Tools for Laying Ceramic Floor Tiles

Graph paper is an easy material to get hold of and to use. You can buy graph paper with various sizes of grids; 1/4 inch or 50mm being the most common. Measure the area you are tiling and sketch it so each square on the grid represents 10cm, this should allow you to fit your project on a single A4 sheet of paper. The only other accessories you will need at this planning stage are a ruler, pencil, and eraser. Graph paper will also come in handy if you are planning to add borders or carry out mixed tile designs; just let each grid represents a tile.

A combination square or a set square can be used for measuring short distances and precisely marking square corners. You can get by with one or the other, but chances are that you will use both of them if they are available. A set square also can double as a straightedge to aid in layout and tile installation.

A tape measure is indispensable for laying out and marking tiles for cutting. You also must have an accurate spirit level to check horizontal and vertical surfaces and to mark accurate layout lines.

An inexpensive plumb bob is necessary for finding your true verticals, and a chalk line allows you to quickly mark layout lines. Most chalk lines will perform double duty as plumb bobs. So that you'll be able to clearly see your mark, buy yellow chalk for dark tile and blue chalk for light-coloured tiles.

A layout stick when tiling large, flat surfaces, one of the handiest tools you can use, is one you can make yourself. A layout stick is just a homemade ruler that allows you to lay out an installation without having to measure and mark for each tile location. Line up a row of tiles on a flat surface, with spacers between. Set a straight piece of wood alongside the tiles. Start at one end of the stick and mark the width of the grout joint between each tile.

Tile Scorer for a couple of pounds you can buy a perfectly usable tile scorer, with a plastic handle and tungsten carbide tip, replace after each job.

Tile Nipper for irregular cuts. Score your cut line with a glass or tile cutter. Then nibble off small bits of tile until you remove what you need. It helps to score gridlines in the area you want removed. This will help you keep the nibbled pieces small.Be patient when using a tile nipper, if you take off pieces that are too big you could go beyond your cut line. Then you'll have to start over. Tile nippers will leave jagged edges on the tile so use them in less visible areas or where you'll be covering it with trim, like around plumbing fixtures.Pieces of tile tend to go flying when using a tile nipper so always wear eye protection.

Notched trowels are used to spread and "comb" adhesives onto the surface to be tiled. Both sides of the trowel are notched with either "V" or "square-shaped" notches. Trowels also come in different notch depths. Use one that's two-thirds the thickness of the tile you're laying. If you don't want to invest a lot in trowels, you can get less expensive plastic ones from your tile supplier, or may be free ones from your adhesive supplier.Another helpful tool for scooping out adhesives and grout and for spreading adhesives in narrow places is a builder’s margin trowel.

Grout floats are rubber or foam-faced trowels used to force grout into the joints between the tiles. Use sweeping motions diagonally and back and forth to work the grout into the joints. Once the joints are filled, use the straight edge on the side of the float to scrap the excess grout off the tiles. You need to hold the float almost at a 90 degree angle to do this. Again, diagonal motions work best for this. As with notched trowels, you can also buy disposable grout floats from your tile supplier.

Tile Saw If you're losing patience (and tiles) using a tile nipper for irregular cuts, try a tile saw with a carbide-grit blade. This will take a lot longer than with a tile nipper, but it'll give you a cleaner edge and a more accurate cut. Before cutting secure the tile, vices and clamps can be used, set the blade firmly but not too tightly in the frame and apply gentle continuous pressure, push too hard and the blade will bend, lots of sweeps back and forth are better than trying to force a cut.For larger cuts, like around toilets, fittings or supply pipes, use a carbide-tipped hole saw bit with your power drill.

Fixed Rail Manual Tile Cutter there are many of these on the market catering for the “one off” do-it-yourself enthusiast to the pro tiler. Rubi Ltd produce an extensive range of good value reliable models, these can be seen at the online store: http://www.tilestoreonline.co.uk / .

These manual cutters are more or less the same in operation;
1. Mark the point for your required cut line on the tile with a pencil. Place the tile under the two rails aligning your pencil mark with the cutting wheel. Set and lock the guide fence on the cutter and hold your tile against this.
2. Holding the tile in place with one hand grasp the pull down handle with the other. The cutting wheel will now be pressing down on the tile, keeping a steady but not too heavy pressure, push or pull the handle along the guide rails. Making just one good pass is best, but if in doubt a second pass can be made exactly down the same path/line.
3. Snap the tile you have just scored using gradual downward pressure of the handle. If the tile does not easily break along the scored line, you have not used enough pressure or your cutter is blunt.

Wet Tile Cutting Saw the great advantage of the wet saw is that it makes really smooth cuts. When using tile cutters and tile nippers you will get sharp, very sharp edges. These razor sharp edges will give you trouble later when you grout or clean the tiles concerned (and you thought paper cuts were sore). These sharp edges should be smoothed using a rubbing stone or carbide sandpaper to round off the edge.

Always use safety glasses and hearing protection when using a wet saw. Make sure the blade is in good condition and the water container is filled. Place the tile on the sliding table and lock the fence to hold the tile in place. With the machine turned on and the water running onto the blade, press down on the tile as you slide it gently through, taking great care to keep your fingers away from the blade. Replace the water when required and never the saw unless the water is running, even a few seconds dry cutting will heat the blade dangerously.

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