You may be considering installing ceramic, porcelain, glass, or stone tile on a do-it-yourself basis. Whether you’ll be tiling a wall, floor, backsplash, or other surface, most of the pieces (the “field tiles”) will not need to be cut. However, you’ll need to plan how you will cut the “border tiles” that will go around the edges of the room.

If the tile will only be cut in one direction, you can use “snap-type” hand tile cutters to score the surface along the desired cut line. To make the “L-shaped” cuts needed for corners, however, you’ll really need a wet saw. With a wet saw, you can also make diagonal cuts, odd angles, and (with the right attachments) circle cuts to accommodate water and drain pipes.

A wet saw has a rotating diamond-tipped blade spinning into a reservoir of water. The water keeps the blade and the tile cool, so it cuts more smoothly. Some models have pumps that spray water on the spinning blade, but others do not. Because electricity and water will be used together, electrical safety is important; for example, you’ll generally find a drip loop in the power cord designed to keep water from entering the outlet.

Other safety measures involve wearing eye protection (small shards of material can be thrown off as the tile is cut); keeping hands away from the cut line (use the sliding work tray to push the tile into the path of the spinning blade); and making sure there is an adequate flow of water around the cutting edge of the blade.

Unless you are doing a very large project, it probably doesn’t make sense to purchase this tool. Instead, consider renting a wet saw from a commercial tool rental company. Cleveland Heights homeowners can rent a wet saw from HRRC’s Tool Loan program; call (216) 381-6100, ext. 16 for information.

You’ll find helpful articles online at about.com, sothatshowyoudothat.com, and wikihow.com.