HELP Monday we will be installing our first man-made marble 3/8 shower walls. They are expensive, heavy, and thin. We can deal with the scribing (belt sand) and the smaller holes (shower head, accessory mounting) The thing I want counsel on is cutting the 5 inch shower valve hole. What’s the safest way?
Even if I had a 5 in hole saw I wouldn’t consider that (chance of seizing up).
Will a rotozip do it? Carbide blade? Plywood template? Any tips. I have only seen this stuff once (Red Roof Inn).
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Replies
Tile or cement board bit in a rot-zip works well, but I went through a couple.
A fine tooth jigsaw blade also works pretty well, but the roto zip rocks for the circles.
I tried several things for ripping, and after going to the mfg, and watching them just use a good carbide tipped saw blade in any old saw life got a lot easier.
A medium to large guy named Alan, not an ambiguous female....
NOT that there is anything wrong with that.
me ... I'd use my 5 inch hole saw.
what's to seize up? Cultured marble is just fancy plastic ...
or .... a grinder .... or a circular saw ...
lotsa ways ... just making a hole in plastic that's gonna be covered by a trim plate.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Sorry jeff, I disagree about fancy plastic. The stuff I have cut would eat up a carbide blade in a minute. I had to use a diamond blade. There's something in the binder that is extremely hard."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
name it and I've cut it.
fancy plastic is all it is ... sometimes they add bits of metal to make the cutting harder ...
hole saw ... good drill ... right speed ...
what gave U trouble? Which product?
cultured marble manufacturers even recommend a hole saw ...
or forstner bit ... as less "chatter" is better.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff, it was a vanity sink for a bathroom, about 4 ft wide with one cast-in-place bowl. HO had two of them in the master bath, the bowls had cracked around the drain and they wanted to sell the house. So my response was the standard "piece of cake, we can do that" as I agreed to cut out the bowl and drop in a fancy porcelain bowl.
What a nightmare. I thought I coiuld use a slot cutter bit in a router, that lasted about 3 inches. Tried a tile cutting bit in a rotozip, that was good for less than an inch. Had to use a dry diamond blade in a side grinder. It cut fairly easily, but made a tremendous amount of dust."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
The stuff I have cut would eat up a carbide blade in a minute
Standard is easy to cut. The stuff that looks like granite will eat blades like you are saying. I think it actually has stone imbedded in the resin. And the product it is more like fiberglass than plastic.John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
Depends on what it is. Standard cultured marble is easy to cut with a jig saw and belt sand. Rotozip works ok. If the marble has the look of granite, it will eat blades. We usually use a 4"-4-1/2" grinder with a tile blade in it to cut. It works very well with either product. Hole saw will also work well if you have a 5". For a hole that size I would use a jig saw with duct tape on the feet to keep from scratching or use the grinder.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
We have been dealing with this material for better than 15 years. Don't do much of it anymore as we have been trending up our client base and they all seem to go for custom tile in the shower area.
The best way I have found to cut a hole that size is to use an abrasive blade in a jig saw. Take your time and it will turn out great. Make sure the panel is well supported or it could crack.
As someone else pointed out, either mask off the work piece or the shoe of the jug saw to protect against abrasion.
Use 100% silicone to adhere the panels to the walls.
Good luck
sully
Thanks sully, - and ALLOne question since you have done a lot of it - what glue pattern do you use with the silicone?
I make 2" diameter "donuts" of silicone spaced about 12" apart. I usually goober on enough so that the bead is about 3/8" thick
The "donuts" will actually create a suction cup type of action which will hold the panel in place. I had an old timer teach me that many years ago.
It seems to work well.
sully
Hey, thanks! That's a tip you should submit to Charlie Miller's "Tips and Techniques"!
Be sure to wear a respirator- that cultured marble/ fibreglass dust is extremely fine and irritating to the lungs...Expert since 10 am.
For sure on the respirator - I picked up a set of abrasive blades for the reciprocating saw - no saber saw tungsten abrasive blades available. I think I'll try to spray water on it.I'm feeling better about this - thanks for the advice!