How to Cut Ceramic Tile with a Snap Cutter

Homeowners wishing to do their own tile work are presented with two major tools to cut the tiles: the wet tile saw and the snap tile cutter.

A wet tile saw produces accurate cuts suitable for visible work. Every tile professional uses a wet tile saw. But something called a snap cutter or rail cutter also works well for small projects. It is available for under $20. Its cuts tend to be most suitable for hidden work, such as edge-work that will be covered with baseboards.

Compare Prices - Snap Tile Cutters

A snap cutter works like a glass cutter. A glass cutter has a carbide wheel, which is forcefully and slowly drawn across the glass to create a score. A snap cutter works in much the same way, except the tile is inserted in the machine, and the wheel is drawn across it.

Snap Tile Cutters--In a Nutshell

• Want? Extremely cheap. Most rail cutters sell for around $15. How can you go wrong at that price?
• Not Want? Highly irregular cuts. With lots of practice, you can produce relatively straight cuts. But even that's more an article of faith than anything. Truly straight lines are produced by wet tile saws.

Snap tile cutters and wet tile saws are not mutually exclusive. You'll find a need for both for types of tile cutters. Even though wet tile saws always

Cutting Tile with a Snap Cutter

• How to Use a Snap Cutter: Cutting tile with a snap cutter is a three-part process. First, draw the cutting wheel firmly across the surface of the tile, deeply scoring the surface of the tile. Second, reposition the tile so then the "snapping nubs" of the tile cutter rest on top of the tile. Third, press down on the cutter so that it snaps the tile.
• Practice on Cheap Tile: Practice on a few sheets of the cheapest possible tile that is relatively the same shape and thickness as the tile you intend to use for your project. These are practice tiles so you can hone your mastery of the snap cutter.
• The First Score Matters: Score the top surface of the tile with a very forceful motion. But if you press too hard, you will break the tile. At most, you can score the tile a second time. But three or more scores usually result in a very ragged score that will not result in a clean break.
• Edge Pieces: Accept the fact that snaps will not result in perfectly straight lines. In most cases, this does not matter because the uneven side will be placed against the wall side and covered with a baseboard.
• Straight, 90 Degree Cuts: The snap cutter will only cut straight lines across tile. It will not cut a curves or bevels.