Replacing a Broken, Chipped or Stained Ceramic Tile

Things happen. No matter why that ceramic tile has become broken, chipped, or otherwise ruined the fact remains that it needs replaced. One messed up ceramic tile can ruin the look of a whole room. Fortunately this is not a difficult job for the homeowner. This project should only take an hour or so (plus adhesive drying time) and with little effort or cost you can have that floor or wall looking great.

The tools need to replace a ceramic tile are fairly simple and inexpensive. You need a pair of safety goggles, a grout saw, a glass cutter, a cold chisel (not a sharp edged cutting tool), a hammer (or mallet), a replacement tile, tile adhesive, and grout. You will also need some toothpicks or other items to wedge the new tile in place.

To begin the replacement of the ceramic tile, put on the safety goggles and begin removing the old grout around the tile to be replaced with the grout saw. Once the grout is removed take the glass cutter and cut the tile from corner to corner creating an ‘X’ on the tile. Place the chisel in the center of the tile and strike it gently with the hammer (or mallet). Continue striking the chisel using a little more force each time until the tile breaks. If the tile does not break cleanly into four pieces, gently tap the unbroken portions until you have four pieces. Remove the old tile.

Clean out any remaining grout or adhesive in the space. Apply adhesive to the back of the new tile and gently place it into the desired location. Once you have the tile centered use toothpicks or other items to wedge the tile in place. If needed (such as on a wall) you can use masking tape to hold the tile. Following the timeframe on the adhesive’s package wait until the adhesive has cured to do the grout work.

Once the adhesive has cured remove the toothpicks and tape. It is now time to start the grout work. Colored grout is readily available and simple to mix to an uncommon color. Once you have secured the proper colored grout, simply grout around the edges of the new tile and you are done.

Now if you are like me, it is time to hide from the wife before she finds another job for you to so!

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