Cutting existing ceramic tile

[ksum]

Ever have one of those projects? "Let's paint the bathroom" became "Look, Honey! I stripped the wallpaper off the pathroom wall (don't sask, we didn't paper it) now you can rip out the fixtures and we can redo the whole thing!" Yes, it was a surprise project and "we" meant me. So it has come down to replacing the tile. Sounds simple enough, but... The tile is not only in the bathroom, but also the hall. And we don't want to replace the hall tile. It would be simple IF the tiles edges were at the right place. Of course they aren't. So how can I cut the existing floor tile to get a nice clean edge? I am not sure if it is ceramic or porcelain. I believe it is ceramic, but it broke into really sharp edges.

Karl

[poolhound]

I have been in the same place as you and I feel I will be again soon as our second bath is due for some renovation.

You have two main options as far as I can see, both a PITA.

1. The cleanest would be if you have some spare floor tiles. Remove the ones that are across the threshold and relay the spare ones cut to the right size.
2. you can use a tile cutting blade in an angle grinder or even a dremmel. The issue of course is getting a straight edge and how to get into the corners. If you place a sacrificial straight edge in place you can use this as a guide. the line wont be perfect but you can grind/fair/sand the edge with various dremmel attachments.

As I said its a PITA, if you have the spare tile number one is best.

[ksum]

Our plan is to "some day" put new tile in the hall area as well, so an absolute straight line is not as important as it could be. Plus I'll be hiding the line under the door.

Unfortunalty I cannot replace teh tile, as I have none to replace it with.

I'll look at teh dremel cutter.

[jlm]

You might get lucky when you start pulling up the tile - if you can get enough tiles to come up without breaking, then you could cut those and re-use them in the hall transition. Depends on how firmly stuck the tiles in the bathroom are.

[tfischer]

You might get lucky when you start pulling up the tile - if you can get enough tiles to come up without breaking, then you could cut those and re-use them in the hall transition. Depends on how firmly stuck the tiles in the bathroom are.

Another option (which may or may not be appropriate, depending on what's there already): Could you use a contrasting tile in the threshold, extending both into the bathroom and into the hallway, so it looks like it was meant to be that way?

-Tim

[crokett]

A masonry blade in an angle grinder will give you a straight edge, but not necessarily a sharp one. You might think about some sort of transition between the new tile in the bath and the existing in the hall. You could go with a wood one or other material that overlaps the tile and hides the edge.

[Gary Lange]

I would second JLM's idea. You most likely will come up with enough whole pieces that you can take out what needs to be redone and then cut and reinstall the pieces you saved.

[jAngiel]

I would go to http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php, they have a ton of experience in tiling there and are very helpful.

[ksum]

Well, I ended up using a rotozip tool with a blade attachment basically making it an angle grinder. I used the tile diamond blade for most of the cut, but that only got so close to the door jamb. For the rest of the cut, I used the floor tile rotory bit.

I used a board for a straight edge and ended up with something clean and straight.

The tile did not come up with any pieces whole enough to take out the ones I was adjoining, so that as not an option.

[just started]

I was going to suggest a Fein MultiMaster, but it looks like it's too late.

[ksum]

My initial thought was the Fein unit, but last week I had the opportunity to talk with a Fein rep at an open house for a local WWing supplier and he said they had no tile cutting blades. If they do, it would have been perfect.