b'TOOL TRENDS (continued) Nippers are necessary be installedand caulking linesbeing able to see them Contractors named nippers as top day-to-day necessi- when you are setting can become difficult. ti es, with Di Blasi saying, A pair of ti le nippers is some- Related are measuring tools like the Stanley Fatmax 16 thing I keep in my back pocket at all ti mes. They come inFoot Tape Measure, a rigid tape with a long standout that handy to cut curves, cut offsmall slivers of ti les, fi nishingDanLambertofLambert offstraight cuts that dont come completely offand toTile & Stone in Eagle, Colo., trim ti le as needed.favors.Healsohasa10 Harris named nippers as a go-to tool, asstraightedge in his toolboxwell as a manual cutt er. These two toolsa true ti le installer ruler. really cut down on the dust and mess,AndJimUpton,Tiger she said. Not only are they easier on ourThe Stanley Fat Max 16 classicMountainTile,Inc.of tape measure provides 14 ft . of healthbutthehealthofthosearoundreach and a durable high impactIssaquah,Wash.,saidin us with litt le prep. These two tools youcase with easy to read numbers. additi ontolevels,self-lev-willfi ndoneveryjobsitewehave:ifeling products were high on ti le is being installed you will see somehis list. In parti cular, Im looking for self-leveling tools, nippers and a manual ti cutt er. Euro- he said. Now that there are SLU products that will gole notch trowels were also named by severalover wood subfl oors, theres more demand in this area.installers as key tools. The Ultrabite Tile Nipper from Barwalt has replaceable carbide teeth,Sawsa handle that the company says is 50% lighter than traditi onal nippersNo tool box would be and that also absorbs most of the shock when cutting.complete without a saw. DiBlasi relies on his wet Flat and level sawformanyjobs.I Asuccessfulti leinstallati onhaveseveralsaws,one isfoundedonafl atandlevelthatIusemostofthe substrate,soitsnosurpriseti me, which is the Dewalt that levelsof all typeswereD24000TileSaw,heEquippedwiththeZERODUST namedaskeytools.Matticeexplained.I also have aSYSTEM, the Rubi DC 250 1200 Zero said I desperately want a greenlarge Rubi DC-250 1200Dust saw is ideal for intensive cutting TheBoschGCL100-80CGof glazed and stoneware ti les, as well laser fl oor square. Something to48 ti le saw, which I onlyas for cutting porcelain ti les or the 12VMaxGreen-Beammake layout easier when work- useforverylargeti les,occasional cutting of natural stone. Connected Cross-Line Laser with Plumb employs exclu- ing alone. but is worth its weight in sive VisiMax technology toHarrissaidthatlaserlevelsgold when it is needed. I monitortooltemperaturereallyhelplayoutaroom.also have a small table-and power consumpti on to deliver the brightest line forWith some of the materials usedtopwetsawforsmall the job. today and the way they need toti les like subway ti le, but canbeusedinapinch for larger ti les when you dont want to take out a bigger saw. Last is diamond hole saws, he added. I have avarietyofthose,and you can never have too many:goodqualityasTheDeWaltD2400Sisoneofthe wellascheapones.Inlightest 10 wet ti le saw in its class, conjunctionwiththeis easy for one person to move, and hole saw, a diamond fi n- providescapacityforupto25rip The FLS90 Floor Line Laser from Stabila has bright square lines that cancuts and 28 plunge cuts, as well as be seen indoors up to 50.ger/milling bit is a mustcutting 18 x 18 ti le on a diagonal. 762020|TRENDS'