Broke a tile cutter blade doing a bathroom floor last Tuesday

I was halfway through tiling my guest bathroom in Austin when the blade on my $60 manual tile cutter just snapped. I thought I could push through a thick porcelain plank without scoring it enough first. Had to stop everything, drive to Home Depot, and grab a new carbide wheel for $12. Now I always double score the cut line before snapping, anyone else mess up the simple stuff because you got in a hurry?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerp201mo ago

Porcelain's the worst for that... it'll trick you into thinking it's regular ceramic until you're halfway through and hear that crack. Good call on the double score though, I started lightly oiling my wheel after one too many replacements.

karenf401mo ago

Oiling the wheel is smart @skylerp20. I started doing that after warping a bowl I spent hours on. The oil keeps the clay from sticking too hard to the wheel. Porcelain is a pain because it's so thirsty. I double score every time now no exceptions. The extra minute of work saves you from having to start all over when it separates in the kiln.

ray6481mo ago

Nah, that's a classic move right there. @skylerp20 nailed it, porcelain will trick you every time. I learned the hard way with my own floor that cutting corners on the scoring just means more trips to the hardware store. Double scoring is the only way to go with that stuff, saves you a headache and a cracked piece. The oil trick is solid advice too, keeps everything running smooth.