90 x 45cm Porcelains what tile cutter?

[RickyLee53]

Hello,

I'm about to tile my master bathroom so looking for some advice. I haven't done much tiling before but as with the rest of the house plan to "attack" it myself. The tiles have a slight texture and matt finish if this makes a difference.

I don't mind spending on the correct tools to do the job. I currently have a wet cut saw cannot remember the brand. However the top is around 700 x 700 and I'm worried about the size of these and the length of some of the cuts. Would I be better spending on a "clinker". If so, what brand.

With the size of the tile I'm worried about floor movement. This is what is already done.

22mm WBP ply screwed to joists every 300mm.
Primer
Flexy adhesive
10mm cement based board screwed at 300mm's.
Primer
Now the floor was more of less flat/level 3-5mm deviation on 6 foot level.
Cable UFH (mainly to dry floor when it gets wet) I also taped the whole of the joints with a waterproof tape.
Flexy SLC to cover cables. Floor is within 2-3mm level/flat across 6 foot level.

I have left this for approx 2-3 weeks. One small crack has appeared. (hairline) however this still concerns me a little especially given the size of these tiles.

Any thoughts or tips would be great.

I'm also putting some smaller tiles on the walls. 25kg per m2 and plan to go on waterproof plasterboard coated in BAL WP1. (boarderline I read)
Lastly The other wall is split face stone tiles (very heavy), don't know exact weight. Plan is to go onto ply (only 1m in height)

 

[charlie1]

I don't think your a diyer, your from another trade eh?

 

[Dan]

Sounds like you've researched well there.

Most cutters that cut large format will be of decent quality. A rubi I'd use personally.
Rubi TS-70 PLUS Manual Tile Cutter £219.99 in stock - next day UK delivery

 

[DHTiling]

Sigma tile cutters all day long , they blow other brands out the water for quality and performance and the re-sale value is great if you need to sell after said project.

 

[RickyLee53]

I don't think your a diyer, your from another trade eh?

I'm a car tuner by trade. Not sure if that counts haha. I always try to read and get a balanced view without being afraid to ask.

 

[RickyLee53]

Thanks for the link. That would work great for the cross cuts no doubt. But i'm going to have to cut a few tiles along the length and that won't be long enough. Will the wet cut saw be ok for this do you think? I've only got travetine on it in the past. I managed to cut those straight enough, but Porcelain I imagine will be a lot harder.

Do you have any concerns about the airline crack that has appeared in the SLC? Do you think this could indicate floor flex, or more likely something else?

Sounds like you've researched well there.

Most cutters that cut large format will be of decent quality. A rubi I'd use personally.
Rubi TS-70 PLUS Manual Tile Cutter £219.99 in stock - next day UK delivery

I'll take some pictures, as I also want some tips on laying out. In the past I've literally laid out a number of tiles in each direct to see what "works". But this is such an awkward shaped room I've no idea. (plus don't have the tiles yet).

 

[Ian]

A grinder with a good blade will be the cheapest option for cutting the lengths.

 

[RickyLee53]

I use a grinder most days and never thought of that. How will the blades cope without water? It will be easier moving a grinder than trying to cut the tiles on the saw.

Something like this looks upto it.

Super Gres XT Tile Cutting Blade 115 x 22mm | NoLinksToThis

A grinder with a good blade will be the cheapest option for cutting the lengths.

 

[steve187]

A grinder with a good blade will be the cheapest option for cutting the lengths.

or hire a suitable dry cutter

 

[Ian]

This is the blade I'd be using Montolit CG115 PRO-GRES 115mm Diamond Wheel / Blade (22.2mm bore) £34.99 in stock - next day UK delivery

 

[Rookery]

Sounds like you've researched well there.

Most cutters that cut large format will be of decent quality. A rubi I'd use personally.
Rubi TS-70 PLUS Manual Tile Cutter £219.99 in stock - next day UK delivery

A Rubi TS plus is indeed a good cutter but as these are porcelain tiles, I'd be going for a TX900N

 

[RickyLee53]

I have nearly completed this job now. Floor tiles only arrived a week or two ago.

I didn't end up buying a clinker type cutter. I just used the wet and grinder with blade in. (thanks for advise)

One thing I have struggled with is the fact that the tiles weren't perfectly flat. They were close, but sometimes out as much as 1mm from end to end. This meant (and stupidly I didn't check till I'd started) I have inevitable lips of 0.5mm in places. (I'm not sure what acceptable and what isn't, But perfectly flat is surely desirable) I only used 3mm spacers as well because I didn't want huge grout lines. Nobody seems to notice but me, and you can't feel it too much under foot. I rotated and hand picked the best tiles for heavy traffic area's.

Overall nobody other than me seems to notice. I've still got about 2 sq meters to do and various fiddle cuts around the edges.

Now my question is. What the hell do I put around the edges. The room is part tiled. Shower (obviously), behind the bath. And one feature wall. But this leaves about 6-7 linear meters of wall. I was thinking of the same tiles as the floor to form a 100mm or similar upstand. With a trim ontop. Skirting board just doesn't seem "right". Any other bright idea's.

If my posts still need to be approved could a Mod edit the title a little at the same time? Thought i'd keep everything in one place rather than 10 different threads.

 

[Qwerty]

I agree tiled skirting would be good. Any photos?

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

Yes mate make a tiled skirting ,you could even ,bullnose it. 0.05 lippage !! that sounds good for a newbie !! lol

 

[RickyLee53]

Yes mate make a tiled skirting ,you could even ,bullnose it. 0.05 lippage !! that sounds good for a newbie !! lol

I'm just guessing. Its probably a mm in places. Certainly no more though. I'll take some pictures shortly, It isn't grouted yet.

I've just done another couple of the awkward cuts and still have a couple left.

The only probably I have with the tiled skirting would be the tile trim. How do you join 2 straights without it looking ugly? The longest length I would need is 3.2 meters. But the longest I've seen is 2.5m.

 

[RickyLee53]

Here are the pictures. Let me know good or bad anything. Obviously the wall tiles are yet to have the trims installed and the trims need cutting down. It's staying just 3 tiles high behind the bath.



This is one of the worst steps. However the Camera plays a trick. Believe it or not the 3mm spacers is on the lowest tile. It looks to be higher on the picture.


I did this with a dry cutting disc in the 115mm grinder.

 

[RickyLee53]

Heres a couple more.

I made cardboard templates for the awkward cuts


The shower area, there are another 2 shower heads to fit, one the same as the one pictured plus another "normal" one. Both are remote control which need mounting.