Which tile cutter(s)

[JimLoskot]

I am about to tile our new ensuite shower(8m2) with 600x300mm ceramic tiles approx 8mm thich.

I will also be tiling our new kitchen floor when its ready in 2 months (30m2) with porcelain tiles that I think will be 900x450mm approx 8-10mm thick.

Currently I have no tile cutter worthy of such a job and am looking to invest. I have discounted using hire equipment as I will be doing the jobs (particulary the kitchen floor) over a number of weeks (maybe even months).

I am probably going to buy a small angle grinder with a diamond blade for cutting out the awkward shapes. Will I be OK with just this or should I invest in a a tile cutter or a table saw as well?

Also can anyone recomend any of the above bearing in mind I've got these 2 jobs to do with it and then possibly another shower room and bits and pieces around the sink/kitchen worktops etc...

Budget is as cheap as possible to do the job well but am quite prepared to spend a few hundred quid if thats whats required, maybe more with the possility of selling kit on ebay or similar when finished with.

Thanks for any thoughts or knowledge on any of this
Jim

 

[Burnerman]

Whereas an angle grinder will certainly get you there, a proper tile cutting machine with a diamond blade will help greatly.
You cant expect fantastic accuracy with the fence or measuring rule, but so long as the blade is constantly supplied with water (which will liberally spray you too) you'll get lots of life from it.
I have a cheapo Erbauer (Screwfix's own), cost around £45 I think, has a diamond blade and a poorly chromed table. It does the job fine and its not worth me selling it on....but people may hire it!
John

 

[Karis]

Forget the angle grinder & disks; they have their uses but are very limited (even using a fence) if you intending cutting full tiles & will be total crap on the large format you have; you will need cut accuracy for them to look any good.

Get a decent budget wet tile cutter (table saw), a manual cutter, tile saw, some drills & a tile file; they will do all you want.

 

[tpt]

Erbauer are ok - they are german and share parts with much more expensive brands.

agree with karis - get both a wet and a manual cutter - use a wet cutter for angles only. cutting every tile on a saw takes too long and the cut doesnt look as good for straights.

get a decent heavy duty cutter (around £120 for a good diy one) that has a min length of 1000mm to take the ones in your kitchen.

 

[JimLoskot]

Thanks for the input everyone
I bought the erbauer wet cutter and have just finished doing the shower (quite literally, I'm still covered in tile adhesive!)
Its a brilliant bit of kit for the money, I can highly recommend it.
I don't think I'll bother getting a manual cutter as I'll be a bit scared of cracking the porcelain tiles in the kitchen as I've never used one before.
All the cuts will be hidden under skirting boards anyway.
I recon I'll have to buy a couple more cutting blades tho