Get A Professional Finish By Learning How To Bullnose Porcelain Tiles

Bullnose tiles are designed to hide unfinished edges and are one of the top tips for making your tile look more expensive than it is. Often they are considered a trim tile for bathrooms or kitchen backsplashes, but they are also available as floor tiles or pavers. The drawback can be limited availability. You may have found the perfect porcelain tile for your house or yard, but there's no bullnose version for steps or pool edging. Fortunately, there are tools available that will allow you to create your own bullnose to a professional standard. 

One of the key differences between porcelain and ceramic tiles is how hard porcelain is. Just about any tiling tool can cut ceramic, but you need diamonds for porcelain. While this sounds expensive, bullnose profile cutters are an affordable solution. These have a ⅝-inch thread attachment that fits standard angle grinders. If you don't already own one of these tools, the popular PORTER-CABLE Angle Grinder is around $40. The cutters come in various sizes to suit different tile thicknesses. A guide plate is attached to run the tool along the edge of a square tile, grinding away material until a bullnose edge is created. This may leave a small ridge in the middle which can be smoothed off using diamond polishing pads for the grinder or a hand pad, like this Diamond Hand Pad from Unifizz. Both of these are available in various grades (grits), so a smooth professional finish can be achieved with care and patience.

Creating a bullnose on porcelain tiles is straightforward, but it may be worth sacrificing a practice tile to get acclimated to it. Fit the profile cutter to your angle grinder, then put on ear defenders, like these ProCase Noise Reduction Ear Muffs, goggles, and an N95 dust mask. Place the tile on its edge, wedged in a pallet or between two cinder blocks to keep it stable. Angle grinders can be challenging for beginners, so use two hands on the tool. Squeeze the trigger and work along the tile edge using the guide on the profile cutter. Don't try to remove all the tile material at once. Just grind it away slowly until you arrive at the desired shape. If there is a ridge, use the aforementioned polishing pad to remove it. It's a good idea to work outdoors because the dust will get everywhere.

Bullnose profile cutters start at around $80 for one that suits ¾" thick tiles and get progressively more expensive for larger sizes. You can't buy one large cutter to use for different thicknesses because the profile would be wrong. Add polishing pads, and you'll likely be over $100. If you have a couple of different tile projects, costs could mount up, but what price do you put on having the ideal finish? On the plus side, these bullnose profile tools work on concrete, granite, and marble, so you have another ingredient for that perfect tile floor installation, whatever material you are using.