Cutting Porcelain Mosaic Tiles
Cutting porcelain mosaic tiles or others as well requires different cutting tools depending on the type of tiles such as basic tile nippers and wheeled cutters. Mosaic glass cutters are also basically like tile nippers but they are used with wheel-shaped blades. Basic tile nippers or wheeled cutters work well on porcelain or ceramic tiles for small mosaic art projects but some are made from very hard materials designed to be unbreakable. In that case, porcelain nippers should be used for cutting this type of hard materials. For cutting large quantities of ceramic or porcelain tile, a powered tile saw or wet saw can be recommended to get better results. The back side of your tile is the one that has ridges on and these ridges help glue bond more securely to the tile. Cutting the material quickly is very important, otherwise slow cutting can cause the tile to be crushed. Firstly, place the tile between the teeth of the basic or porcelain nipper but not on the full surface of its teeth. You’d better hold the tile in front or back of the nipper angling the nipper with the same direction of the cut you want and squeeze quickly. Never get discouraged if you aren’t successful in cutting it as you planned first. If you don’t get a perfect edge as it is wanted, it is not a big deal. You can straighten the edge by ripping the rough area off slowly. You will soon get the knack of cutting porcelain mosaic tiles. All you need to do is a lot of practice. The more you cut, the more practice you will take.
Always bear in the mind that you should wear safety glasses with side shields when cutting tiles.
