Replacing Cracked Tile

On the following pages are ferrante s steps for a perfect repair.

Replacing cracked tile.

If the tile is too badly cracked to repair it you can just replace the damaged tile. That makes work gloves and eye protection critical. Place the cold chisel on the deepest crack in the tile and carefully hit it with the hammer until the cold chisel is underneath the tile. Or for a more diy option try using wood glue and nail polish.

Replace broken or missing ceramic tiles to prevent further damage. If you don t have a matching tile to replace the broken one with evaluate how the rest of the floor tiles look. You can add mastic to raise a replacement tile that s too thin but a tile that s too thick calls attention to the repair. If not you ll need to either.

Professionals often replace a damaged tile but this isn t necessary with a hairline crack for which epoxy filling provides an effective way to seal and hide the crack. If the tile only has a thin hairline crack in it you can fill it with an epoxy. Damaged tiles allow moisture to get under the tile so replace broken ceramic tiles right away. Move the float across the seam diagonally rather than along the gap to avoid pulling the grout out.

Patching hairline cracks is. Breaking the old tile can scatter jagged chunks and small sharp slivers. Debris from this project also can scratch acrylic tubs and showers. Work the grout into the seam using a grout float.

Ditto for clay tiles. Perhaps it would be better to replace the entire floor. You can easily replace cracked and broken ceramic and clay tiles if you kept extra tiles and grout mix. It s a job most any homeowner can handle says joe ferrante a tiling contractor who s worked with the this old house television show for nearly 20 years.

But even then you ll be glad to have tile underfoot because replacing a broken or chipped one is pretty simple to do. Slowly pry the tile up with the cold chisel. If you have ceramic glazed tile and cracks here is an easy fix. Stir the grout to eliminate any settling and to loosen the material for easier application.

Find a nail polish or a combination of polishes and mix to match your tile. If replacing a tile isn t in your budget or if the tile isn t badly damaged you can repair the tile. For a small job like replacing a broken tile use pre mixed grout.