Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Power tools for tile (cont.)

Happy New Year People!!!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year celebration. Looking forward to 2008 I wish you nothing but health, happiness, and prosperity. AND, of course, the courage to take on that tile project you may have been putting off.

When we last spoke, I was discussing the finer points of angle grinders, and their usefulness in performing a variety of tasks in relation to tile installation. As well as the intended purpose of an angle grinder, which is , grinding...... you know...... at an angle. Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself.

Another great use for this tool is cutting cement backer board (which is a substrate used for setting tile on, I will explain it's use in greater detail in a future installment). Using the grinder to cut cement board will create a lot of dust, so you should do this outside, and wear that mask and safety glasses I mentioned in an earlier post.

Next up, the drill. This is a tool which, no doubt, many of you already own. Whether corded, or cordless, a drill can be very useful for installing tile. Like the grinder, there are specialized drill bits, and hole saws, used for tile. Shown is a carbide grit hole saw, which will cut through most soft bodied tile and natural stone tile.

Those of you familiar with hole saws will notice I have removed the pilot bit from the hole saw in the illustration. This is a little trick which I will explain in a future installment.

If you need to drill through harder material, for instance, granite or porcelain tile, you will need a diamond hole saw.

On a side note, while most drills can be used for drilling tile, a variable speed drill will produce the best results. Cordless drills are fine, but they should have sufficient power to do the job. Cordless drills rated at 14volts and higher will produce the best results.

While there are, no doubt, many more power tools which can be very useful to your tile project, I will not bore you by listing them all here. The few I have mentioned are a very good start. As we move through the various tile projects, step by step, I will describe various other tools (power and hand) which you may want to consider.

I realize that even the few tools I have mentioned can become rather costly. However, when you consider the hassles of finding and hiring a qualified, skilled person to install your tile, I believe the investment is well worth it. Not to mention, many of these tools are very useful for a variety of tasks around the house. And who knows? You may find that you are very good at tile installation and may want to consider installing professionally.

My main goal is to provide you with the knowledge to successfully install your own tile, or find the right person for the job. Speaking of which, I am available for all of your tile installation needs. Just drop me a note with your contact information. I am located in NE Ohio, but would be willing to travel for the right job. Wow, did I just plug myself? I think I done it. Oh well, if I don't promote myself, who will?

Thanks for listening folks, and as always, be safe.