Waterjet Cutting 60 x 60 cm (Mitred Edge)

A waterjet cuts the tile cold. Unlike a diamond blade, it does not heat the material or hammer at it. When the machine is set up well, the glaze usually chips less. For a mitred edge the machine has to cut at an angle, which needs a tilting cutting head. Many machines only cut straight down, so ask the cutting workshop beforehand whether it really does bevelled edges and not only straight and shaped cuts.

1. The tiler measures the corners on site and decides which tiles and which edges need cutting.
2. Each tile is marked with its face side and the edge that goes into the corner. On patterned tiles, such as marble effect, the tiler also plans how the veins will continue around the corner.
3. The tiles go to the cutting workshop, or the tiler orders the cut directly from there.
4. The machine cuts the tile to size and bevels the edge. In practice, the bevel is usually not taken to a razor-sharp point. A narrow strip of the face is left, because a sharp tip chips very easily.
5. If needed, the cut edge is lightly sanded so it no longer feels sharp.
6. The tiler fixes the tiles so the two bevelled edges meet cleanly and the joint in the corner stays even along its whole length.

The 60 x 60 cm format is a common size, and it is still easy to handle. One person can usually carry it and lay it on the machine bed without trouble. That keeps the risk of breakage low before the cut even starts.

• Handling: carry the tile upright and support it well. Even a medium format can crack if it is lifted by one corner.
• Cut length: a 60 cm bevel is long enough that a small error in the angle shows. On a full-height wall corner, several tiles stack up, and each one has to match.
• Thickness: thin porcelain panels are more fragile and need careful machine settings for a bevel. Thicker tiles take longer to cut.
• Spare tiles: keep a few spares from the same batch. A spoilt piece may be hard to replace with an exact colour match later.

With much larger formats, such as 120 x 120 cm, the same steps apply, but weight, transport and the risk of losing an expensive piece all grow considerably.

A mitred corner looks clean and modern, especially with plain colours and stone-effect tiles, where the pattern flows around the corner. It also has weaker points that are not always mentioned.

• On corners that get knocked, for example at a bathroom doorway or in a hallway, a bevelled corner is more vulnerable than one protected by a metal trim.
• On tiles where the colour is only in the glaze and the body underneath is a different shade, a light line may show along the edge. Full-body porcelain, coloured right through, has far less of this problem.
• On steps and floor edges, think about whether a bevelled corner can take the load. A mitre with a slightly rounded edge is often used here.

In niches, around mirrors, on bath panels or on outside corners inside a shower, a mitred edge works well, and the corner is easy to wipe clean.

Several things affect how much work is involved:

• The total length of the cuts and the number of tiles
• The hardness and thickness of the material, since ceramic cuts differently from natural stone
• Whether it is only a straight bevel or also cut-outs, curves or holes for taps and valves
• How clear the cutting instructions are: exact sizes and marked edges save time and mistakes
• Transport between the site and the cutting workshop

A flat, plumb wall with a true right angle at the corner helps a lot. Why does that matter? If the corner is out of square, even a perfectly cut edge will not sit properly, and the joint will be wide in one place and tight in another.

• Measuring from the drawing: the cut follows the plan rather than the real corner, and the tiles do not meet.
• Wrong edge: the bevel ends up on the wrong side or the wrong edge. On patterned tiles, the pattern then breaks at the corner.
• Edge too sharp: a knife-edge corner chips during fixing or at the first knock.
• Poor substrate: large tiles need a flat wall and full adhesive coverage with a flexible tile adhesive. Otherwise the corner can move and the joint cracks.
• Careless handling: tiles often break while being carried, not while being cut.

• The tiles match the ordered sizes and are bevelled on the correct edge
• There are no chips or cracks on the face side
• The edge does not feel sharp and is lightly sanded where needed
• In the finished corner the tiles meet evenly along their full length
• The corner joint is narrow, straight and well filled
• On patterned tiles the pattern continues around the corner
• The tiles do not sound hollow when tapped, which would point to missing adhesive behind them