When it comes to renovating, the bathroom and kitchen are the most expensive rooms in a house, per square foot, to revamp. So it’s common for DIYers to be drawn to doing some of the work themselves, to try and stretch the budget further. Taking on the job of tiling, for example, makes a lot of sense because saving on labor means you can likely spring for better-quality tiles or allocate to things like better cabinets or fixtures. It’s also a rewarding project that yields results about 24 hours after setting the last tile.
From ceramic penny rounds for a backsplash to chunkier 24x24-inch stone tiles in a foyer to trendy porcelain planks in a bathroom, every tile job requires making cuts. With some jobs, like a backsplash of basic subway tiles in a running bond pattern (where each tile starts at the center of the tile below it), you might get by with a manual tile cutter and a pair of nippers, but for mosaics, larger tiles, or making more advanced cuts, a tile saw is an easier time saver.
Fortunately, the price of tile saws has come down and manufacturers offer smaller models aimed at homeowners. But renting is still a popular option. Here’s what I say: If your tile job will take more than a long weekend or you’ve got a long-term plan that includes multiple projects, buying a saw, as opposed to renting one, can be a better deal in the long run.
Here, we’ve selected the seven best tile saws, representing a range of features, capabilities, and prices. If you’ve got a sizable floor or wall that needs tiling, one of these is sure to fit your needs.
There are two predominant ways to cut tile, the most basic of which is with a manual score and snap-style cutter. This type of tile cutter typically cuts tiles between ¼-inch and ⅞-inch thick, and up to 36 inches wide. And as mentioned above, for simple tile jobs—like a small backsplash with minimal cuts—it might suffice. Pros still use these because they’re inexpensive, easy to fix, quick, clean, and quiet—and ideal for thinner ceramic tiles. A thicker stone or hard porcelain, however, might be a challenge.
But a pro’s bread and butter is a tile saw, sometimes called a wet saw, because it’s faster for repetitive cuts, it leaves crisp edges, and it helps with complex cuts around outlets, plumbing penetrations, and floor vents. For the uninitiated, a tile saw is similar to a table saw with a blade that comes up through the middle of the table. Some tile saws have a head that moves toward and away from you, while others have you slide the tile, sometimes on the moving table, through the blade. All tile saws use a diamond blade, which doesn’t have teeth like a typical saw blade, so they are much less intimidating. Instead, the rim of the blade is embedded with synthetic diamonds, which are harder than the material any tile is made out of, so they grind, using friction to cut through porcelain, ceramic, stone, and glass.
Unlike cutting wood, which creates a cloud of dust, a tile saw uses water to keep the air clean. In more expensive machines, a small pump sits in the basin and pushes water over the blade. On basic machines, the blade passes through the water basin as it rotates underneath the table. That water cools the blade as it cuts, prolonging its life, but also wets the dust, keeping it out of the air, which means you can usually work inside near the project as long as you protect the floor and walls from overspray. Still, this is a power tool, and you should treat it accordingly and wear eye protection.
Today you can buy an inexpensive tile saw for less than $100, with everything in the box you need to start cutting. But these budget-friendly machines have mostly plastic parts and weak motors that are easily overwhelmed. That means the harder and larger your tile is, the greater the chance you’ll fry the motor, be running back and forth to reset the breaker, or ruin fragile tile like glass or marble. If your projects involve more than just a couple dozen quick cuts through some thin ceramic subway tile, you should look into purchasing a higher-end saw or renting one from a home center, which typically stocks quality models. These come with better parts, and usually better-quality blades, meaning you’ll end up with cleaner, more accurate cuts. The poor-quality blades that come with sub-$100 saws can chip your tile, slow down the process, and cause more headaches than the initial savings are worth.
To find the best homeowner-grade tile saws, I evaluated a wide range of models based on price, capacity, durability, and my personal experience over decades as a DIYer and writer. If your project is mostly square cuts, just about any of these saws will do. If you plan on taking on multiple projects around the house, it can be worth investing in a better saw with more capacity, a stronger motor, and a better pump in the event you want to start cutting pavers for outdoor projects as well. I considered these key features when choosing these seven tile saws: capacity (how big and thick a tile the saw will cut), motor size, and any other features that make cutting easier and more accurate.