Cutting Your Own Glass Mosaic Tiles
Working with glass tiles can be a real challenge, if not indeed impossible, if you do not have the right tools. The tools you need are actually not very expensive nor are they too difficult to use. These include a trowel, grouting sponge, grout scrubbie, multi-purpose knife, and different types of cutters.
When laying down tiles you are supposed to find the center of the area for tiling, lay your first tile right there, and build out from it. Sooner or later you will get to the corners of the area, where your tiles may no longer fit into the remaining space. Or if you are installing on a wall, you do not want to cover the electric outlet, but you do want to cover every inch of space right next to it. You will have to cut your tiles.
If you are laying out glass mosaic tiles, a wheeled glass mosaic tile nipper will do the trick. This looks like a pair of pliers with wheels affixed to the two clamps. A spring is fitted below the fulcrum to keep the two wheels apart when not in use.
When cutting, place the tile in between the two wheels and squeeze the levers until the wheels are lightly touching the tile along the line you want to cut. To assure a straight cut, squeeze quickly and cleanly. Do not hesitate as you press on the levers as this could result in a crooked cut or even in a crushed tile. This is because all glass has its own fracture point, and it is here that it will break if you give it time to find such point.
An alternative tool is a glass scorer. This consists of a tiny sharp wheel that scores the glass when rolled firmly against it. The advantage of this type is that it can also be used for large glass sheets and you can cut in any shape you want.
After scoring, use a running pliers to pop the glass apart. A centering mark is included in the pliers, which should be aligned with the score mark. On the lower half of the pliers, a hump is mounted on the center. With this position, the glass is pushed on either side of the hump easily breaking it along the score mark.
Do not forget to wear safety glasses and thick gloves when cutting tiles. You do not want glass shards flying into your eyes or cutting you hands.