How to Fit Tile Around a Toilet Flange

Cut glazed ceramic tile around a toilet flange, drain or pipe with a nipping tool for edge cuts or a rod saw blade for enclosed holes. The cut edge sits under the toilet base, trim or escutcheon.

What you need

Model 19400Ceramic Tile Nipping Tool $34.26 each$23.30 each at 100 or more

spare glazed ceramic tile
full-size paper template
mortar and spacers
sealant for movement joints

Steps

Identify the penetration and whether the plumbing is final. Do not template from a temporary cap.
Seal the drain opening before you make fragments. Wear eye and hand protection.
Dry-lay the tile grid. Compare the penetration inside one tile, across a tile edge, or on a grout intersection.
Set the actual toilet base or trim over a template. Find the largest opening it still hides and the smallest the plumbing needs.
Make a full-size template from your control lines. Check the cover and the template together.
Half-moon cut: mark the waste and nip with small bites from the open edge, alternating around the arc and keeping a margin to the line.
Enclosed opening: drill a starter hole in the waste, thread the 19420 blade through, and cut gradually toward the line, leaving a final bridge.
Dry-fit the ring of cut tiles around the flange. Tile must clear the flange and fixture bolts and be hidden by the base.

Tips

Label each tile of a large arc and cut it in its final orientation.
Avoid narrow bridges between the opening and the tile edge. Shift the grid if that helps.
The 19400 has 5/8 in. wide offset carbide jaws and handles ceramic tile up to 1/2 in. thick.
Do not notch so tightly that tile shims or anchors the flange. Do not pack mortar into service slots.

Watch out

Stop for a loose, damaged or wrongly placed flange. Have plumbing corrected before tile closes access.
Drilling or dry abrading tile can make silica dust. Use wet or dust-capture methods.
Porcelain, stone, glass, thick quarry tile and large format often need a wet saw, hole saw or grinder instead.

Questions about the right tool for your job? Email cs@hydestore.com or call 508-916-6442.