Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a pickle here. I'm replacing my old kitchen sink, but it won't fit because the clamp tabs are getting in the way of my tile countertop. The countertop is made of tile layered on three sheets of plywood, and I need to trim some tile and plywood to make everything fit. While I consider myself a decent DIYer, I've never cut tile that's already installed. Do you think using a Dremel would work for this? Any tips would be greatly appreciated as I'm kind of in a hurry since we can't use the kitchen sink until this is sorted!
5 Answers
Using a Dremel could take a long time and create a lot of dust. I suggest using an angle grinder—just remember to be gentle and let the tool do the work. Just be cautious when moving to the plywood underneath because cutting through that without damaging the tile is tricky.
I haven't personally used a Dremel for this, but theoretically, if you have a diamond cutting attachment, it could work, although slowly. A diamond blade on an angle grinder would definitely be quicker. Once you get through the tile, you can switch to a jigsaw for the plywood underneath.
I started with zero skills when I did some tiling at home. I bought a bunch of cheap tiles to practice on before I cut my actual ones. It helped me learn what works and what doesn’t! Once I got the hang of it, my real tiles turned out great!
Absolutely go for an angle grinder with a diamond blade! Just a heads up, it creates a ton of dust, so if you have a shop vac, use it to minimize the mess.
If you're not too worried about preserving the current tiles, you could just chisel out the ones that need to be cut and replace them after the sink is in place. Just make sure to keep the underneath structure intact. A wet tile saw for the new tiles would be perfect, and be sure to leave some space for caulking instead of grouting in between the tile and sink.
That’s good to know! I think I might not need to cut through all the plywood since I can use side clamps. Still, it seems like this is going to be a challenge.