[Updated:Last pics added 11/26]Cutting ceramic tile that is already installed....is it even possible?

[bbhaag]

Has anyone had any success cutting ceramic tile that is already installed? We purchased a new home and we are having some remodeling done. The big job was resizing a hallway closet off the kitchen/dining area so it opened it up. The issue is the ceramic tile in the dining area has been discontinued and we cannot find it anywhere.

So the living room is hardwood floors which we did manage to source but we want to cut the tile at and angle so the hardwood transitions more smoothly. I've looked at some videos and done some research regarding cutting tile that is already installed and honestly it looks like a huge pain in the ass. Grinder and a cutting wheel seems to be the only option...sigh.

Has anyone here done this before? If so how bad was it and do you have any tips or tricks you picked up while doing it that might make it easier? It's hard to explain so I've attached an image to give everyone a better idea of what we want to do. The red line is were we want to cut so it matches the angle of the counter top.
The area that is torn up would be hardwood to match the living room.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Tape it and use a grinding wheel. Alternatively, experiment with how difficult it is to remove entire tiles. If doable, remove the rules along the proposed cut, use a tile saw and, reinstall.

 

[bbhaag]

Tape it and use a grinding wheel. Alternatively, experiment with how difficult it is to remove entire tiles. If doable, remove the rules along the proposed cut, use a tile saw and, reinstall.

To the first part of your post that I bolded I was afraid of that being the only way.

To the second part unfortunately removing the tiles as a whole would be very difficult. There was tile in the closet and it took the contractor and his guys a lot of time and effort to remove them. They came up in little tiny pieces.

 

[Greenman]

Don't use a grinding wheel, use a diamond wheel. While a diamond wheel in a grinder will work and is cheap, a diamond wheel in a small circular saw will net a better cut. If it needs to be really good, place a metal guide on the floor and run the saw against it.
Something like this.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/bb0dbc29-c734-4cc9-b132-e8c2539c011c/svn/ryobi-wet-tile-saws-blades-tc401-64_1000.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-4-in-Tile-Saw-TC401/205654302&docid=E88gk6UcXavK6M&tbnid=ZTCPADlZGAjKYM:&vet=10ahUKEwjI38Hm3I7eAhWP_p8KHR09CcoQMwjtASgJMAk..i&w=1000&h=1000&bih=724&biw=1536&q=tile saw&ved=0ahUKEwjI38Hm3I7eAhWP_p8KHR09CcoQMwjtASgJMAk&iact=mrc&uact=8

There will still be some flaking of the tile edge, use a tile stone to smooth it out.

 

[bfun_x1]

A diamond wheel will work but I'd suggest trying to keep it wet. Cutting it dry will be a hot, dusty, mess. You'd want to wear a mask and cover your furniture. If someone else could put a little water on the wheel while you cut it would be a lot better. I also wouldn't count on being able to cut strait without some kind of guide. The saw would only have to jump once to ruin the whole tile. You might also want to consider having a pro do it. It might cost you less than $100.

 

[Sukhoi]

My theory-based answer supports the two above. Circular saw with diamond blade and a metal guide on the floor. Keep it wet with a squirt bottle and possibly consider doing multiple passes of increasing depth depending how well it cuts. Do some test cuts on the scrap tile within your triangle. I wouldn't be surprised if this trashes the saw, so buy a cheap one.

 

[herm0016]

yep. what they said, keep it damp to keep the dust down. your saw should be fine.

 

[Greenman]

My theory-based answer supports the two above. Circular saw with diamond blade and a metal guide on the floor. Keep it wet with a squirt bottle and possibly consider doing multiple passes of increasing depth depending how well it cuts. Do some test cuts on the scrap tile within your triangle. I wouldn't be surprised if this trashes the saw, so buy a cheap one.

Both wet and dry diamond blades are available. When dry cutting you need another person holding a shop vacuum hose next to the blade. Wet cutting is better, but in some ways messier.

 

[Humpy]

If you don't already have something that will work I'd suggest renting a wet saw with a vacuum attachment. It will capture most of the mess.

Be careful at the ends of the cut.

I don't like the solution and would probably remove more tile back to the grout line just past the cabinet and run the wood to there. Or maybe something artsy like a tile rug to fill in where the closet was. I understand it's not my money though.

 

[Sukhoi]

If you don't already have something that will work I'd suggest renting a wet saw with a vacuum attachment. It will capture most of the mess.

Be careful at the ends of the cut.

I don't like the solution and would probably remove more tile back to the grout line just past the cabinet and run the wood to there. Or maybe something artsy like a tile rug to fill in where the closet was. I understand it's not my money though.

Hmm, what about removing whole tiles and leaving a stepped edge? Though that notch is already cut out of the one at the top of the red line.

 

[Micrornd]

If it were mine to do, I'd apply 2 layers of blue painter's tape to the cut line, fasten a straight edge for a guide to the tile that is being removed (straight 2x4, metal angle, etc.), use a dry cut diamond blade on an old corded circular saw with someone running a vac.
And set the depth of the diamond blade to just about a little less than an eighth of an inch more than the combined thickness of the tile and grout. That little extra depth will help prevent chipping/disturbing the tiles and grout that are to stay when you remove the other tile (think of it as a fire break)
Cut slow, and don't force it.

What do you plan on doing about the junction of tile and hardwood to compensate for expansion/contraction or to just plain fill the joint?

 

[Humpy]

Just a point about circular saws, the blade spins in a direction that increases the likely hood of chipping the tiles you want to keep. Super shallow cuts will mitigate this but more passes equals more chances to mess up.

Ideally you want the blade, the larger the better, spinning down into the tile with water for lubrication and dust control. Ceramic tile is hard as fuck and a small dry blade will tend to bounce around in the kerf and knock chips off the brittle corners. The rear of the blade coming back around on the upswing can cause chipping too and should be kept off the finished edge (~1/32") either by how the tool is held or with a small wedge against the guide.

Geeking out on the setup a little bit can make the end product look like it was more than an afterthought. If not, grout pretty much fixes everything.

 

[bbhaag]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the advice and tips for getting a clean cut on the tile. I talked it over with our contractor today and he thinks it is doable. I mentioned some of the things you guys did like using a guide and a wet saw with a quality blade then he brought up how much of a mess it will make whether it be a dry cut or a wet cut.
In the end I said it is something we really wanted done to help make the rooms transition better so he said he will do it. I'll post some after pics so everyone can see how it looks.
Thanks again everyone we appreciate it.

 

[NetWareHead]

Not sure if your contractor got to it already but the requirements of this situation calls for a track saw. If if you have a circular saw already, then a track saw jig attachment like this: https://www.kregtool.com/store/c48/saw-attachments/p425/accu-cut/ can fit yoru existing saw. The hard part would be how to anchor the track to the floor. This tool says it has anti-slide grips on the bottom and clamps are not needed. Good luck

 

[bbhaag]

So the contractor was able to cut it at a 45* angle to match the counter top. He did a great jog with no chipping of the tiles or grout. Unfortunately he had already finished it before I could get there to take pics so all I have is an after pic. I know it is hard to tell from the pic but we think this will really help with the transition from from the hardwood floor to the tile especially once we get the new quartz counter tops installed and the new lighting installed in the living room, kitchen and dining room.
Anyway, onto the pic as promised. I will try an update this more as the full transition takes place with lighting, paint, flooring ect. The remodel on the house has been a huge project totaling close to the $15K mark so far so capturing all the before, during, and after pics has been difficult because of so much going on.

 

[bbhaag]

Hardwood flooring is installed and it turned out really nice. It looks like it was always suppose to be this way. The closet still needs the bi-fold door installed and stained to match the rest of the wood work and some masonry caulk needs to go between the tile and hardwood so still not completed quite yet. Anyway onto the pics. I took one from each angle so you guys could see what it looks like from both sides.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

I like how you didn't use a transition strip between the hardwood and tile. It always looks cheap when people do. Are you gonna caulk the seam?

 

[bbhaag]

I like how you didn't use a transition strip between the hardwood and tile. It always looks cheap when people do. Are you gonna caulk the seam?

Thanks! One thing we really liked about this house is the fact that there are zero transition strips anywhere on either floor. So when we had the closet removed in the dinning room, the landing at the top of the stairs done in hardwood, and the upstairs bathroom remodeled we asked the contractor to keep it that way. No transition strips leading into any room.

Anyway, to answer your question yes we need to pick out some color matched masonry caulk to fill the seem. That is the way the existing hardwood to tile transition was done.

 

[highland145]

@bbhaag the 2nd pic, I couldn't figure out why you had a single row of tile....I did look at it before the 1st pic.

 

[bbhaag]

@bbhaag the 2nd pic, I couldn't figure out why you had a single row of tile....I did look at it before the 1st pic.

Haha yeah I didn't notice that when I took the pic but it does look like that. Sorry for the very late reply. With all the remodeling going on, my wifes grandmother passing away unexpectedly, and getting moved in I haven't had a chance to add a final updated pic.

Here's a last couple of pics with it completely finished with the bi-fold door installed and luckily my wife and I were able to find a colored match for the masonry caulk to fill the seam. It matched the grout perfectly so it looks like a grout line. We were able to find the stain used by the previous owner as well so it is also a good match.
Anyway, let me know what you guys think.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I love those doors. Does everything just look a little darker in the photos that it really is? Medium-dark wood floors, tile, trim, cabinets and furniture. Don't paint the walls red.

 

[bbhaag]

I love those doors. Does everything just look a little darker in the photos that it really is? Medium-dark wood floors, tile, trim, cabinets and furniture. Don't paint the walls red.

Yeah my Moto G4 has a terrible camera on it and I took the pics at night so everything came out a little darker than it actually looks in person.
When we bought the home six or so weeks ago we loved the wood work as well. Not only is the main floor like this but so us the second floor and part of the basement.