Glenda Taylor | Updated July 3, 2019 at 11:59 AM

As more and more homeowners choose to incorporate glass tiles into their home renovation projects, glass tiles are enjoying the day under the sun. Glass tiles are easy to clean, have a shiny surface and are durable, making them an attractive choice for backsplashes, shower walls and bathroom decorations. The real attraction is that, unlike ceramics, glass tiles provide you with a clear or gem-toned luster, reflect light and often produce beautiful shimmering effects.

Installation is easy for DIY; the project usually does not require heavy work. But actually cutting glass tiles can be tricky, because this material is easily broken. How to cut the best technique for glass tiles? It depends on the size of the project and the specific tiles you are installing. In order to cover all possible situations, we have listed how to cut glass tiles using four different tools:

Note: For best results, please create a dry layout of the tile pattern before installation. Doing this will allow you to perfect the placement of the tiles before they are permanently fixed to the wall. Remember to place the cut tiles in the areas where the edges of the slices are least noticeable, such as along the top of the backsplash, where the tiles touch the bottom of the cabinet.

A wet saw is especially useful if you are laying large areas that require multiple straight cuts (such as showers). Using a wet saw is a time-saving and effective way to achieve edge cleaning while reducing the risk of damaging the glass tiles. When the blade cuts the tile, the saw will release a steady stream of water, which reduces friction and cools the cutting edge, so that the cut is smoother with minimal breakage.

Prices for these powerful saws range from around $100 for cheap models to more than $1,000 for high-end contractor-grade tools. If you don't want to pay a big price for the saw flower that you only use once or twice, you can ask for one at a construction tool rental shop or even your local large home center. A quality wet saw with a purchase cost of US$500 can usually be rented for around US$50 per day.

Materials and tools can be purchased on Amazon-washable marker pen-rubber gloves-wet saw-cloth

Measure the tiles to be cut and use a washable marker to draw a cutting guide on its surface. Later, after you finish cutting the glass tiles, you should be able to easily wipe off any remaining marking lines with a clean damp cloth.

Put on rubber gloves (leather or fabric gloves will soon be saturated with water), and then turn on the wet saw. Let it run for about 15 seconds to allow the water to flow freely on the saw blade.

Align the glass block with the cutting guide on the wet saw and carefully cut along the guide you have drawn. Slowly pass the tile through the saw, moving away from you with slight but steady pressure, until you cut it open. After cutting, turn off the power of the saw and wipe off the remaining marks with a damp cloth.

Before the invention of the tile saw, artisans manually scribed and cut thick glass to make stained glass windows and glass mosaics. Cutting glass tiles manually takes longer than using a wet saw and is more likely to cause uneven fractures, but professional tile installers still use this method today, especially when cutting small tiles.

Manual glass scribing wheels are cheap, starting at about $15 (check it on Amazon). You will also need a bite pliers (check on Amazon) or running pliers (check on Amazon). Both are cheap special tools for glass. Once you have the right tools, practice scoring and capturing some sample glass tiles before diving into the project to make sure you understand how much pressure you need to use.

Materials and tools available on Amazon-washable marker pen-manual glass scribing wheel-straight edge-bite pliers-running pliers-glass rubbing stone-cloth

Place the glass brick on a flat surface, face up, and draw the cutting line. Then, use a straightedge to align it with your cutting line. Place the scribing wheel on the far end of the tile, and then pull it toward you along the ruler to ensure an even cut. Press hard and you will hear a clear crackling sound when the scoring wheel rolls along the glass. The scribing wheel will form a line of weakness on the glass surface.

With the tile still facing up, place the pliers on the part of the glass to be broken (parallel to the score) and bite it down.

Alternatively, you can use moving pliers to break the tile along the score line, which is characterized by a slight bend in the head, which can gently compress the tile on the score line. When using mobile pliers, place the center of the pliers directly on one end of the scribe line with the jaws perpendicular to the scribe line, and then press down. This movement will apply uniform pressure to the glass on both sides of the score line to separate the glass along the length of the score line for a clean cut.

If necessary, use a grindstone to smooth the cut edges of the glass tiles before installation. A rubbing stone with a retail price of about $7 is similar to a whetstone, but with a slightly larger grain size and is used to grind off the sharp edges of the glass.

Using a stick knife to cut glass tiles is more effective than using a scoring wheel and pliers, because the machine can both score and cut tiles. (Some strip cutters only scratch the tile, while others include a presser foot that can jam the tile along the scratch line.) Cheap strip cutters start at about $25 (see the example on Amazon ), and then start from there. More expensive models usually come with measuring tools for cutting precise angles.

Materials and tools can be purchased on Amazon-washable marker pen-glass strip cutter-running pliers-bite pliers-glass rubbing stone-cloth

Measure the glass block and mark the required cutting line, then place the glass block on the cutting mat of the bar cutter. Carefully align the marking line with the cutting guide on the bar cutting machine.

Pull the scoring handle (or knob) along the tile away from you to draw a line on the glass tile.

If your tool is equipped with a presser foot, use it to jam the tile along the score line. Otherwise, you can use moving pliers or biting pliers to bite the tiles manually, as described above.

If necessary, use a rubbing stone to remove all debris and wipe the mark with a damp cloth.

Mosaic tongs are most commonly used to cut small irregularly shaped glass tiles for artistic design. While using any of the methods outlined here, it is helpful to practice on a few spare tiles before moving on, it is especially important to practice here. The bite is not as precise as scoring or cutting with a wet saw. Wheeled pliers are similar to regular pliers, but instead of a flat head, this $15 tool (check it on Amazon) has sharp upper and lower carbide wheels for cutting glass.

Materials and tools can be purchased on Amazon-washable marker pen-wheel mosaic pliers-goggles-cloth

Draw a guide in the mark on the glass brick.

Wear protective glasses and do not bite the tiles when there are other people nearby, because these cuts will cause the bitten glass to shoot into the entire room. Hold the pliers in your hand (the same way you hold ordinary pliers), bring them close to the work surface, and position the edge of the wheel along the line to be cut.

Squeeze the handles of the pliers firmly to cut the tiles.

If you lay glass bricks around pipes or other curved objects, straight lines will not work. However, you can use a combination of scribing tools, wet saws, friction tongs, and friction stones in combination with some of the methods detailed above to get a smooth curve.

Use a washable marker to draw a curve on the glass block, and then carefully pull the hand-held glass scoring tool toward you along the marked guide line. Since you may do this with your bare hands and there is no equivalent ruler to guide the tool, please work slowly and accurately.

Using a wet saw, start from the edge of the part of the tile you plan to discard, and make multiple straight cuts (about ⅜ inches apart) until the line is drawn, perpendicular to the line. These cuts will cause the glass spokes to become narrower. As you approach the edge of the curve, the straight cut shortens.

Use pliers to break the elongated glass rows one at a time until only curved glass tiles remain.

Use a grindstone to grind and polish the incision. After wiping off the glass debris and marker with a damp cloth, the tiles can be installed on a smooth new surface.

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