Currently in the process of tiling a shower wall using 6x6 tiles.

Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to need to cut a tiny strip (less than a cm) off of each tile.

Have a relatively cheap ($50?) tile cutter (score / snap) that works great for snapping more than an inch or so off.

Any suggestions / walkthroughs?

 

with a tile saw or 4" hand cut-off saw.
Important: make sure the blade is a thin one.......060 thickness recommended. Thick diamond blades are only good for thicker floor tile.

 

Wet saw or angle grinder with dry cut diamond blade.

 

Good topic and right on time for me-- I'm in the middle of tiling a kitchen floor-- The tile is ceramic with a natural/stone look on the surface that I got from Home Depot. I've rented and used a wet tile saw from there a few times previously and had no problems, but when I tried to cut these floor tiles (12x12), the saw ends up chipping the tile-- even cracking it sometimes. When I brought the saw back and complained, they said I was trying to run the tile through too quickly (he "tested" the saw by making 3 cuts on the tile I brought in-- 1 of his cuts were worse than mine, the other 2 were ok)-- I had tried going VERY slow with the same result, but that's rant for another time.

In the process of complaining, I asked him to test the saw by making a 1/4" cut off the side of the tile-- I have a bunch of tiles that need this type of cut and that's the main reason I rented the saw in the first place . . . He said that he cant make that kind of cut on the wet saw because "It'll crack . . .it's not the right tool for the job . . ." He suggested I use nippers instead, which I can do but I want a nice clean edge . . .

Is this guy BS-ing me? I figured the saw should be able to make those cuts all day long, but I'm certanly no expert . . .

 

Only way to cut a small piece is to put a full tile beside it to give it some support while you're putting it thru the cutter......that will work everytime.

 

A couple of questions here JohnPel.....do you need 1/4" tile or are you cutting 1/4" off a full tile.....if it's the latter, I would just leave that piece out and grout it.....it looks better with grout vs a 1/4" tile cut.

If you have to cut off 1/4", you can do this 2 ways......First is to score the tile with a tile cutter and then using tile nippers, instead of sqeezing the nippers, grip the 1/4" of the tile in such a way as to bend it over. The tile will break where you scored it (you'll probably won't be able to take the entire length off at once......you'll need a couple of bends) .

The second way is with a water tile saw. If you are using the 1/4" piece, put a full tile up against it to support it when you are putting it thru the tile saw......

 

The guy is BS-ing you, as usual from that place. Could be a couple of reasons, the blade may be bent or out of round, it may be an old blade with little cutting ability left in it, there may not be enough water going onto the blade to keep everything cool.
You do have to go slow and putting a jig or another tile up against the tile you are working on will help. I'm betting the blade is bent, just a hunch with a rental saw. If the blade is good you should be able to slice a tile like it was ham from the deli.

 

Thanks for the great feedback everyone-- and great tip about putting a full tile next to the tile I'm cutting!

To clarify-- I'm looking to cut off the 1/4" . . . I have a walls that are not square and as I am tiling toward the back corner of the room I'm needing to shave some off the full tiles.

Here's the punchline to my story-- I couldn't stomach bringing the tiles to HD to have them cut them and I wasn't about to spend another $60 for another rental, so, as I have a few more tiling jobs in the house in the near future-- I bouth the $88 Workforce saw at HD ( a different HD of course) and it cuts those tiles like butter . . .

Tomorrow, I'll be visiting the Mgr of the HD store and asking for an explanation of why, if there was nothing wrong with the rental saw, the cheapie $88 saw did so much better. Hopefully, I'll scream loud enough to get my rental fee back . . . .

 

As long as your throwing away the 1/4" cut, just run it off on a wet saw, no problem.

If the wall is out of square, measure each tile as you go and cut it in.