How to Replace a Broken Tile

Published by cravat | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Miscellaneous

Occasionally one or more tiles will crack or break and the only way to repair the floor is to replace the broken tile. Sometimes replacing a broken tile can prove to be a difficult and challenging procedure.

Throughout the ages people have used tile as flooring. Tile is durable, clean, and stylish. Most tile will last for years. Some have lasted for hundreds or thousands of years. Occasionally one or more tiles will crack or break and the only way to repair the floor is to replace the broken tile.

Replacing a broken tile can prove to be a difficult and challenging procedure. More than likely you will not have any of the original tile at hand. If you do, this process will be a little easier. Most tile is discontinued after so many years of production. This will make it that much harder to to do your job. You might have to settle for something similar or choose something different as an accent. The worst case scenario is that you have to completely replace all of the tile flooring. Assuming you possess or have acquired a suitable replacement tile the real work is about to begin.

The first thing you will have to do is to remove the remains of the broken tile and the underlying thin set. There are many pneumatic and electric chiseling tools that can you use to do the job. However, you should shy away from using these unless you have to replace a large section of tile. Even then you will need to be extremely careful of the adjacent tile. The best tools to use for removing the broken tile are hand tools. You will need a hammer, a quarter inch cold chisel, a two inch cold chisel, and a four inch cold chisel. With the quarter inch chisel carefully tap it with the hammer and remove the grout around the broken tile. This will help to prevent damaging the tiles around it. Then you can begin to remove the broken tile. If the tile has a sufficient space to do so, you can use the two inch cold chisel to get underneath and pry it lose. If not, use your hammer to break the rest of the tile. Once you have removed the tile you will need to get the thin set off the floor.

Again to avoid any damage to the surrounding tile use the two inch chisel and work around the outside edges. Once you have chipped out around the edges, use the four chisel to chip out the rest of the thin set. You will not be able to remove it all but you will be able to get the majority of it. If you are a perfectionist, there are grinding tools that will remove all of the thin set. Again I would caution against this to avoid further damage.
Are you ready to replace your tile? For this you will need your tile, a grooved trowel, rubber mallet, thin set, grout to match, and four spacers. First mix and lay the thin set about three eighths of an inch thick. Next place the spacers at all four corners. Now place the tile in position. With the rubber mallet, starting in the center, tap the tile firmly in a circular pattern from the center to the edges. After you have set the tile, remove the spacers. Let the tile set for twenty-four hours. Now it is just a matter of grouting. Once you have grouted, you are done.