How to saw porcelain tile with a circular saw

How to cut porcelain tile

Porcelain is a very fragile material, and it can crack or be shattered very easily due to its molecular structure. When holding it, we need to be very wary, because dropping it can break it.
However, it is still a very hard material. It can’t be easily scratched. In other words, it is also hard to cut.
So, if you are thinking about cutting a porcelain tile with a circular saw, I encourage you to keep reading. In this post, we will help you through this process and give you the instructions you need.

Can you cut tile with a circular saw?

Shortly, the answer is yes. It can be cut with a traditional manual tile cutter or a wet tile saw.
With the tile cutter, a specific scoring wheel gets a shallow cut in this material. This way, you can make the most of the brittle nature of ceramic, snapping the tile along the cored cut to finish. These scoring wheels are made of very heavy materials such as tungsten carbide or titanium. They need to be strong to score this material.
Can I cut tile with a circular saw? Yes! In fact, they are usually the very first option for large works. Using a tile cutter can be messy and unnecessarily difficult. So, can you cut porcelain tile with a circular saw? Yes, it is not only an option but, by far, the best choice.
These saws have a compact electrical bench perfectly settled, with the perfect diamond-coated blade for this job, and a water pump. Remember that the water keeps the blade cool while cutting because it can get extremely hot.
The perfect tile cutting blade for a circular saw when performing on porcelain, is the diamond blade, because is one of the few materials that are harder than porcelain. In a few words, the diamond blade not only score the tile but grinds it all the way through.
If you are interested on learning how to cut tile with a circular saw, you need to go to basics first. You need to understand the way a wet tile saw works. Once you get that, this job will be much simpler. Don’t worry, we will make it quick and easy for you.

How to cut porcelain tile with a circular saw

First of all, you need to know that cutting tile with a circular saw is not ideal. We will show you how to work with it just fine, but we also want you to know that it is not the best option. Maybe you did already have one and you want to save some money. But consider why it is or it is not worth it to go and rent a proper tile cutting saw for a couple of days.
If you are sure about cutting porcelain tiles with a circular saw, this is what you will need:

• About the tile blade for your circular saw: it must be a diamond masonry blade specially designed for porcelain. It has the proper size for this kind of saw.
• Here you have two options: you can make a water-cooling mechanism at home with some help, or you can be very patient and use a construction-grade respirator mask.

The blade you will be using for your circular saw is the same blade that you would use on a wet tile saw. It is essential that you choose the right size for your saw, and obviously it has to be specifically designed for cutting porcelain. Remember that porcelain is a very hard material, which means that you can’t just use any blade.
In most of the cases, it is recommended performing a wet cutting. Keep in mind that it will be easier for you to work with the saw, faster, and more importantly, it will be safer. Besides, the tile will be less likely to chip. You can ask for help, and the assistant would have to do the wet cutting by slowly pouring the water flow over the tile and the front of the blade. He or she could use a bucket of water or a garden hose. Whatever you choose, you need to be very careful. Remember that tile saws are created to be used with water. But circular saws are not. This means that there is a real risk of electrocution.
If you choose to perform a dry cut, we highly recommend you wear a proper respirator mask. Not just any dust mask. Remember that you need to cover yourself to be protected from the crystalline silica dust that cutting porcelain tiles produces. It is very dangerous. Besides, a blade specially designed for dry cutting will be required. If you must dry cut, the work will be a bit slow, because you need to make short and shallow cuts, or the blade will get overheated.

Tile blade for circular saw

With these pieces of advice and precautions, you can cut porcelain with your own circular saw. But if you are interested on cutting tile professionally, we suggest you spend some money and rent or buy a bench tile cutting saw and instead of using a circular saw to cut cutting tile.
Whatever you end up doing, remember to wear the proper protection gear and use common sense.