Title: How To Repair And Replace Broken Bathroom Ceramic Tiles
1How To Repair And Replace Broken Bathroom Ceramic
Tiles
42 Colonnade Road North, Suite 500, Nepean,
Ontario K2E 7J6
Email info_at_ottawadiamondflooring.com
2- Damaged or broken floor and wall tiles will not
only destroy the overall look of your bathroom,
it can as well be dangerous for you. This is why
if you notice cracks on your tiles especially in
high foot traffic areas, it is important to have
it repaired as soon as possible. If you need to
repair or replace a broken tile, you can follow
these easy to follow ceramic tiles replacement
instructions. - Replacing damaged ceramic floor tiles can either
be easy or hard. The level of difficulty greatly
depends on the substrate and the type of adhesive
being used for tile installation. While you can
do the easier floor tile replacement tasks,
harder tile repairs can only be done by a
professional. Because harder repairs are
considered as a very specialized service, finding
a contractor who is interested in doing detailed
and small repairs is a bit difficult. The
challenge of repairing broken tiles is more than
just having them removed and replaced, it is more
of how you can do it without making the repair
obvious.
3Here are the steps you need to follow in
repairing your ceramic floor tiles.
Step 1 Grout Removal
The first thing to do is to remove the grout
which seals and bonds the area in between the
tiles. For soft and unsanded floor grout, you can
use a utility knife with a dull blade to scratch
it out.
4- For sanded and tougher floor grout, you would
need to use a small cold chisel to break its
surface especially if you are dealing with no
less than 1/4 inches wide grout line. Once the
surface is already broken, you can use a utility
knife with a dull blade to remove the grout. For
wider grout line, you can also use a grout saw.
Note Be careful not to scratch or slip adjacent
tiles.
Step 2 Remove the damaged tile
You can simply remove a loose broken tile and
move to the next step. Otherwise, you may need to
use a hammer and a cold chisel, screwdriver,
concrete nail or whatever available tool you
have.
Tiles that are well adhered to the mortar can be
really difficult to remove. You may need to drill
a few holes in the tiles using a 1/4" or 1/2"
diameter carbide drill bit to make it easier for
you to break them into pieces.
5- Step 3 Prepare the area for new tile installation
Clean the area by scraping out any bumps or lumps
in the adhesive or mortar and vacuuming out all
debris. Place the tile on the area first to see
if it fits well, if there is any excessive
rocking and if it does not get higher than the
adjacent tiles.
6Step 4 Apply grout
- If you believe that everything seems ok, then
it's time for you to apply adhesive to the back
portion of the tile. You can use a putty knife
for this and be sure the adhesive layer is just
1/8 of an inch. Place the tile into the area,
press it down and slightly twist it left to right
and vise versa to ensure that the adhesive will
spread out. Scrape out any excess adhesive. Leave
the tile for 24 hours to completely dry.
After the adhesive dried out, apply the grout.
Follow the instructions written on the grout
label. You can use your fingers and/or a damp
sponge in pushing the grout into the cracks. Just
be sure to protect your hands with latex or
rubber gloves. This instruction is good for
small, simpler, and easier tile repair task. You
can use this instruction both for ceramics floor
tiles and wall tiles. You can also secure the
other adjacent tiles by attaching a tape on their
edges.