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If 1 or more than of your floor or counter tiles have croaky—whether from regular wear and tear or from having a heavy object dropped on them—you don't necessarily need to replace the croaky tile. If replacing a tile isn't in your upkeep, or if the tile isn't badly damaged, you can repair the tile. If the tile simply has a thin hairline crack in information technology, you can fill it with an epoxy. Or, for a more DIY option, try using wood mucilage and boom polish. If the tile is likewise badly cracked to repair information technology, you lot can but replace the damaged tile.

  1. 1

    Buy a 2-office epoxy kit at a local hardware store. Epoxy is, essentially, a hardening mixture that you tin utilize to "glue" together the ii pieces of your cracked tile. While there are one-function epoxy kits, the ii-role variety is college quality and will hold your cracked tile together for longer.[ane] Cheque at your local hardware shop and, if they don't sell epoxy, try a domicile-improvement store.

    • Good-quality 2-role epoxy kits sell for around $35–40 USD.

  2. 2

    Clean the croaky tile with paper towels and rubbing alcohol. Pour a little rubbing alcohol onto i or 2 sheets of paper towel. Wipe the damp paper towel over the surface of the cracked tile until it's make clean. Cleaning the cracked tile will remove whatever dust and grime and ensure that the epoxy sticks to the surface of the tile itself.[2]

    • Both of these products are sold at every grocery store and drugstore.

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  3. 3

    Mix together the epoxy on meridian of a spare sheet of cardboard. Use a popsicle stick to scrape out about ii tablespoons (43 g) of epoxy mixture from each of the 2 bottles onto a sheet of paper-thin. Stir the 2 parts of the epoxy together until they're fully blended. This will start a chemical reaction that hardens the epoxy.[3]

    • If yous don't have extra paper-thin lying around, yous could as well mix the epoxy on peak of a strip of wax newspaper or scrap forest.

  4. 4

    Smear the mixed epoxy along the hairline fracture in the tile. Take your popsicle stick and scoop up about one-half of the mixed epoxy. Transfer the epoxy to the tile and carefully spread a sparse layer of epoxy forth the entire length of the fissure. The liquid will slowly seep down into the scissure before it hardens. Brand sure that you've also covered virtually i⁄2 centimetre (0.20 in) on either side of the crack with epoxy, too. Work fast, equally the epoxy dries quickly.[four]

    • Endeavour not to get the epoxy over the residual of the un-cracked surface of the tile.

  5. 5

    Wait v–10 minutes for the epoxy to dry out. The epoxy should exist fully dry in less than xv minutes. To meet if the epoxy is dry, try tapping information technology with the tip of 1 finger. When it's fully dry out, the epoxy will be business firm to the affect. Your finger volition too come away with no traces of epoxy goo stuck to it.[5]

    • While the epoxy is drying, don't bear on it or set anything on pinnacle of it. As well continue whatever pets and children in your home away from the tile.

  6. 6

    Cut away excess dried epoxy from around the crack. Utilise the sharp edge of a razor blade to scrape abroad any stray epoxy that got onto the tile. To clean off the epoxy, hold the blade at a 45-degree angle against the surface of the tile. Slide under backlog epoxy to remove it.[6]

    • Exist conscientious while you're cutting epoxy with the razor blade. Razors are extremely abrupt, and you could hands cut yourself if the blade slips.

  7. seven

    Tint the epoxy to friction match the colour of your tile. You tin purchase a powder dye (specifically fabricated to dye epoxy) from any arts and crafts or hobby store. Mix the tinted powders (east.k., brown, gray, black) together until you create a colour that matches your tiles. Post-obit the manufacturer's directions, use the dye pulverization to the epoxy until the location of the repaired fissure is no longer visible.[7]

    • This pace is optional. If you observe that the epoxy is already close to the color of your tiles, you may choose to leave information technology undyed.

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  1. 1

    Utilize a thin layer of wood mucilage over the widest part of the fissure. This method works well for cracks that are larger than modest hairline cracks. Squeeze out a dollop of wood glue onto the crack on your tile. Use your finger or a chopstick to smear the wood mucilage lengthwise across any parts of the crevice larger than ane millimetre (0.039 in) beyond. Await about 10 minutes for the glue to dry.[8]

    • Wood glue volition expand and contract without losing its adhesion to the tile. This strengthens your repair and ensures that the repair chore will concluding.

  2. 2

    Paint a thin layer of fingernail shine along the crack. Employ the small castor that comes with the blast polish to depict the liquid smoothen out of the metallic jar and onto the surface of the tile. Smear the polish forth the scissure in your tile until the entire crack is covered. Also comprehend 1–2 millimetres (0.039–0.079 in) on either side of the crack to make sure that it seals.[nine]

    • This method of repairing tile will only work on tiles that take a glazed finish, not porous tiles.
    • Information technology's best to use a shade of nail smooth that matches the surface of your tiles. For case, if you have light beige tiles, choose a light beige shade of nail smooth.
    • In some cases, if y'all can't observe a shade of polish that matches your tile exactly, you may demand to mix together 2 separate shades to create a matching polish.

  3. 3

    Wait ten minutes for the fingernail polish to dry. The smash shine needs to fully dry before you end repairing the croaky tile.[10] To see if the nail polish is dry out after 10 minutes, lightly tap information technology with a finger. If your finger comes abroad dry and the nail polish doesn't have the image of your fingerprint on it, the smooth is dry.

    • If the blast polish is still damp after 10 minutes, wait an boosted 5 minutes.

  4. four

    Remove any excess nail fingernail polish with nail shine remover. It's piece of cake to accidentally get too much blast smoothen on the surface of the tile. To remove it, just pour a little bit of nail smoothen remove onto a gauze cotton wool swab. Smear the cotton swab beyond the excess nail polish v–6 times to remove it.[11]

    • If the excess boom smooth doesn't come off on the beginning try, use some other cotton fiber swab and more nail polish remover and try once again.

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  1. 1

    Drill three–4 small holes in the tile to weaken information technology for removal. Hold a ability drill vertically higher up the cleaved tile then the bit will become directly down into the tile. Squeeze the trigger to beginning the drill, and drill a few holes to weaken the tile. The holes should be in a straight line in the center of the tile, going either horizontally or vertically across the tile face.[12]

    • If the drill kicks up small pieces of tile or creates grit, make clean up after yourself with a dustpan and broom.

  2. 2

    Chip apart and remove the tile with a hammer and chisel. [13] Place the blade of a chisel along the line of holes that you lot drilled in the tile. Tap on the barrel terminate of the chisel with a hammer until the blade breaks through the tile. Tilt the chisel at a 45-degree angle and continue borer it along then that it breaks all of the damaged tile away from the surface below it.[14]

    • Hammer with enough ability to cleft the tile but not and so much force that you damage the forest below the tile. Likewise be careful not to impairment whatever of the adjacent tiles!
    • Once you've removed the tile, throw it in the trash and sweep up the area.

  3. 3

    Scrape off whatsoever grout or mortar that remain beneath the tile. [15] Grout is a tough, sticky material and will most likely accept adhered to the wood nether the tile. Concord the blade of the chisel at an astute 20-degree angle (relative to the floor) and slide it along the space where you just pulled the tile out. Scrape until you've removed all of the grout.[xvi]

    • Throw the grout abroad in a trashcan that children and pets don't have access to (so they can't eat it).

  4. four

    Find or purchase a new tile to replace the damaged tile yous removed. Ideally, yous'll accept a spare tile or two left over from when the tile floor or counter was installed. If that's not the instance, have a movie of the tile yous're looking to replace. Bring it with y'all to a nearby home-comeback shop or tile specialty shop. Look for a tile that matches the tiles in your home every bit closely every bit possible.[17]

    • The sales staff volition also be able to help you find a matching mode of tile.

  5. five

    Apply mortar to the base of operations of a replacement tile. [xviii] Put on a pair of latex gloves before you offset working with mortar. Purchase a small tub of mortar and a putty knife from a local hardware store. Utilise the blade of the putty knife to scoop upwardly a dollop of mortar and spread it evenly across the lesser side of the tile. When fully spread, the mortar should be virtually i⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) thick.[19]

    • Be careful not to get mortar on any of the other tiles. It's hard to remove!

  6. 6

    Set up the new tile in place and apply gentle pressure. Hold the tile so that it's centered over the hole that y'all removed the original tile from. Fix the tile in the pigsty and press downwardly lightly to seat the tile in place.[xx]

    • If you utilize also much pressure, backlog mortar volition be pressed out from beneath the tile and come up upwardly on its sides.

  7. 7

    Utilize grout effectually the new tile using a grout float. Spread a small-scale dollop of grout onto the bottom of a grout float. Run the grout float beyond the surface of the newly installed tile. Continue to apply grout on and effectually the tile until the pocket-size ane⁄four inch (0.64 cm) gaps on all four sides of the tile are completely filled in.[21]

    • A grout float is a large, flat tool with a handle that y'all can utilise to spread grout effectually. You tin purchase one at a hardware shop or domicile-improvement store.
    • Make certain to apply a colour of grout that matches the existing grout that surrounds other tiles!

  8. 8

    Wipe the tiles clean with a damp rag. [22] Before the grout dries, dampen a rag or former washcloth and use it to rub the new tile (and any other grout-covered tiles) clean. Make sure to leave the grout in the gaps surrounding the new tile undisturbed. Let the grout dry overnight, and your tile surface will be gear up for utilise![23]

    • If you lot forget to clean off the tiles for a few hours, removing the grout will be a much harder task!

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Add together New Question

  • Question

    Can I easily supercede a cracked tile?

    Art Fricke

    Art Fricke
    Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Art Fricke is a domicile renovation and repair specialist and the owner of Fine art Tile & Renovation based in Austin, Texas. With over 10 years of feel, he specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations. Fine art focuses on a single contractor approach to customized renovation work, and performs projects such every bit installing custom tile showers, fixing tiled shower leaks, replacing cracked tiles, and installing floor and wall tile.

    Art Fricke

    Habitation Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Skillful Reply

    You commonly can! Only scrape out the grout around the tile and use a hammer and chisel to break the onetime one out. After that, you tin use mortar to the new tile and press it into place. Don't forget to fill in the gap with new grout.

  • Question

    Practice you put mortar on the back of a tile?

    Art Fricke

    Fine art Fricke
    Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Art Fricke is a home renovation and repair specialist and the owner of Fine art Tile & Renovation based in Austin, Texas. With over x years of experience, he specializes in bathroom and kitchen renovations. Art focuses on a single contractor approach to customized renovation piece of work, and performs projects such every bit installing custom tile showers, fixing tiled shower leaks, replacing croaky tiles, and installing floor and wall tile.

    Art Fricke

    Abode Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Expert Answer

    Yeah! When you're ready to lay the tile, scoop out a dollop of mortar and swipe it onto the back of the tile before placing it downward on the flooring.

  • Question

    Can you lay new tile over old mortar?

    Art Fricke

    Art Fricke
    Abode Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Art Fricke is a home renovation and repair specialist and the owner of Art Tile & Renovation based in Austin, Texas. With over 10 years of feel, he specializes in bath and kitchen renovations. Fine art focuses on a single contractor arroyo to customized renovation piece of work, and performs projects such as installing custom tile showers, fixing tiled shower leaks, replacing cracked tiles, and installing floor and wall tile.

    Art Fricke

    Domicile Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Expert Respond

    No. Before you lay downwards new tile, scrape upward the sometime mortar to prepare the area. Otherwise, your floor may be uneven.

  • Question

    Can you remove one broken tile?

    Art Fricke

    Art Fricke
    Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Fine art Fricke is a home renovation and repair specialist and the owner of Art Tile & Renovation based in Austin, Texas. With over 10 years of experience, he specializes in bath and kitchen renovations. Art focuses on a single contractor approach to customized renovation work, and performs projects such every bit installing custom tile showers, fixing tiled shower leaks, replacing croaky tiles, and installing floor and wall tile.

    Art Fricke

    Home Renovation & Repair Specialist

    Expert Answer

    Yeah! Just chip apart the former tile you want to remove. Then, pry up the pieces using a hammer and chisel.

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Things You'll Demand

  • two-part epoxy kit
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Newspaper towels
  • Popsicle stick
  • Paper-thin sail
  • Razor blade
  • Wood gum
  • Chop stick
  • Fingernail smooth
  • Nail smooth remover
  • Cotton swab
  • Drill
  • Drill bit
  • Dustpan and broom
  • Hammer
  • Chisel
  • Replacement tile
  • Mortar
  • Putty knife
  • Latex gloves
  • Grout
  • Grout bladder
  • Rag

  • Be aware that, although repairing a cracked tile is a quick and easy method, it's only a temporary solution. The tile will probable scissure again. Replacing the tile—although information technology's more expensive and time-consuming—is a longer-lasting fix whether the tile is located in your floor, bath, or pool.

  • If you lot'd rather not utilize an epoxy to patch upward your cracked tile, many hardware stores and home-comeback stores also sell fast-hardening tile filler.[24]

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References

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