Tile Cutters and Lung Protection

When taking on a tiling project you are going to need some speciatly tools.

You can rent tile cutters but there are some affordale ones out there and if you are going to be doing a lot of tiling you might as well look into owning one.

I bought the GMC red eye.  It is just plain amazing. So easy to use.  It's got a laser on it which is great for cutting wet tile since you cannot mark a line easily on it. 

We actually got it on a Lowe's clearance table for $39!  The original price is only about $80 so a good buy at either price.  There are tile saws out there of just about any price and you would think that this one being cheap that it would not be as good as some of the others at a few hundred bucks.  Now, I have not used the expensive ones so I can't compare but I can say that it has met and exceeded my needs.

So far I have tiled the kitchen floor, kitchen counters, fireplace hearth and now the entry and bath floors without having to change the blade.  I have a spare blade standing by and they are $70.  It's easy to clean, you just take it outside and hose it off.

Some things I have learned using it.  It's messy.  You fill the bottom with water and it shoots out the front of the blade.  Now there is a cover but you still get wet so I wear a large garbage bag when I cut tile and that keeps me dry and clean.  The other thing I learned is that if you put a tray (I used the lid from a storage tub) under the saw it catches the drips so the floor won't get wet.

When I have to cut odd shaped pieces I approach it like paper piecing in quilting.  I used the cardboard that came between the tiles to protect them and I cut a piece that fits and place it on top of the tile and cut around it.  It works really well.

The only con about this tile cutter is that the measuring guides at the front and back are impossible to read once you start cutting.  They are just etched in the metal and disappear once the dirty water from the tile runs over the top.  You just have to wipe them off each time you need to line something up.  That's not too annoying. I think it would be better if they were a different color.

Once it come time to mix the mortar to set the tile you must wear a respirator.  We got this one at Lowe's.  You can buy different cartridges depending on what you are trying not to breath.

It's great for sanding, painting and mixing mortar.

While this one looks strange it is very comfortable.

It only rests on the bridge of your nose and your face so it doesn't get hot and claustrophobic like the paper ones.  It's washable and reusable.

The dogs however will think you are some sort of alien and bark at you.