How To Cut Ceramic Tile Video

If you are installing ceramic tile, there is a good chance you will have to cut a hole or notch in the middle of one or more of the tiles. Here is one way to doing it.

Hold the tile in place and mark the area that has to be removed. You can mark the hole a little larger then needed if you have a large decorative plate that will cover the hole. Once the mark has been made on the tile, transfer it to the back side of the ceramic tile. Because the cut-out area has curved lines, a wet-diamond saw will not make the proper cuts.

The proper tool to make the cuts - a hack saw. But the blade is a rod saw blade. The rod saw blade is made from small pieces of carbide glued to a steel rod.

When cutting the tile, be sure the good side is facing down. Place a paper towel or soft rag under the tile to protect the finish. If the hole is in the middle of the piece of tile, you will have to take the hack saw blade off the frame and insert it through the opening, if it already exists, in the tile. Then remount the saw blade while it is through the tile. Check to be sure that the handle of the hack saw is towards the back side of the tile.

Then saw along your mark and cut the notch you have marked. Disassemble the hack saw and remove it from the ceramic tile. Check your cut by putting it in place. It should work just fine.

Tim Carter

Tim built custom homes and did ultra-custom remodeling for 20+ years before launching his Ask the Builder media presence. He was selected as one of the Big 50 by Remodeling magazine in 1993. This award gave birth to Ask the Builder in October 1993. Tim also operates https://DrawPlumbingPlans.com. His @askthebuilder YouTube channel was the first home improvement channel on YouTube.