I need to cut some tile in-place to make space for new window casings in my kitchen window.
The old window was “cased” with drywall, and I’m changing out to a Marvin wood window that will need casing. The old tile backsplash runs right up to the corner of the wrapped drywall casing, thus the need to cut it back to allow for a casing.
Has anyone cut tile (not just grout, but tile) with one of the oscillating tools? Will the carbide grit cutter work? Is there a diamond cutter for it? Should I buy the Fein, or is the Dremel OK?
Thanks.
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In general, carbide cutters don't do very well on ceramic. You need diamond blades.
I have heard that diamond blades are available for the multimaster. I don't know if they are available for the look-alikes or not.
If diamond blades are available for one of the less-expensive look alikes, and if this is the only task you have in mind for the tool, then get the look alike.
But be aware -- every time there has been a post here about the multi-master, everybody wonders how they lived without it before the purchase. Myself included.
You could use a carbide blade for soft ceramic tile, but nothing harder than that really. Dremmel doesn't have a diamond blade for the Multi-Max, that I know of. I couldn't find one on their website. Here's the 1/16" carbide blade, which is what I would use...
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=MM501
The Rockwell Sonicrafter has a couple of diamond blades, one round and one semi-round, for $50 ea.
http://www.rockwelltoolsdirect.com/sonicrafter-accessory.html
I searched Amazon.com for "Oscillating Tool" and found a long list of what's available...
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_1_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=oscillating+tool&sprefix=oscillat&sprefix=oscillat
~ Ted W ~
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You can cut the tile with a diamond blade mounted in a grinder. Very dusty work.
I have had some luck with carbide type reciprocating sawblades on softer tile. Less dusty. Drilling holes into the corner of the cuts helps prevent splitting.
It all depends upon the tile. Some tile seems to shatter very easily and others are more resilient. I cannot tell by looking at them but tile guys seem to know.
As far as I know, the Fein will not cut through the glazed surface. Punching out that much money for a Multimaster would buy a lot of new tile.
the carbide grit blades will do an ugly and slow job of it. I think you are better off the pull the tile, cut them and then reinstall.
You could try a grinder with a diamond tile blade and some water in a sprayer perhaps... but it will make a huge mess.
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. Matt Garcia
Tile glued on with mastic--I will no doubt tear off the drywall paper along with the mastic. Is this a big problem? Could I skin over with taping mud?
If the tile is wall tile, which is much softer, then you could use a rotozip-type tool with a tile cutting bit. Use a straight edge for straight cuts, and if you need the cut a bend, go slowly. The bits arent too expensive, but the question is do you have the tool... I do this to put a potlights in a showers, when the shower has a tile ceiling.
It is wall tile, and I do have a Ryobi roto-zip type tool. I also have a few pieces of leftover tile from the original job, so I'll make a trial cut and see how it goes.
Thanks for the idea.
Tile glued on with mastic--I will no doubt tear off the drywall paper along with the mastic. Is this a big problem? Could I skin over with taping mud?
If necessary, you can skim coat before re-adhering the tiles, but it would probably be easier, and just as effective, to use additional mastic to build out to the right thickness by buttering the back of the tiles in addition to trowelling the wall.
Thanks, I'll probably need to do just that, and it makes it a one-step operation.
If you tear off all the paper you need to do something -- at least apply a primer -- to bind the bare plaster together so that the mastic will stick and not just peel off a thin layer of plaster dust.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Would maybe thinned white glue, like Elmer's, do the job?
Dan is right about using a primer to keep the gypsum core together. I forget about that step. I don't know if white glue would work. I'm inclined to say probably, but I wouldn't try it without experimenting first. In the past I've used ordinary latex primer when I have time to wait for it to dry and if I need to keep moving, I've used BIN shellac-based primer which dries much more quickly.
Like Don said -- it might.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
you will likely just tear off the top layer of paper... then you can just re-adhere to what is left.... glue or thinset.Even if you tear down to the gypsum it shouldn't be a problem.... no need to skim over as that may yield a less stable substrate.
<!----><!----><!---->
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. Matt Garcia
There is a diamond blade for the cheapest of the tools you were asking about. Harbor freight. $40 this week on sale, blade about $6 for the diamond.
Many thanks to all for prompt and helpful responses.
One side of the window had a grout line right where the casing will end, so I took my thinnest 2" wide putty knife and filed it to a sharp chisel edge. I used it to cut and pry the tiles loose from the drywall corner, which was not paper after all--it had a metal corner bead that had been skim-coated with mud. The tile came away cleanly.
On the other side will need a little more work, because there's no cooperative grout line where I need it. I might try cutting the tile with a roto-zip as suggested, or, I may hog out a stopped recess on the casing using the router table with a bit that will match the radius of the tile edge.
Anyway, I'm now confident the result will turn out well.
What a great resource BT is--beats the "help" you get at the Do-It-To-Yourself stores.
I cut tile with ease in place with my Roto Zip. I have the grinder attachment. I put the dry diamond wheel in it and it cut through porcelain like butter.
The blade is about twenty bucks or so if you shop around http://www.toolup.com/rotozip/rzdia.html
ROTOZIP 3-1/2" Dry Diamond Saw Blade
PART #: RZDIA Weight: 1 lbs
Condition: NEW
$22.64
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