How to Cut Sandstone Thin Tiles

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Sandstones can look extremely attractive. At some point, however, you'll need to cut the sandstone tile to fit. This can be a difficult process to do properly without breaking the tile. Once you learn the technique and use the propers, the job becomes a great deal easier.

For thin tiles that are ? inch thick or less, you can use a chisel to score the tile. Mark where you need to cut on the face of the tile. Make sure that the tile is secure, and use the chisel to trace a guide line along the mark.

Place the chisel on the line, making sure that the straight edge is on the side of the tile that you'll be using later. Tap the handle of the chisel, so that you push the blade into the sandstone. Work along the tile this way, and go over the entire length several times, until you've scored a line into the sandstone tile. The score should be about half the depth of the tile.

Now place the tile on a concrete block. The scored line should be at the edge of the block. Hold one side of the sandstone tile down on the block with your hand. Bring your other hand down sharply on the side of the tile that's beyond the block. If you don't manage to separate the 2 pieces of the sandstone tile with the first blow, try again. This should snap the pieces of the sandstone tile apart. You will need to clean up the edges of the tile, to make them sharp enough to lay the tile.

Keywords: sandstone tiles