Although it’s fairly natural for tiles to chip and break, that doesn’t make it any less horrifying or even dangerous. If you’re rocking your chair on a broken tile, what follows could be both embarrassing and painful. Let’s face it, chipped and broken tiles are an eyesore. So here’s what you can do to repair your chipped and broken tiles.
Remove the Grout
You need to assess the size of the problem. Is it just one tile chipped, or many tiles? Is the tile in the same pattern as tiles around it, or of a different kind?
If the tile in question has a small chip on it, or it’s a wall tile and doesn’t often have any weight placed on it, then you can treat it with epoxy glue.
Before you remove any tiles, you need to remove the surrounding grout. Grout is used to seal in the tile, so that there’s no moisture between the tiles. To preserve the integrity of the moisture seal, you need to have new grout. If you allow moisture to enter in just a small section of your flooring that will eventually lead to such extensive damage you will need to consult Full Coverage Painting & Flooring to remedy the situation.
Grout is removed with a grout raker, which will allow you to scrape away the grout sitting between joints. Do not rake too deeply, otherwise you will damage the underlying substrate.
Remove any dust around.
Remove the Chipped Tile
If you want to preserve old tile and reset it, then you should be careful when removing it. You can do this by placing a heated iron over the tile, which will melt the underlying adhesive. Then, you can remove the tile using a paint scraper. If you’re careful, and lucky, you won’t damage the tile.
If you don’t care about preserving the chipped tile, then you can use a drill with a masonry bit to break up the tile. The bigger the tile, the more holes you will have to drill. You can then use a hammer, chisel, or some other blunt instrument to break it up. Be careful not to damage surrounding tiles.
Remove Old Adhesive
Once the tile has been removed, you can set on removing the underlying adhesive. This will leave you with a clean surface to work with. You can use mineral spirits to remove the adhesive, letting it set for a while to loosen it, before scraping it off with a paint scraper.
Put a Thin-Set Mortar and Replace the Tile
If the substrate has been damaged, you will have to repair it. If it hasn’t been, then apply a new thin-set set mortar and adhesive to the tile. You don’t have to replace the underlying cement board.
If you are repairing just a few tiles, all you need is a putty knife to spread the adhesive. Now, place the tile over the area and press it down.
Use spacers to make sure that tiles are evenly placed.
Put a Weight on the Tile and Allow it to Set
Now, put a weight on the tile, to squeeze out air particles below the tile. If it’s a wall tile, you can lean a chair or something against it. Leave the weight in place for as long as the instructions say it takes to set.
Put Grout Around the Tile and Reseal the Tile.
Finally, place grout around the tile to protect against moisture. When that is done, you can reseal the tile.