Cutting tile with angle grinder

[R S]

I need to make about a foot long cut along the edge of installed tile floor.   My question is,  is that safe to do without cracking adjacent tiles?  From what I read it is.    Do I need to go out and buy a diamond blade for making this one cut or will standard grinding wheel work that came with it for making just this single cut? 

[lthenderson]

You will absolutely need a tile cutting wheel for the grinder. If you don't, the edge will be chipped, ragged and ugly. The good news are tile cutting wheels are cheap and easy to find.

[kendallf]

Get a diamond blade for the angle grinder.  A couple of things that will make the cut look better: tape over the cut line with masking or duct tape and then draw the cut line on top.  Get somebody to stand beside you with a spray bottle of water and spritz your blade and cut line as you make the cut. (Non OSHA approved..  make sure your grinder is plugged into a GFCI outlet if you do this.  :-)  )

One more thing: it'll make an incredible amount of dust, less so if you can keep it somewhat wet.  Cover up items nearby.

[BudgetSlasher]

Get a diamond blade for the angle grinder.  A couple of things that will make the cut look better: tape over the cut line with masking or duct tape and then draw the cut line on top.  Get somebody to stand beside you with a spray bottle of water and spritz your blade and cut line as you make the cut. (Non OSHA approved..  make sure your grinder is plugged into a GFCI outlet if you do this.  :-)  )

One more thing: it'll make an incredible amount of dust, less so if you can keep it somewhat wet.  Cover up items nearby.

Non OSHA indeed, I would include rubber boots/soles and gloves as equipment as well.

[Enough]

Water is only needed if you use a wet blade (usually just for wet tile saws).  When cutting tile with an angle grinder I use a dry or a wet/dry blade.  I would agree with taping with using painters tape and then drawing your cut line on the tape.  It's hard to describe the technique, but to avoid chipping, I like to score the top of the tile once over (not cutting all the way through), cut through the tile from the side you aren't keeping, and then grind away the excess until you have a smooth edge on the good piece.  It takes some practice but it is possible to cut with an angle grinder in a way that any chips that form from the through-cut are on the bottom side of the tile.

good luck!

[index]

I've done this before, but used a Dremel with a diamond wheel. It is much easier to control and the cut is a lot thinner so there is less dust.

[hoosier]

Diamond blade is a must.  Forget the water....have someone hold a shop-vac to suck up the dust.

[paddedhat]

I don't know if it would help on a smaller scale like this, but when I cut with a larger demolition saw, while sawing concrete with a diamond blade, I stand on a 2x4 and run the blade along the side of the board to keep a nice straight line. It might help to run the smaller blade along side of a nice straight piece of 1x4 to keep a nice straight cut going.

[Papa Mustache]

Do you have to worry about silicosis like when sandblasting without proper safety gear?