Painting and tiling may come later in the construction process than other trades, but innovation remains necessary to reduce job time and increase work efficiency. Here are some of the latest tools and equipment for tiling to keep an eye out for.

Tile nippers Moderntiling.ie (also referred to as nibblers) allow you to make cuts that a wet saw or snap cutter cannot. These tools feature pliers-like handles with jaws that bite into tiles for cutting precision.

1. Wet Tile Saws
A wet tile saw may seem intimidating at first, but it's actually very easy to use. A pump sprays water over its blade to reduce chipping or breaking tiles as much as it might with regular power saws.

Freshwater cools and lubricates the diamond blade to help avoid tiles cracking during cutting. Many models also provide special features like beveling or portability.

Basic wet saw models feature a table that holds tile while its blade cuts it, while more advanced contractor-level models resemble power miter saws and operate on rails overhead, enabling you to place tile at specific angles such as 45 degrees while cutting.

2. BDi ExacTile
BDi ExacTile was designed with DIY tilers in mind. This hand tool provides confidence to DIY tilers while eliminating frustration caused by using plastic crosses as relative positioning aids. Furthermore, its dual purpose of serving as both tile level-checking tool and level-checking laser feature makes this device suitable for serious DIYers or professional tile fixers alike.

GuessLess offers a modular design, providing flexible pattern tiling options and producing different size sets of blades as needed. Furthermore, its unique locking handle features a spirit level for quick and accurate level confirmation for single tiles or pairs of tiles quickly and accurately.

3. iQ228 Dry-Cut Tile Saw
Cutting tile generates an immense amount of dust that not only creates an untidy work area, but can be dangerous without proper respiratory protection. At IQ Power Tools we developed this dry-cut tile saw that eliminates water usage for clean, efficient and accurate cutting of tiles.

It features a Q-Drive diamond blade designed to stay cool even without water due to its diamond concentration, metal type, and flange thickness. One motor powers both components. According to iQ's claims, airborne dust reduction has been increased by up to 99.5%.

4. Tile Leveling Clips
Level, Align, Space & Hold Tile leveling clips help eliminate lippage while creating a consistent finish by raising neighboring tiles to an identical height. Furthermore, they save time by eliminating the need for shimming. There are clip systems which use wide wedges (and optional pliers) which fit into leveling clips in order to provide a flat surface and cap systems which feature tabs with teeth which engages tile leveller members for quicker levelling results.

The clip head 68 features a thickened upper section 82 that prevents deformation of its wedge when driven into an opening 78 by tile levelling tools, thus improving effectiveness by decreasing effort required to drive it in.

5. Grout Rake
No matter if it's time to regrout a tile floor or simply clean existing grout lines, manual tools that use scraping, chipping, or sawing motions will do just fine. Depending on your proficiency with various tools you could also employ an electric grinder or reciprocating power tool with a grout removal blade as necessary.

DIYers searching for an ideal tool are best served by an oscillating multi-tool equipped with a carbide grit grout removal blade. Oscillations allows for precise operation such as grout removal without using as much force and power, potentially harming surrounding tiles in the process.

6. Grout Saw
Grout saws are manual tools designed to chip, scrape, or saw through grout. Although relatively inexpensive and time-efficient compared to alternative approaches, they may become dusty and tiresome over time.

Though grout grabbers remain useful tools, they're outmatched by multi-tools designed specifically to remove grout lines with oscillations that cut through them far more cleanly.

By eliminating the need to switch blades frequently, this tool makes life much simpler. Please wear work gloves and eye protection when operating this tool.

7. Tile Nippers
Tile nippers (like scissors or pliers) are essential tools for every DIY tiler or expert tiler looking to revamp their bathroom, as they allow for intricate cuts such as semicircles or other irregular cuts that wet saws or snap cutters cannot achieve.

Nippers work best when used with hard materials such as tile and natural stones such as glass. Firmly grip the tile with their jaws, then take small bites toward your line of cut until reaching your intended goal, snapping off remaining pieces using downward motions. They may also work for cutting through soft materials like mosaic or glass tiles.