Tile saw help?

[ramonmark]

I'm looking to purchase a tile saw and any pointers would be great.

It will be for home Reno and im not a professional by any means. I own a few house and do most of the work myself with the exception of tile. I have an eye of detail and need a product that works with clean cuts but isn't a Cadillac.

The first job it will be used for will be one 12"/24"/0.4" porcelain. Those will most likely be the largest pieces cut but it will be for 2 bathrooms right off the hop. My budget is 400$ new or used. I'm leaning towards a top cut wet saw just because I've rented them in the past and like how they work. Granted hey were probably professional grade.

My top two choices are the 1) princess auto 10" priced at 399$ and 2) rigid 7" priced at 329".

Question. Am I in the right ball park here? Does anyone have any advice about these OR other saws in my price range? Know of anyone selling a decent one?

Thank you kindly.

[Sushi]

(oops) didnt mean to post here.

[hover]

Dont waste 400 bucks, buy a $50-75 one from Princess Auto..they work pretty good.

[artie]

We have a tile setter working in two of our houses and he just uses a good scratch and break cutter. He does great work with this method. When he does have to cut a small corner he just uses a electric grinder. After watching him I would not buy a big tile cutter that you have to store somewhere when not in use.

[wags]

I bought the Home Depot Ryobi 7" Wet Saw. I paid $100 on sale, but I see on the website it's currently $159. It came with an extra saw blade as well (can't confirm it still does). It also comes with a stand.

So far, I've done 2 bathrooms, kitchen and dining room floor tile, my buddy has done a tile package around his tub, and another buddy did tiling in his bathroom. We just switched the blade. For the money, this has paid for itself 100 times over.

Below is the link if you're interested.
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryob...-7-inch/917024

Cheers

[CaberTosser]

I have the Ridgid one you're referring to and am fond of it. I know Calgary Dave had posted about getting the same one as well before signing himself off of the forum. I'll be selling mine once my needs for it are complete, but that's likely 2 years off.

[TimeOff]

If you want to make nice cut's fast, get a professional saw. MK is what I bought. They are about $1000 new but if you keep an eye on KIJIJI one can be had for under $400. I picked up mine used, cleaned and greased it up a bit, work's like new. The pro saw's have 1 1/2 to 2 hp motor's which really make a difference. If you buy used you'll probably have to get a new blade as well, 10" is over $50 so keep that in mind. I played with the cheap $50 special's and am so happy with a real saw. Fast precise cut's make tiling almost fun...Almost.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by artie

We have a tile setter working in two of our houses and he just uses a good scratch and break cutter. He does great work with this method. When he does have to cut a small corner he just uses a electric grinder. After watching him I would not buy a big tile cutter that you have to store somewhere when not in use.

Pretty tough to find a tile cutter that will handle the barn door sized tiles people seem to like now. Makita makes a nice diamond blade for a side grinder that works dry. Also some water fed skil saw type units out there.

Grizz

[CNP]

I'm not a pro either but I've done a few tile jobs. Mostly 12" porcelain. Most cuts I make are with a scratch and break cutter....only use an electric table top saw for 90 degree cuts or when cutting narrow lengths off a tile. Under a hundred bucks will get you a diamond 7 inch blade that runs in a water reservoir. Like this one at Rona......$90

[walking buffalo]

Scoring and snapping Porcelain tiles will give a cleaner edge than cutting with a diamond blade and the process is faster too.

If you insist on using a saw you can minimize some of the chipping by taping the cut line first.

A bigger challenge these days effecting quality of cut is finding a good diamond blade. It seems that individual brand's quality will change with each manufacturing lot. Choosing a good blade has become a roll of the dice.

[Drewski Canuck]

Done about 600 sq ft of floor tile so far at the cabin. All with the Princess Auto wet saw, table saw style.
Wait until it goes on sale with 10 blades. Blades are cheap, when they slow up, toss them. Good blades make life easier, but what you are needing can be done pretty cheap these days. Score and snap is a bit of a knack, and you get a sharp edge. Tile saw edges are not sharp. If you see chipping on the cut, toss the blade and fill the water.

Most important, go to a professional flooring supply shop, and ask for the "Lash Leveling clips and wedges". Makes level tiles a breeze. This is the biggest pain in floor tiles. Also make sure you understand when to use Ditra sub base (Orange de coupling membrane). don't skimp.

Drewski

[a little redneck]

You can get away with a cheap saw unless you need to cut through thicker granite tiles... it'll take forever with a small saw. Dewalt makes a pretty good 10 inch tile saw... not cheap but versatile and good value. The tricky cuts can be made with a 4 1/2 grinder with a diamond tile blade, with the guard off.... just wear ear plugs, work outside and be careful. If you're cutting glass tiles make sure you use a wet saw and a sharp blade. If the glass tiles get dry they heat up and crack.

For cutting limestone, marble, slate and other natural stone you pretty much need to use a wet saw. If you're doing porcelain the sliding manual tile cutter works fine. Have fun and wear earplugs when working with the electric tile cutting tools!

[ramonmark]

Awesome responses everyone. Thanks a lot!

Never tiled a whole shower. Someone mentioned a membrane? Anyone else want to elaberate on that? I'm assuiming its a product thats applied to the drywall before I thinset or adhear the tiles to help with water proofing and future moulding?

[a little redneck]

Kerdi has a kit which includes a basin and membrane for the walls. It'll make the basin install much easier. The tile shoppe in Calgary has them, you can pick them up somewhere in Edmonton.

[CaberTosser]

The membranes are basically a heavy plastic sheeting that is textured on both sides so as to allow for proper adhesion of the mortar / tile adhesive. Its somewhat like they have shaved & flattened polar fleece surfaces on the plastic sheet. Kerdi system is the main one of these, and its priced rather dearly. On a regular tub or a shower using a factory base a person doesn't necessarily need it, just a good backing such as Hardiebacker or such, but I do recommend them for fancy custom showers, especially those incorporating steam units.

[Bluetick Coonhound]

I own a construction company. I recently talked with a 30 year contractor who has switched from a wet saw to score and snap. Fine details he uses a grinder. Its way faster and produces nice clean edges. Also the wet saws can be a huge mess. I only use a wet saw now for brick patios as they do not score and snap very well. Hope this helps!