cutting round WC ?

[terry the tiler]

hi ! anyone got any tips for cutting round a toilet pan ? spent over a hour nibbling checking cutting scribing nibbling etc etc only to crack the tile in the end so had to do it all again job looked great in the end but it took me a lot longer than i quoted for !

[hillhead]

I use a profile gauge and works a treat but it's easier to take the toilet out!

[Alan.P]

If it's not possible to remove and you have to cut in I find it easier to either make a paper template and transfer the marking to tile, or scribe the line direct to the tile, either way I then use a scoring wheel set into a screwdriver handle to scrore the line then wetsaw and nibble.

[TF Ed]

if you dont like scribing or you cant remove the wc then as joe or you can use card/paper as a template..
theres a member on here, macten who uses this piping, cant think of the name but it looked good and got a lot of thanks..began with a j??

also, if the angle of the curve isnt to great, you can score the curve by hand or use a rubi cutter then snap

ed

[albyshellshear]

Using electric cutter make a template out of a peice of paper or cardboard mark the tile cut your edges then make a series of cuts i.e. lllll like a comb efect than snap of the slivers finish off with tile file and sand paper or you can do the same using angle grinder with daimond wheel hope this helps ....Alby

[whitebeam]

Paper template for me also

[hillhead]

angle grinder when well used does the job superb when marked out!

[terry the tiler]

cheers for that ! do you lot take the toilet out yourselves or call in a plumber? iam ok if they have isolation valves on but often opt to cut round it leaving a neat 2mm gap all the way round the pan ! just hate anything to do with plumbing as its my arse ( excuse the pun) on the line if it causes problems later !

[albyshellshear]

Put an isolation valve on yourself easy job using compresion fittings ...Alby

[hillhead]

I'd normally take it out but be careful insurance wise,i usually do full houses so plumbing is not in yet but that looks to be finally changing now.

[TF Ed]

if you take out the wc, then you need to consider that there will be an increased height so, you may need an adjustable soil pipe adaption to compensate ...

[doug boardley]

I make a template out of card cut to same size as a tile

[terry the tiler]

cheers all !!

[mikethetile]

I scribe

then cut on wet saw

[Scott]

Profile gauges are good but these work well too, even if its only for making an accurate template. Excellent for scribing too

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linex-Flexible-Curve-60cm/dp/B000NM90ME/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1271015723&sr=8-2]Linex Flexible Curve - 60cm: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games[/ame]

[Phil Hobson]

Using electric cutter make a template out of a peice of paper or cardboard mark the tile cut your edges then make a series of cuts i.e. lllll like a comb efect than snap of the slivers finish off with tile file and sand paper or you can do the same using angle grinder with daimond wheel hope this helps ....Alby

I make a template out of card cut to same size as a tile

Couldn't put it better, spot on advice

[brinkley]

use a length of solder to determine the shape get the top and bottom marks and bobs your uncle i nibble little and often is the way

[brinkley]

after running your wetsaw blade up like previously said

[Oli]

You need one of these mate, make it a doddle tracing the curve onto a tile.



Search on fleabay for Flexicurve

[albyshellshear]

use a length of solder to determine the shape get the top and bottom marks and bobs your uncle i nibble little and often is the way

Good tip and cheaper than a flexi curve

[Ken Bruty]

Up until now, I've used paperfelt (stiff paper) cut round with stanley knife then marked onto paper with a pencil and transferred to the tile, then cut excess waste off with wet saw, then cut into fingers which are then tapped off and nibbled back to line and filed smooth, but I think I might try the flexi-curve to mark out the tile now.

[andy8758]

Aston Tiling is right - there are additional costs involved with lifting the toilet up - it is highly likely you will need to replace the soil pipe - they are a very tight fit usually. You will also need to re-plumb the cistern, unless it was installed with a flexible (braided) pipe.

However - when you cut tiles to fit around the toilet then thats a bit final - if the customer comes to replace it with a new toilet/suite at a later date then the tiles will have to be replaced too - hence I think it is preferable to lift the toilet and re-plumb - it could mean a lot less hassle for the customer in the future. But remember to charge for parts/labour for lifting the toilet!

[Scott]

Just for those that dont know.

When raising the toilet you can get an offset pan connector which is offset from one end to the other so it can be turned on the soil pipe to line up with the spigot on the pan. McAlpine Straight Rigid Pan Connector

If you need to adjust the feed into the cistern and the pipe is now too short you can get a tap extension which screws inside the tap connector and then to the cistern.

Its all very simple stuff but as already mentioned if your not insured for it be careful!

[Daz]

I have a method but it is best described with diagrams, I'll see what I can sort out over the next week.

Suffice to say that I plot the profile, take the majority of the waste out with 2 wet cuts and a score and snap. Then nibble to the final shape. This works for me no matter what shape of profile or size / type of tile.

[simmy08]

Profile gauges are good but these work well too, even if its only for making an accurate template. Excellent for scribing too

Linex Flexible Curve - 60cm: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

i find these are great for tighter shapes like circle shower mixer valves where you can curve it bacl onitself and tape it in shape. i had a job cutting round a few toilet pans and knew nothing about the flexicurve until i did my homework on here. further testing of it has shown that the tighter the curve the less it relaxes on itself. Where as curved shower trays etc it relaxes when you DE-press it and isn't the true curve template. haven't tried it on a toilet pan but imagine it will be spot on for that kind of curve. just lift it out gently and it should keep the shape.

[whitebeam]

I tried one of those flexi things, sits in the tool box

[terry the tiler]

had a look at a flexicurve on e bay, think il use solder like someone mentioned ! why didnt i think of that ?

[diamondtiling]

I prefer to remove the loo and tile under. If I cant do that for any reason then I use the template option.

[Tommy_S]

i was taught to do it using solder, cant go far wrong with it really. just make sure you mark the correct edge of the solder when transfering to the tile.... done that a few times...