Remove & replace damaged tiles

February 1, 2007


Q. I have ceramic tiles in my kitchen and over the holidays I dropped a large casserole dish on them and now I have a cracked tile in the middle of the kitchen. I was hoping that the tile could be removed easily and a new one put in its place. Fortunately, I purchased extra tiles when we installed the floor three years ago. How do I go about removing existing damaged tile and installing a new one?

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Fran, North Vancouver

A: To begin remove the damaged tile by drilling half-inch hole in the centre of the damaged tile, using a carbide tipped drill bit. Next, scribe an X through the tile from corner to corner using a glass cutter. With 1/16 nail set inserted into the half-inch hole; holding the nail set at a 45-degree angle to the face of the tile and tap with a hammer removing all of the pieces. Clean the grout line area with a drywall knife or rigid putty knife. Set the replacement tile in the cavity to check the size and direction of the pattern. Apply a coat of Weldbond adhesive to the cavity and to the back of the tile. Mix a slurry of Weldbond adhesive and poly cement and apply a thin coat to the cavity and set the tile into place and removing any slurry that seeps out. Rake the grout line clean, after eight hours replace the grout.

Note: Always wear safety glasses, gloves and mask when doing home projects.