Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - How to cut 1" stainless steel tiles for backsplash?

The guy doing our backsplash is having difficulty cutting the 1" stainless steel tiles on a backing mesh because the steel is actually crimped around an underlying porcelain tile, so it pops off if you cut it.

Any ideas?

Plasma cutter. It is going to be a really difficult accomplishment. Pop it off, cut the tile, cut the ss and pop it back on.

Plasma cutter

So basically this tile can't be cut or installed? By a tile setter?

Use some sort of smaller tile(glass, porcelain, etc) as a border and just use the SS stuff in the center. Unless one of the tile experts comes on and gives you other options.

OK, fingers crossed on the other options because otherwise we will have to rip it out.

I agree that borders in another tile would be a nice option -- and if I redo I will probably do that -- but the way they installed it, it will look goofy putting in glass or something where they couldn't put in SS -- uneven borders.

They should have tried to cut it before installing, but they didn't and now we're kind of stuck unless we tear it down and start again.

Adjust the size of your backsplash to incorporate full tiles wrapped with metal.

The "missing" tiles are around the window molding and door trim so the backsplash is not adjustable. The rest of the backsplash is already installed. Really bad planning, I know.

A good plan, always anticipates these contingencies. Send us some pictures to help us visualize if you could. I thing that adjusting the type of cutting tool may help the situation. See if anyone has a "rotozip" with angle grinder attachment. They have various blade attachments for ceramic, diamond, metal and wood. This fine cutting may be more productive than trying to run a small 1" square through a big wet saw.

I think I'd try making a jig to use on the wet saw. Use a larger tile, cut out a rectangle from the back the size of 2 of the mosaics using an angle grinder. Make the cut in the middle of the tile. Set the tile on the tray so the long edge of the rectangular hole is perpendicular to the blade and use a clamp on the rail to keep the tray from sliding forward and a clamp on the tile to keep the large tile jig from silding forward. Plunge cut the blade into the tile jig at the mid point of the rectangle. Set the mosaic into the jig and slide the mosaic to one side or the other for where you want the cut to be. The plunged cut will show your exact cut line. Then plunge into the mosaic with a series of small, just touching and lifting the blade until it cuts through.

They are working with stainless steel clad tile, from what I gather. Did you gather that, as well? I think cutting the stainless without overheating it will be the toughest part.

Yeah, I did gather that. That's why I suggested to just touch the tile with each plunge. Very slow, but I'd expect it to work. Maybe they could find someone with a water jet?