Cutting tiles using hand-tools is tricky and difficult. For big jobs, time and effort are saved by using a water-cooled tile saw. For the bathroom renovation project Sarah, the homeowner, rented one of these useful power tools. The rental cost was about 40 dollars per day, and it was well worth it. Though it appears intimidating for a novice, this tool can be mastered fairly easily as long as a few basic principles and safety precautions are followed. While preparing to use this tile cuter, Sarah is cautious about several safety aspects. The water is used to both cool the blade and keep down the dust. She has filled a large bucket with clean water and carefully sets the pump on the bottom. It's connected to a hose that pours water directly on the blade and work surface. Sarah makes a couple of practice cuts, just to get the feel of it and gain some confidence. Safety Alert: Always wear protective goggles and gloves when using the tile saw. Steps: - Use the measuring marks on the platform to set up each cut (figure A).
- Making sure your hands are clear, slowly slide the platform with the tile through the blade (figure B).
- This saw is great for all straight or angle cuts but it's especially essential for any compound cuts. Sarah works on a piece that will go around the shower drain. It has three jogs in it -- cuts that would be almost impossible with hand tools.
- When Sarah started this project, power tools like this tile saw intimidated her -- and for good reason. Power tools, improperly used, are dangerous. But once she learned the proper safety precautions, became familiar with how the tool is operated, and made some practice cuts, her confidence increased dramatically.
- After making a cut, excess material left in the corners was removed with hand-nippers (figure C).
- With most of her cuts made it's time to see how the cut pieces fit (figure D).
- The next tricky piece will be around the toilet drain. Sarah has made two vertical cuts but needs to cut a piece out of the middle. She uses the scoring tool to make this cut, then sets it on some wood to snap off the cut piece (figure E).
- The cut tile is set in place around the toilet drain (figure F).
- The remaining tiles are set in place carefully, using the spacers to ensure uniform spacing (figure G and H).
Thin-Set Mortar Tips: - Don't let thin-set mortar sit more than about ten minutes before placing a tile. If that happens, the mortar will dry and have to be removed and replaced before setting a tile.
- Some tiling jobs may take two or three days to complete. When you get to a stopping point each day, scrape up any mortar that isn't covered by a tile. In this way, you'll be able to start clean the following day. If any thin-set mortar gets on the tile surface, wipe it off before it dries.
- Be sure that the grout lines in your tile layout are 1/4-inch deep.
- Allow 24 hours for the mortar to dry before walking on the installed tiles.
- The next step in the tiling process is grouting the seams. It's necessary to wait at least a day for the tiles to set up and the mortar to dry before beginning this process.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Book of Kitchen and Bathroom Renovation
Time Life Books
Website: www.timelife.com
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
