Listener Submitted Question:
Listener: Janet

Been working on this for over 6 months. My 9 year old wakes me at 4:00 afraid to use basement bathroom and my elderly mother has a hard time with the stairs. The problem is I am afraid to cut tile - ready to go!!


Bryan’s Answer:

It looks like you’ve already got the waterproofing done in the shower, but I’m guessing you have the entire bathroom ripped apart if the only toilet is in the basement!
 
You don’t have to be afraid of cutting tile, and there’s a few ways to do it…if you’re planning on cutting a lot of tile (or becoming a professional tile setter) pick yourself up a good wet saw with a diamond blade. For under $30 you can also buy a snap cutter that cuts ceramic and porcelain tiles with a carbide wheel, or a smaller hand held version of the snap cutter – even a glass cutter and a 2x4 will work! For making holes you’ll need a carbide hole saw, and for irregular cuts you can get yourself a pair of tile nippers. You’ll also want to pick yourself up some safety glasses (tile debris is very sharp), a square with a wax pencil for marking tiles, a measuring tape and a sanding stone to remove any sharp edges. I see your base tiles in the shower will be 1x1’s – those are simple, flip them over and cut the mesh backing with a knife.
 
You’re also going to need a level, unmodified mortar, buckets, trowels (a margin trowel is a must!) sponges and spacers to get rolling on the installation.
 
Now get to work!!