How to make a rectangular cutout in ceramic tiles

Ceramic tiles are very durable. It is able to withstand a load of 3 tons per square centimeter, which is much more than this parameter for concrete and even reinforced concrete. Possessing a high level of rigidity, it does not bend or deform even with very high tensile forces.

Therefore, cutting this material is not an entirely simple task, and tools for processing ceramic tiles must be even more durable and hard, made from special grades of steel or diamond-coated.
But today there are many manual and electromechanical devices that allow you to work with ceramic tiles even at home, cutting them not only along straight lines, but also along curved ones, including cutting square, rectangular, round, oval and shaped holes.
Below we will consider not the most difficult option: how to make a rectangular cutout adjacent to one edge of a ceramic tile, using special tools.

How to rationally make a cut in a tile

We will assume that we have at our disposal a water-powered electric tile cutter with a bottom-mounted electric motor. The cooling container is located under the disk, and it is partially immersed in it during operation.
A manual tile cutter will greatly facilitate the upcoming work. With its help, you can make a cut in the glaze and use special paws to break the tile along the line of this cut. We will also need pliers.
Using a marker and ruler, draw the outline of the planned cutout. Next, using a water tile cutter and a disk for working with ceramic tiles, we cut two identical lines parallel to each other and the side edges according to the marks.

There is no need to worry that the disk will overheat or that the tile will burst due to thermal stress. The working body, capturing water from the container, cools itself and the cutting site, so the operating temperature does not go beyond the permissible value.
All we have to do is somehow remove the part of the tile between the two slots and the line that connects them. This can be done in various ways. But we will use a manual tile cutter, since we have it in stock.



Using its cutting roller, we draw a line-cut along the glaze from one to the other slots made with a water tile cutter.


It would be possible to use the claws of the same tool to break off the “tongue” contoured with two slots and one cut. But we will do things a little differently.
Let's use the pliers that we have on hand. We grab the filling of the cutout with their sponges and lightly press on the handles.

A characteristic sound is heard, and an extra piece of tile remains in the jaws of the pliers, breaking off exactly along the cut line.

Tips and instrumental variations

• To improve the quality and ease the work associated with cutting ceramic tiles, they should be soaked in water for about 60 minutes before starting work.
  
• To cut the above and similar materials (ceramic granite, metlakh tiles, clinker, etc.), you can use other tools: a regular glass cutter, a grinder, wire cutters, as well as a homemade tool made from a drill and even a nail.
  
• When cutting tiles, especially porcelain tiles, using a water tile cutter and, especially, an angle grinder, you must use safety glasses, ear plugs and a respirator.

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