When it comes time for you to tackle a tiling project, whether you’re talking about kitchen tiles or other wall tiles, and whether they’re ceramic or glass tiles, there is no doubt you will need a good tile cutter. It’s not uncommon for beginners to be concerned that since they don’t have a tile cutting saw, if they want good results they only have one of two choices; either purchase an expensive wet tile cutter (a diamond tile saw), or else rent one. Oftentimes neither of these options is very attractive because infrequent need makes the purchase of a fairly expensive tile saw less than practical, but on the other hand with a rental you often feel pressured to finish a project in a certain amount of time so that the equipment can be returned in a timely manner. The good news is that using even just a handheld tile cutter and give you the professional results you’re looking for. While there are certain circumstances where having an electric tile cutter would be better, more often than not the less expensive tile cutter will do the job for you. The reason for this is that while a ceramic tile cutter is fairly simple (thereby not needing a lot of expensive, moving parts), the physics and mechanics behind it mean that your results will be quite good.
You see by simply dragging the tile cutter wheel across the glazed finish surface of the ceramic tile will create a “plane of weakness”. Between that newly created plane of weakness and an evenly applied downward tension pressure, ceramic tile will snap cleanly along that line. Despite how strong and sturdy ceramic tile is in day-to-day use, it has only a fraction of that strength when it comes to tensile strength. And this is exactly what you are taking advantage of by your evenly distributed downward pressure combined with a predetermined line of weakness.
When considering their different tile cutter options, it is generally accepted that spending a little bit more money for a good handheld tile cutter is worth the money. You also want to make sure that whatever country you purchase, it has a rotating guide such that you can make angled cuts anywhere from 0 to 45°. A good quality tile cutter should last you a long time if properly maintained which simply means ensuring the tool remains well lubricated so that the wheel can rotate freely.
One situation where this type of tile cutter is not ideal is when you try to use it as a porcelain tile cutter. You see, porcelain is quite a bit thicker and harder than your typical ceramic tile. Because of this, the minor scoring that works so well to create a plain of weakness for other types of tile will not work as well on porcelain tiles. This doesn’t mean you cannot use it, it just means going to take a bit more work, effort and frustration as you’ll probably find yourself creating more waste material than with other tile materials.
Other tile varieties where you might be better off using a diamond wet saw include granite tiles, marble tiles, thicker slate tiles, or really anything that gets excessively thick. But for your normal every day wall tiles for your bathroom and kitchen tiles, including glass tiles, Your standard handhelds tile cutter should be more than adequate for your needs.