuts along the outer contour of the desired shape to remove excess ceramics. A straight hole can be made using wire cutters or sandpaper, which is used to finish the hole.

How to cut paving slabs?

We will separately consider the issue of cutting paving slabs. Paving slabs are different from ceramics, so no tile cutter will help here. Only grinder with diamond-coated discs.

Cutting paving slabs with a two-handed grinder

You need to cut paving slabs if you plan to arrange paths or areas of non-standard shape. Here are a few nuances of the work:

It's worth considering not only safety glasses, but also ear protection. There will be a lot of noise when cutting, so you need to protect your ears.
An angle grinder with more power will be required because paving stones will require more effort and more power will be required.
The paving stones must be placed on a flat base and supported with your foot. It’s better to fix it, because holding it with your hands definitely won’t work. A grinder for cutting paving stones will weigh enough, so you need to hold it with both hands.
Make sure that dust does not fall on the already completed cladding, as it will ruin the color and appearance of the paving stones.

Bottom line
The grinder is perfect for cutting tiles at home. By following simple rules, you can easily cut the desired strip or perform figure cutting. You could learn more about this from our article.

It is almost impossible to lay tiles without cut rows. As a rule, they are located at the edges. Very often the need to cut tiles appears at doorways, in places where pipes are located, and so on - where careful installation is required. And for these purposes you should use a special tool. The correct choice of device will allow you to obtain high-quality pieces, and therefore, make styling at a high level.

Tools

You can cut tiles in different ways. For this, special tools are used. For example:

tile cutters;
wire cutters;
glass cutters;
drills with appropriate attachments;
Bulgarians.

Each option has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages.

For example, a tile cutter is a very popular device used for these purposes. It can be made in three variations:

electric;
manual;
tile cutter-tongs.

The first option is more suitable for mass work conditions. This means that the volumes must be large. This device can handle even the most durable materials from which tiles can be made.

During the process of cutting the material, water is supplied, which makes it possible to obtain smoother edges, without heating the material and without creating dust. The only drawback of such a device is the high price. Besides, one-time jobs are not for him. It is better to rent an electric tile cutter.

As a result, a fairly popular model is the manual model. But in this case, everything will have to be done by hand. An alternative option is a tile cutter. The tool is designed for thin metals. There is one more drawback - subsequent processing of the ends is required - grinding. And this is not always good.

You can also cut tiles with a glass cutter, drill, or wire cutters. In the first case, there is a limitation in the thickness of the products. As a result, the tile may not cut through. A drill together with wire cutters allows you to get a good cut.

Preparation

If a grinder is used for cutting, it is recommended to check the tool for damage and performance before the procedure. You need to insert a disc to work on cement or metal. There is, of course, a difference between them, but it is insignificant.

It is necessary to inspect the tool itself, otherwise some flaws may result in poor quality work.

Don't forget about personal protective equipment. This means that you should also wear a hat on your head, protective gloves on your hands, clothes on your body, and glasses to protect your eyes. The last one is perhaps the most important. After all, dust and small fragments can get into your eyes when the angle grinder rotates very quickly. And this can be a dangerous injury. Therefore, you should think about your own safety first.

Instructions on how to cut

A grinder is the popular name for an angle grinder. Not everyone knows that people began to call this instrument this way back in the 70s. It was at this time that the first samples began to arrive in the Union. And they were called “Eltos-Bulgarka”.

In general, an angle grinder is a multifunctional tool. It is capable of processing materials thanks to its diamond wheel. The unit allows you to perform not only straight, but also figured cuts.

Of course, when compared with the results of a tile cutter, the grinder produces more scattered edges. In this case, no preparatory manipulations are needed to carry out the process.

The disadvantage is that you can’t do without dust and chips. The only thing is that they can be compensated by the protective casing of the tool itself, personal protective equipment, as well as the use of a special disk. For example, a disk designed for metal processing can provide good cut quality and virtually no chips. This is largely possible thanks to the reinforced relatively smooth surface.

It is convenient to cut tiles using wet cutting attachments. This will ensure no chipping, as well as a flat and smooth cutting surface. In this case, the nozzle must be new, and the cut itself must be made from the back side of the tile.

Are chips and dust inevitable?

You could say this. Indeed, everyone can perform certain manipulations to reduce such negative phenomena.

Additionally, you can watch video and photo materials about this. After all, a lot depends not only on the tool itself, its attachments, but also on the cutting technique. This aspect also affects the presence of chips and dust.

Be that as it may, it is important to devote enough time to this moment. And then the result will please you with the high quality of work.

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One of the tools used for cutting ceramic tiles is a grinder - an angle grinder (angle grinder), commonly called an angle grinder.

The price range of various grinder models makes it accessible not only to professionals, but also to home craftsmen, so when using an angle grinder you need to know not only the capabilities of this power tool, but also the rules for handling it in order to avoid injury.

At home, they use a small grinder, designed to work with discs with a diameter of 100-125 mm and perform many operations. The tool can be equipped with a rotation speed controller.

Safety rules when working with an angle grinder

To avoid injury when working with an angle grinder, you must follow the following rules:

When working, use personal protective equipment - gloves, overalls, safety shoes, goggles, respirator;
The grinder can only be operated with a steel protective casing installed on the tool;
the length of the grinder's electrical cable must be at least 2 m, which reduces the risk of damage to it by the rotating disk during operation;
cut in the direction “away from you”, holding the tool with both hands;
the direction of rotation of the disk must coincide with the direction of the translational movement of the angle grinder;
cut the material by immersing the grinder disk into the cutting line by no more than one third of the radius;
each material must be processed with an appropriate disk, that is, a metal cutting attachment cannot be used to cut ceramic tiles, and a stone cutting disk is not intended for grinding ceramics (grinding with a steel “dry cutter” is possible);
when working with an angle grinder, you should avoid both extremely low and extremely high speeds;
cutting material immersed in water with a grinder in order to reduce the amount of dust generated is prohibited due to the risk of electric shock;

Dust is explosive, so cutting or grinding material with a grinder should be done in a well-ventilated area.

Discs for cutting ceramics with a grinder

To cut ceramic tiles with a grinder, stone or diamond-coated steel discs (dry cutters) are used. Dry cutters, in turn, are divided into solid and segmented. The more intense the diamond coating on the dry cutter, the more effective and durable the disc will be.

Stone discs

Stone discs are several times cheaper than dry cutters, but they wear out during operation and must be replaced with new ones. In addition, they are thicker than dry cutters, so the thickness of the cutting line with a stone attachment is wider and, accordingly, more dust is generated during operation.

In the process of cutting with a stone nozzle, you need to monitor the condition of its cutting edge - if a chip or burr has formed on the edge, the disk must be immediately replaced, since such damage can lead to destruction of the nozzle and injury.

Dry cutters

You can use a dry cutter to cut ceramic tiles without water cooling, but the duration of one continuous cut should not exceed 1-1.5 minutes, after which the disk is allowed to cool while rotating idle. When purchasing a dry cutter, they prefer a tool with continuous diamond coating.

If, during cutting, a continuous luminous spark-strip appears on the cutting edge of the dry cutter - the phenomenon of “licking” the metal, then the temperature at the point of cutting the tile in such a situation rises sharply, which is fraught with damage to the material. In this case, with a rotating dry cutter, you can make several cuts on any abrasive surface (concrete, plaster), and the disk returns to working condition.

Dry cutters are divided into 2 types:

segmented;
solid.

Segmented dry cutters

This type of attachment for an angle grinder is a steel disk with evenly spaced slots directed from the cutting edge to the center and dividing the disk into equal segments. The segmented nozzle can be used to cut porcelain stoneware and natural stone tiles. The slots between the disk segments serve to increase the service life of the nozzle by improving the air cooling of the tool when cutting hard facing material, but increase the formation of chips.

Solid dry cutters

This type of dry cutter can not only cut ceramic tiles, but also process the edge of the cut with the working side surface. The absence of detonation of the tool during operation due to the solid shape of the disk increases the cutting speed, allows you to cut off the fragment evenly and reduces the number of chips.

Direct cutting of ceramics with a grinder

A cutting line is drawn on the front side of the ceramic tile using an alcohol marker. The grinder is turned on and given a couple of seconds to reach the specified speed.

The disc on the grinder must be secured correctly - using a special key and in accordance with the direction of rotation indicated on it.

The optimal rotation speed of a disk with a diameter of 100-125 mm when cutting ceramic tiles is 6-8 thousand revolutions per minute. The tile is placed on a flat wooden surface, secured with a clamp through a rubber sheet gasket, or you can simply press it to the board with the sole of your foot (shod in special shoes!).

An incision with a depth of 1-5 mm is made exactly along the intended line, depending on the material and thickness of the tile. They start cutting slowly from the edge of the material, then move the grinder faster - this way the cut is smoother. After making the cut, the tile can be broken by placing a pair of nails under it opposite the beginning and end of the cut.

Cutting large diameter holes with a grinder

Using an alcohol marker on the ceramic, mark the center of the circle and use a carbide drill to drill a through hole with a diameter of 3-4 mm exactly along the mark. Then the outline of a circle of a given diameter is applied on both sides of the tile. Using a grinder with a disk, cuts 1-2 mm deep are made along the contour of the future hole on both sides of the tile, and then through cuts are made inside the contour and small fragments of ceramic are removed from it with pliers. The inner surface of the cut around the perimeter of the hole can be processed with coarse sandpaper or a file until there are no chips.

Cutting rectangular holes in tiles with a grinder

Using a marker and a ruler, mark the outline of the cut on the front side of the tile and drill holes with a diameter of 5-7 mm using a carbide drill exactly at its corners, without going beyond the boundaries of the outline. Then, with a grinder, through cuts are made between the holes along the perimeter of the rectangular contour, the cut out fragment of ceramic is removed, and the corners and cut surface are refined with coarse sandpaper or a file.

Figured cutting of tiles with a grinder

If it is necessary to cut an oval-shaped figure from a ceramic tile, then short cuts are made with a grinder tangentially to the outer contour of the figure in order to cut off small fragments of ceramics to be removed. Upon completion of cutting, the surface of the cuts is refined with an abrasive tool until the lines are smooth and there are no chips.

When it is necessary to cut a shaped hole in a tile, the material is cut with a grinder exactly along the contour, gradually moving inward from it and increasing the depth of the cut. After cutting through the tile, the edges of the hole are finished with coarse sandpaper.

Results

Compliance with safety precautions and the use of the correct technologies when working with an angle grinder will make this tool not only in demand, but also indispensable for home craftsmen.

Every owner who has taken on the task of independently renovating their home has at least once been faced with the question of how to cut tiles with an angle grinder and, in general, is it possible to cut tiles with an angle grinder? The answer is obvious, yes and yes again! Any experienced craftsman will say with confidence that even with a tile cutter, not a single tiler can do without a grinder. This is due to the ability to cut any shape with an angle grinder, compactness and versatility.

Not an easy question for a beginner - how to properly cut tiles with a grinder safely and accurately? The following information will allow you to fully understand and make a beautiful, and most importantly safe, tile cut.

What tool should I use to cut tiles?

You should start cutting tiles by choosing an angle grinder and cutting disc:

It is advisable to use grinders from a quality manufacturer with a cutting wheel size of 230mm. This choice will allow you to avoid unnecessary vibrations that affect the quality of the cut;
To cut tiles you need to use special diamond wheels; a high-quality cutting disc is the key to success. When choosing a wheel, you should be guided by the price, because the higher the price, the greater the number of diamond inclusions, which allows you to avoid chipping and overheating of the disc.

Safety first!

Whether an experienced master or a novice, anyone should carefully approach the issue of safety:

Goggles or protective mask. It is strictly forbidden to start working with an angle grinder without protective glasses. The slightest fragment of ceramics can deprive you of your vision, and this is not a joke, but a deplorable statistic;
Gloves. Do not neglect hand protection; a splinter stuck in the skin of your hands is not the most pleasant sensation, so you should not take risks;
Respirator. When cutting tiles with a grinder, a lot of dust arises, which can easily enter the respiratory tract;
Convenience. You should not cut tiles with a grinder while hanging, in an awkward position or on an uneven surface. This will allow you to avoid pinching the cutting wheel and splitting the tiles;
It is important to carry out the above work in a ventilated area.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the tips and nuances of experienced installers. These recommendations will allow you to cut tiles neatly, beautifully and without damaging the material. So how should tiles be cut with a grinder?

First and foremost. First, you should practice on an unnecessary piece of tile. Understand how the grinder behaves when working with such material, try to cut the tiles, get used to it, don’t rush, in this matter it’s not speed that’s important, but quality;
When you are ready to cut ceramic tiles, it is advisable to soak them in a container of water for at least one to two hours. This will allow you to avoid high levels of dust in the room and cut without chipping the tiles;
In order to cut tiles with a grinder at an angle of 45 degrees, you need to make a regular cut at a right angle. Then you should take the grinder and run it along the tangent of the angle, which must be brought to 45 degrees. It is necessary to bring the tile to perfection with sandpaper;
How to cut a round hole in a tile with a grinder? Just. Mark the diameter of the hole with a pencil, divide the resulting circle in half twice. The result should be four equal segments and a circle divided crosswise. Then you need to make two cuts with a grinder along the lines. Taking the grinder and pointing it vertically downwards, we make shallow cuts along the entire circumference. Finally, all that remains is to break out the resulting four parts with pliers and process the edges with a file and sandpaper. Be careful, the ceramic shards are very sharp - watch your hands. It is worth noting that before performing such a painstaking operation, it is worth practicing on an unnecessary piece of tile. You may not be able to do this right away, but with practice you will succeed and you will understand that cutting tiles with a grinder is a simple and accessible process for everyone.

Know that any master of laying and cutting tiles began with practice. When working with an angle grinder and materials such as tiles, you simply need to follow safety precautions, never rush, and if in doubt, test your plan on an unnecessary piece.