How to cut glass tile using a wet saw

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Today I am sharing how to cut glass tile and what tools I used to install our blue kitchen backsplash. Glass tile, in my opinion, is gorgeous and provides a shimmery reflective look to any kitchen.

Glass tile is especially beneficial in a small and narrow kitchen simply because it acts as a mirror when light hits it. Learning how to cut glass tile wasn’t really that difficult once I got started.

I will admit though, I was nervous at first. I have provided affiliate links to some of the products I used below in case you are interested in purchasing.

This shot happens to be first thing in the morning when the sun beams through the adjacent window. If you look closely, you can see my reflection on the right side of the picture, above the books. I’m wearing an orange shirt. Isn’t that cool?

First you need to choose your tile. I picked Blue Lagoon, 3 ” x 6″ glass subway style by Daltile. You can purchase this tile from any tile supply store.

You will most likely not find this color though in your local hardware store, I had to custom order it. I did find this similar blue though this morning at Wayfair(affiliate link) .

How to Cut Glass Tile – With A Ryobi Wet Saw

I purchased the $125 Ryobi wet saw to complete this project and it’s worth it’s weight in gold! It is super easy to use and more importantly, changing the blade is easy. I like easy!

Here is the Ryobi “7” blade” wet saw that I bought at Home Depot. (similar one here for purchase at The Home Depot with free delivery (affiliate link)

I removed the tray guard in some of these pictures below so you could see the actual blade and how the tile pushes up to the blade.

How to Cut Glass Tile – Safety First

Glass tile is very fragile and you need to push the tile up to the blade very slowly. Be sure to wear safety glasses as the glass does fly around. Also, beware that your fingers may be cut with small tiny pieces of glass. I found it difficult to wear gloves and work with the tile but you may want to wear gloves.

Note, tray guard is removed simply for the purposes of these photos. You need to keep the guard on when cutting the tile so you don’t have the glass and water flying out of the wet saw.

This is a messy job for sure!

How to Cut Glass Tile – How To Cut Around Outlets

Below, I am cutting the tile to fit around an electrical outlet. I used a tile marker to measure and mark the tile where it needed to be cut. A crayon also works.

I used this wet saw  for our kitchen and bathroom tiling projects and I am very pleased with it’s performance. I did purchase 2 7″ inch tile blades because when cutting glass tile, you need a very sharp blade. Be sure to purchase a blade for “glass tile”. They sell many different types depending on the type of tile you are working with. I think this little guy needs a bath now. Kind of dirty huh?

Prior to installing our kitchen backsplash I had never used a wet saw or tiled before. It was a little intimidating but I am here to tell you, there is nothing to be intimidated about. If you are on the fence about how to cut glass tile or any tile for that matter, simply purchase an inexpensive wet saw, the correct blade and choose a pretty tile that you love.

Once you have all the tools and supplies, it’s fairly easy to install.

Other tiling projects you may like are, our Kitchen backsplash  and our guest bathroom mosaic tiles project.