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Cutting tiles to fit

  • To mark each filler tile, place it face down partly overlapping the tile next to the space, and butting up against the adjacent wall or ceiling. On the edge of the tile, mark where it needs to be cut (taking account of spacing), using a sharp Chinagraph pencil or child's crayon. Turn the tile over and draw a line between the two edge marks with a ruler.
  • Do not use felt-tip pens for marking out. The ink may run into the unglazed portion of the tile, and may also bleed into the grout and discolour it.
  • Using a steel rule as a guide, score along the marked line with a tungsten tipped cutter. Make one good strong stroke to penetrate through the glazed surface of the tile.
  • Place tiles glazed side up over either matchsticks or a thin wooden kebab-type skewer, placed directly under the scored line. Apply even pressure with the hands either side to snap the tile along the scored line. Alternatively, use a tile-snapping tool with the jaws directly aligned with the score mark.
  • Alternatively, use a platform cutting table with a scoring wheel to score and snap the tiles.
  • Where you need to remove thin strips of tile, and even pressure cannot be successfully applied to snap it, nibble away at the excess tile with a pair of tile nibblers.
  • You may have to break the tile away in several smaller pieces along the score line, and the cut edge may require smoothing with a tile file.
  • To fit tiles around shaped areas such as a washbasin or around a pipe, use a profile template gauge to copy the shape and transfer it to the surface of the tile.
  • Alternatively, use card cut-outs to trace the shape onto the tile. Grip the tile firmly but without excessive pressure in a wooden vice or in the jaws of a 'Workmate', then cut to shape with a tile saw. This has a blade like a thin round file, which is held in a frame similar to a junior hacksaw.
  • When working in confined spaces, it is often easier to apply adhesive to the rear of the tile than to the wall - especially when fitting filler tiles.