Flooring Tile - cutting small tiles

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dsw
12-20-05, 09:43 PM
how do i cut little 1-2" tiles (the kind that come on 12x12 sheets)? i need to fill in a couple of edge gaps that are too big for just grout, but not big enough for a full tile. but cutting these small tiles with a wet saw seems a bit dangerous.

the tiles are slate.

any suggestions?

twelvepole
12-21-05, 09:32 AM
Tile nippers can be used to nip off small bites. If rough edges will be exposed, smooth with 60 grit sandpaper.
Tilebri
12-21-05, 12:38 PM
Unless your wet saw has a segmented blade (small slits along the outer edge of the blade) or you run it dry, you stand a better chance of getting a paper cut from the paper on mesh mounted mosaics. When I need a small sliver or corner, I set the small tile over top a larger one so that the tile piece won't slip into the channel of the saw tray as I run it through.

Tileman
12-21-05, 12:38 PM
Nippers won't work too well on stone, either hold the tile tight and use a wet saw or place tape on the claws on a set of plyers and use that to hold the piece of stone while cutting, the blade on a wet saw won't hurt you, just don't get your fingers caught between it and the table, ouch. :)
dsw
12-21-05, 01:33 PM
Thanks. I haven't cut tiles in so long, that I forgot how dull a wet saw "blade" really is. That said, if I do use a wet saw, I guess I will need to do each tile individually. Is this correct?
Tileman
12-21-05, 04:29 PM
Depends on what backing they have, you can cut a strip of them on the saw, but if it has that brown paper backing, they usually just fall apart.:)