How to make circle cuts and hard cuts in tile yourself
Rented tile cutters and low-end tools make it nearly impossible to get clean circle cuts around fixtures without chipping edges. This forces DIYers to constantly finagle imperfect pieces into place, leaving them stuck on complex cuts.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using an angle grinder with a tile blade
- 2Hiring a contractor to finish the job
- 3Using suction cup tools or electric suction devices for better grip and handling
- 4Back buttering tiles
- 5Making multiple attempts before getting the cut right
- 6Ensure tiles are clean of thinset, replace the scoring wheel if the line is faint, and position the feet about 3 inches to one-third of the tile's length before pressing down smoothly.
- 7Using wainscoting to cover up cut errors
- 8Using caulking to cover up non-straight lines against the bathtub
- 9Leaving existing caulking and reapplying on top
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Lol that’s what she wanted to do then realize it was very difficult to get a nice circle cut with the crappy Home Depot tile cutter we rented”source ↗
“That was the most frustrating part about a difficult piece of tile. Finagling it into place just to have a corner or edge chip off.”source ↗
“My saw got away from me and I cutout this big ole chunk.”source ↗
“I added my layout and am trying to cut according to it but ending up with +/- 1/4”-3/8 offage.”source ↗
“when I try to apply pressure in the middle to actually snap the tile in half it doesn’t work”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Why are my floor tiles cracking and tenting?
- 10How to fix a poorly installed floor transition strip
- 2Microwave mounting bracket doesn't fit over tile backsplash
- 2How to fix an H-pattern in installed flooring without tearing it all up
- 5How to install flooring around intricate door trim and molding
- 21How to tile over an uneven subfloor without tearing it up