Whether you are operating power tools or trimming with tile cutters, you must wear safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes from any debris (splinters and chips) that may be propelled towards your face.
Vented goggles can be worn over regular prescription glasses.
Whether you choose in-ear style plugs or over ear protectors, it's important to always wear ear protection when using power tools or cutting with a wet saw.
The noise generated during cutting, grinding and drilling is often loud enough to cause damage to your inner ear, even after a relatively short period of time.
Two-strap disposable dust masks help protect your lungs against dust particles caused by grout and thin set that contains silica.
For protection from more hazardous dusts and fumes that occur when grinding floors or spreading membranes, wear a half mask cartridge filter respirator.
These feature removable cartridges that may be altered depending on the job being undertaken (always check the manufacturers recommendations).
A more expensive but much more robust alternative is a power air purifying respirator.
This apparatus features a full face mask that's supplied with clean air pumped through a flexible hose from a battery-powered belt pack with a fan and filter cartridges.
These are the only kind of mask that provides safe protection for people with beards or other facial hair using hazardous materials, such as tile debris and other toxic vapours (a normal dust mask will not hold tight enough against a face that contains facial hair).
There are two kinds of gloves that are particularly useful for tile preparation, installation, repair and maintenance: Work gloves are great for protecting your hands when handling sharp-edged materials such as broken tiles or during demolition projects.
Rubber gloves can help protect your skin against dryness and irritation when handling cement for grouting and sealing the tiles.
They are also useful for protecting your hand when using harsh chemicals to clean the tiles following the grouting process.
Although knee pads are not strictly safety gear, they are important for reducing the risk of knee injury or problems incurred when working on the hard tile surface.
Whether you choose a single pad to kneel on or a pair of knee pads to wear.
Make sure you test several before you buy them, as they come in various shapes and sizes.
Make sure you choose the knee pads that are the most comfortable, as an uncomfortable pair can cause injuries to your knees.
If you purchase the above safety gear you should be able to get a beautiful tile finish without ending up in the emergency room.