Applications for Wet Tile Saws

Learning about home renovation might seem overwhelming at first. There are so many tools and special pieces of equipment. Some are necessary to do the job properly. Others may be the only way to finish a job successfully. Knowing what is a wet tile saw and how you can use it in your renovation projects is an important thing to keep in mind. Working with tiles is actually very easy and the right tools can make it even easier to finish a job.

Tiling is easy as long as you don't need to fit the tiles around irregular areas. If you are installing them in a bathroom for example, you may need to work around pipes, fixtures and electrical outlets. Then, in order to complete a beautiful and professional looking job, you will need to cut the tiles to fit. Different cutting tools exist for doing everything from snipping off edges to scoring straight lines so that tiles can be snapped off cleanly.

If you are trying to cut tiles, you will find it much easier if you use these special cutting tools. Tiles are durable but they are brittle. While they can handle a blow to the front surface, they do not deal as well with being snapped off or cut. They tend to shatter, and their brittleness makes it hard to cut them cleanly in some cases. One example is a tile nipper which is designed to snip small pieces such as corners off of a tile.

A tile nipper is great for small areas but if you need a curved cut or you want to cut a larger area you need a different tool. Scoring will also not work well for areas where a curve is needed or if you are dealing with cutting an area out of the tile because of the need for cuts which go in several different directions. A wet tile saw is often the only option that you have for making complex cuts in a ceramic tile.

There is nothing better than a wet tile saw to cut ceramic tiles. They use abrasive blades to grind away tiles so that they can be cut without shattering. When using a wet tile saw you put steady pressure on the tile to move it along the blade. It may take some time for the saw to grind its way through the tile, and this is one way that cutting tile is very different than cutting any other material.

You may have noticed if you are using a saw to cut wood or metal that heat will build up over time. Because you are using friction to cut tiles a lot of heat can build up. Wet tile saws use a stream of water that travels over the blade and cools it off while it is grinding through the tiles. You cannot use a regular saw to cut tiles since they will heat up too rapidly and stop working altogether. That is, if they do not shatter the tile in the process.

Finding a tile saw is not difficult. They are a fairly standard piece of home renovation equipment. If you are not going to be doing a lot of tiling you might want to think about renting one. You may also need to rent a larger saw if you will be cutting over sized tiles. Home improvement stores, hardware stores and tiling supply stores are all places you can find them. If the expense is too high to purchase one, you might want to think about renting one. Construction equipment rental services often have them to rent out to customers. You can rent one for a day, a weekend or an even longer period of time for less than it costs to rent one.

If you want to make sure that you can finish your tile job and make it look professional, you need a wet tile saw. They allow you to make custom cuts safely and efficiently. Not needing to pay for extra tiles to replace broken ones will actually save you money. A wet tile saw is a necessary tool for anyone wanting to finish a tiling job.