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Investing in a quality tile saw is the right thing to do
if you are planning a ceramic tile installation project. Tile saws vary in price
from less than $100 to several hundred dollars. Tile saw prices vary with the
number of features included and the quality.
Once you have completed your first ceramic tile installation project, you will
inevitably want to do many more. Ceramic tile provides a beauty and richness to
kitchen and bathroom floors, walls and tub/shower areas that is unbeatable.
Consequently it is worth investing in a tile saw for even your first ceramic
tile project.
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For my first
ceramic tile project, which was tiling around a bathtub, I went the cheap route
and used a tile cutter and tile nippers. Though the finished tile looked
fabulous I spent an inordinate amount of time cutting tiles. In addition, I
spent a small fortune on broken tiles due to not using the tile cutter properly.
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Inexpensive Tile Saws
For my next
ceramic tile project, I broke down and bought an inexpensive tile saw. The tile
saw had a ¾ horse power motor with a 7 inch diamond saw blade. The blade and
motor sat below a cutting table surface. A water reservoir tray also sat
underneath the table surface as well, and as the blade turned it ran through the
water, which cooled and cleaned the tile saw blade.
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The tile saw also included a fence for making straight
cuts. The tile saw only cost me $75 but did one heck of a job cutting tile, at
least for a few tile projects. Not only did I not need the tile cutter, I hardly
ever needed to use even the tile nippers.
The problem however with these inexpensive tile saws, is that they don’t last
long and the motors can burn out easily if not used carefully. You can also trip
the circuit breaker fairly regularly with them.
The reason for this is that small bits of ceramic tile fall
down into the well where the blade sits and wind up jamming up the saw at
inopportune times. This jamming action can wear out the blade and the motor
fairly quickly, so it is important to try to remove any ceramic tile chips from
the blade well quite regularly.
In addition, the water in the reservoir gets dirty fairly quickly and thus does
not do a very good job of keeping the tile saw blade clean and sharp. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
More Expensive Tile Saws
More expensive
tile saws that will set you back a couple of hundred dollars or more have a tile
saw motor and blade that sit above the cutting surface and a large tray for
holding water. In addition they have a large table surface that slides forward
and underneath the tile saw blade. They also include fences for making straight
and angled tile cuts.
These types of tile saws typically have a
more powerful motor, e.g. around 1-3/4hp or more and thus make short work of
cutting ceramic tile. In addition, since the motor and blade sit above the
tile and table surface they are not prone to jamming. This helps to extend
the life of the tile saw blade and motor.
Make sure when investing in one of these more expensive tile saws to include
a water pump. The water pump sits inside the water tray and pumps water up
onto the tile saw blade. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
Some less expensive upper end tile saws rely on water to be provided by a water
hose. With these models, in addition to turning on the saw you need to also turn
on a little valve to allow the water to flow over the blade. Bringing a garden
hose on the tile project may not always be feasible or very convenient, so it is
wise to either make sure you buy a tile saw that includes a water pump or offers
an optional water pump that you can place it in the water tray.
So before you start your ceramic tile installation project, visit your local
home improvement center and check out tile saws. A tile saw is well worth the
investment as you will save a significant amount of time and achieve more
professional results. In addition you will save money on less tile breakage.
See
My Shower Pan Installation Ebook to Learn How to Install a Mortar Shower Pan: For a detailed set of
instructions on building a shower pan, including pictures and a detailed
cross-sectional view of the make-up of a shower pan, see my “Shower Pan Membrane
Liner Ebook”.
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