Setting Out: Mitered edges and Right angled miters

[werlynne]

I am having a new bathroom built and we would like the tiles mitered so as to avoid the chrome tile strips, we have started to look at tiles and most of the retailers take a sharp intake of breath when I say want the edges mitered. We are tiling in the bath and we would like the edge where the tile drops down to be mitered. Also can miters be cut round the edges of windows, ie an L shaped angled miter cut out of a tile. We have chosen a porcelaine 1cm thick tile.
If this can be done could someone kindly let me know what equipment and experience I need to ensure that the tiler has so he or she can do the job properly.
Many Thanks

[grumpygrouter]

Mitring is relatively straightforward but it really needs to be done on a wet saw of reasonable to good quality. it will push up the price of your work quite a bit though so you may need to consider that. To mitre an L shape is something I personally have not done and I can see that it is not easy to do because of how you would need to get the tile through the saw. maybe an angle grinder used carefully would be the answer.

I am sure someone will be along sometime today to clarify the L cut though.

[grumpygrouter]

Oh welcome to the forums. Would you lke to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you in the "new members" section?

Thanks

[Dave]

Mitering an L cut will leave a raw edge..if the tiles are through bodied porcelain then not a problem and it can be polished to suit the finish but if a glazed tile then it is not a good finish at all..

It's ok to mitre finished edges on tiles but on a cut edge then it can look crap....worth thinking about..

[heavytrevy]

I use an angle grinder for the L shapes and finish with a sanding stone

Trev

[diamondtiling]

Hi there, welcome to the forum,
I have mitered around a window once, it was natural stone and it was a nice finish but if it had been anything else then I would not have been keen, its labourious and costly, I have a cutter that is more than capable with a bed that can take large format tiles. I have seen a job that was done with porcelain, it looked good until on closer inspection there were lots of chips out of the edges and they were a bit "wonky", do you not like chrome? if done properly it looks great and gives the tile edge the protection it needs.

goodluck to you anyway.

[smac74]

You’ll get that reaction because mitring is not common practice in UK, tend to use tile trim all the time. I agree a mitred edge looks far nicer than trim, as trim is designed mainly to hide the biscuit of the tile, because they don’t run the glaze over the edge of the tile and also used to protect edge of tile.
I’ve done lots of mitring and besides natural stone like marble/ limestone (tend to be done with wet cutter) I’d mitre ceramic and porcelain with an angle grinder. When you get used to doing it, it’s a lot quicker that way and “L” shape cuts are not a problem. With porcelain if you cut the initial shape out first with wet cutter, it leaves you with a good clean edge for you to mitre. With ceramic, same again but with the sharp edge just rub it down with fine sandpaper, smoothes off the glaze and makes it neat and tidy.
Normally price mitring by the Linear Metre – for e.g. Say your window measures 4 Linear Metre all way around, there will be 8 Linear Metre of mitred tiles, obviously two mitred tiles to make up the one finished edge..
It’s just finding a tiler to do it for you and if they haven’t done much, if any mitring before, they’ll not be able to get out your house quick enough.. Stick with it though, because it does look a hundred times better than tile trim and I’m sure you will find someone – eventually..

[pjc]

Its a little harder to mitre porcelain than ceramics and you cant cut them as fine because of chipping them but with a little care it can be done but i use a wet saw with the correct blade :Pete
PS i always charge the same for mitring accept on porcelain which i charge a little more

[milan11]

...I agree a mitred edge looks far nicer than trim,...

...I’ve done lots of mitring and besides natural stone like marble/ limestone (tend to be done with wet cutter) I’d mitre ceramic and porcelain with an angle grinder. When you get used to doing it, it’s a lot quicker that way and “L” shape cuts are not a problem. With porcelain if you cut the initial shape out first with wet cutter, it leaves you with a good clean edge for you to mitre. With ceramic, same again but with the sharp edge just rub it down with fine sandpaper, smoothes off the glaze and makes it neat and tidy...

Very well said!!!

And to add few more words - you can use the sandpaper for porcelain tiles as well.
As you said, first the wet saw cutting, then mitring with angle grinder and then you can still use the sandpaper to make your mitre absolutly perfect without chipping the edge itself.
That way, you'll achieve perfect sharp edge no thicker then 0.5 mm.
But then again, when you finish the mitre corner, you should smoothen the edge with sandpaper as well.

Me personally, I've been mitring all the tiles for last seven years, even the mosaic.

Only for the top of the boxes and window seals I do either bullnose or polish the edge as mitre corner is quite fragile for putting any stuff on them. But that goes only for stone and not for porcelain tiles.


Mitring corner + hand made bullnoses on steps:









Not easy mitring:



Some fancy mitring:




Mitring small strips on cealing:

[doug boardley]

unless you harrass the edges though, they can be razor sharp, against my advice a contractor insisted that the boxed in bath had mitred edges, he then changed his mind when he saw the potential danger if a child tripped in the bathroom, i finished the corner neater and safer with a square edged tile trim

[werlynne]

Can I thank everyone for their advice, I now know it can be done.
Thanks
Werlynne