How to Cut Porcelain Tile

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for years.
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Updated on 08/20/24
Reviewed by
Kelly Bacon
Kelly Bacon Kelly Bacon
Reviewed by Kelly Bacon
Kelly Bacon is a licensed general contractor with over 40 years of experience in construction, home building and remodeling, and commercial building. He is a member of The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.
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How to cut porcelain tile How to cut porcelain tile

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

In This Article
Project Overview
  • Total Time: 5 - 10 mins
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $75 to $200
  • Yield: Cut one porcelain tile

Porcelain tile is a durable, adaptable covering for floors, walls, countertops, and backsplashes, and its performance in high-moisture applications is unparalleled. Porcelain tile is cut the same way that ceramic tile and stone tile are cut: with a manual tile cutter or with a wet tile saw. Making accurate cuts in porcelain tile is easy and fast, as long as you have the right tile-cutting tools to use during tile installation.

Tools to Cut Porcelain Tile

The most basic but best tools to cut tile across the face are a manual tile cutter or a wet tile saw.

  • Manual tile cutter: A manual or snap tile cutter scores and snaps the porcelain tile into two full pieces. This simple, inexpensive tool sets up quickly and creates almost no mess. Every so often, the tile will crack.
  • Wet tile saw: A wet tile saw's diamond blade cuts the porcelain tile, while a stream of water cools the tile and holds down dust. More expensive than a manual cutter, a wet tile saw cuts straight lines well, and cracking is rare. It's a time-consuming setup and the cutting process is noisy.
  • Tile nipper: To cut tile by hand for short curves, you'll need to use a tile nipper. Drill into the tile with an electric drill and a diamond-tip drill bit or a hole saw.

Warning

When cutting porcelain tile, watch out for sharp tile edges. If using a wet tile saw, carefully read the instructions and plug the machine into a GFCI outlet only. Keep your fingers and loose clothing away from the blade and always wear safety glasses.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Manual tile cutter (option)
  • Wet tile saw (option)
  • Pencil or an erasable marker
  • Straightedge
  • Safety glasses
  • Hearing protection

Materials

  • Porcelain tile

Instructions

How to Cut Porcelain Tile With a Manual Tile Cutter

Use a manual tile cutter to cut smooth-faced (not textured) porcelain tiles up to 1/2-inch thick. Cuts may not always be perfectly clean, so this works for applications where the cut edge will be hidden, like below a baseboard.

  1. Mark the Tile

    Mark a line on the top (finished) side of the porcelain tile where you intend to cut the tile. Use a pencil or an erasable marker.

    Marking the porcelain tile before cutting Marking the porcelain tile before cutting

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  2. Lay the Tile on the Tray

    • Wipe off the tray first. Tile debris or other hard items may cause the tile to crack in the wrong place.
    • Lay the porcelain tile on the manual tile cutter's tray below the rails and the separator. One edge of the tile should rest against the backrest bar.
    • Position the porcelain tile in the manual cutter so that the cutting wheel will run on top of the intended score line. Use the positioning marks at the front and rear of the tray and line them up with the line you have drawn on the tile.
    Laying the tile on the cutter tray Laying the tile on the cutter tray

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  3. Score the Tile

    • Move the scoring wheel back so that the score will begin at the edge of the tile.
    • Push the lever down to create light pressure on the scoring wheel.
    • Move the wheel forward in one continuous motion until it reaches the backrest bar. At the end, the wheel will ride off of the tile and rest in a cradle.
    • With the tile still in the same position on the cutter, lift the lever. The separator bar will drop. Rest the separator bar on the porcelain tile.
    • Push firmly on the lever. The tile will snap on the score line.

    Tip

    Score once as multiple scores may create a ragged cut. The separator bar snaps the tile at the end of the score line. Do not move the bar to any other position on the tile.

    Lightly scoring the tile Lightly scoring the tile

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

How to Cut Porcelain Tile With a Wet Tile Saw

Use a wet tile saw to cut any type of porcelain tile, especially when the cut edge needs to be perfect or for partial cuts (like cutting an angle out of a tile).

  1. Prepare the Saw

    Plug the wet tile saw into a GFCI outlet. Fill the water reservoir with clean water so that the top of the water covers the pump's intake. Create a drip loop in the electrical cord by dropping one section of the cord lower than the saw and the outlet.

    Preparing the wet tile saw Preparing the wet tile saw

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  2. Mark the Tile

    With a pencil or erasable marker, draw a cut line on the finished face of the porcelain tile. Use a straightedge.

    Marking where to cut the tile Marking where to cut the tile

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  3. Activate the Pump

    Turn on the pump and let it run for a while to make sure that water is cycling properly and that the stream of water is directed to the cutting area.

    Activating the tile saw pump Activating the tile saw pump

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  4. Position the Tile

    Rest the porcelain tile on the cutting tray. Since the tray will move forward, make sure that the blade will track along the marked line. With your hands safely away from the blade, turn on the saw.

    Positioning the tile on the saw Positioning the tile on the saw

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  5. Cut the Porcelain Tile

    Push the cutting tray toward the blade. Go slowly and hold the porcelain tile firmly on the tray. Move at a consistent speed.

    Cutting the tile with a wet tile saw Cutting the tile with a wet tile saw

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

How to Cut Porcelain Tile With a Tile Nipper

A tile nipper is used when you have to make cuts in tile for a circular or curved area that tile saws cannot make.

  1. Mark and score your tile. Using a wax pencil, make a mark and score it with a glass cutter.
  2. Take your time while nipping. Be patient and go slow while nipping the tile or it might break beyond your mark.
  3. Smooth the edges. Once you have finished nipping the tile, it's time to rub the edges until they are smooth. For this, you can use a rubbing brick (which is a type of stone) used by tile cutters.

When to Call a Professional

Porcelain may be harder than other ceramics but as a do-it-yourselfer, it is simple to learn the basics on how to cut porcelain tile for longitudinal cuts across the entire face of the tile. Diagonal tile cuts, curves, and holes are more complex and may require the assistance of a tile professional.

FAQ
  • Which tile-cutting tool is best for porcelain tiles?

    A wet tile saw with a diamond blade is the best tool to use when cutting porcelain tiles. To make a curved cut, a tile nipper must be used.

  • Is it better to cut porcelain tiles when they're wet or dry?

    It is better to cut porcelain tiles when they are wet to avoid a dusty mess. Cutting tile when it is wet is also safer and makes the process go faster than if it were dry.

  • How do I prevent chips when cutting porcelain tiles?

    To prevent tips and cracks in porcelain tile, it helps to notch the tile first. In doing this, the tile will have less pressure when the initial cut is made.