Tile cutting during freezing temperatures

The Pacific Northwest has a very mild climate, so most contractors can work year round inside or outside, and not worry about taking any anti-freezing counter measures for their tools.

This winter has had a fair share of freezing temperatures, and one of my latest kitchen remodels happen to fall smack in the middle of a “winter blast” as they call it in the news. Most of my kitchen and bathroom remodeling jobs call for tile work, as did this one. While setting up my wet saw outside in the client’s back yard it was clear that I was in for a very cold, and uncomfortable couple of days while I was cutting and setting all of the tile.

One very simple trick I’ve picked up from a friend of mine who is a commercial tile setter – is to use hot water for your wet saw. While using hot water definitely helps keep your hands warm during cold mornings, it is not a good solution for when you are facing freezing temperatures. The major problem I had – is that water would cool off and freeze inside the supply line leading from the water pump to the tile blade of the wet saw. If I stopped running saw for about 10 minutes, I’d come back to a frozen water line which meant a significant delay in the work progress.

Solution I found was to add a quart of DOW’s DOWFROST(tm) winterization liquid to a 5 gallon bucket of hot water. This pink liquid is sold in any home improvement store in one gallon jugs.

While using a wet saw in freezing conditions is miserable no matter what you do, at least with the above tips you won’t be slowed down by water freezing in your saw’s tubes. Visit our blog for more home remodeling tips and ideas.