Every clumsy do-it-yourselfer has cracked a bathroom tile by carefully trying to tap an edge off it. Not everybody has a tile cutter.
But the cool new cutting technology involves computer-controlled water jet cutting.
Enter any design into the computer, and the thing cuts the pieces for a perfect fit - assuming your floor is level. Tile floor medallions and wall designs are now relatively affordable, and can be as intricate as you want them to be.
Terrazzo, stone, marble, porcelain, ceramic: it works for all of them.
This technology makes for good fun for architects, and a challenge for the installers: abstract jigsaw puzzles .