How to replace a wall or a floor tile

 

With a little patience, it's very easy to replace a damaged tile. You can use the same technique for a wall or a floor tile.

You won't be able to see the damaged tile has been replaced with a new one.

1. The right tools

 

You will need a new tile, tiling cement and grout. You will need a tile cutter with a diamond cutting disk, a drill with a tile or masonry bit, a masonry chisel, a hammer a notched spatula, a Tyler's float, a tray, a mallet, a cat tongue trowel, a rubber squeegee, a heavy duty sponge and a soft cloth.

You will need a pair of work gloves, safety goggles, a dust mask and a pair of household gloves.

2. How do you remove the broken tile?

 

Scrape off the grout in the joint removing as much as you can to separate the broken tile. Cut out the individual tile moving the cutter backwards and forwards. For large floor tile joints, it's quicker to use an angle grinder with a diamond disc without using the hammer option, drill holes in the tile. Drill a few holes to help crack the tile. Drill no deeper than the thickness of the tile.

TIP
To avoid drilling into the subfloor, wrap a piece of masking tape around the drill bit at the required depth.

3. Loosen the tile

 

Free up the tile and use the chisel and Hammer to remove any fragments of broken tile. Work from the center outwards. With the center removed, hold the tool at an angle to slip under the tile without scoring the subfloor. Scrape up the cement. Remove the rest of the cement by scraping with the masonry chisel. For a tough subfloor like a concrete screed, the hammer and chisel will help you to remove the remaining pieces.
Finish by scraping up any remaining grout.

4.How do you lay the new tile?

 

Place the new tile in position and check that the surface is no higher than the others allowing for the thickness of the cement. Apply tile cement either to the subfloor or the back of the tile. Use the serrated side of the knot spatula for the desired cement thickness.
Lay the tile into position and put tile spacers around it to center it perfectly. Press down with a float and mallet to align the surface with the adjacent tiles.

 

Force the grout into the tile joints and smooth diagonally over the area with a squeegee mop to avoid digging into the grout. Mop up the rest of the grout with a wet frequently rinsed sponge then smooth the tile joint. At least one hour later clean the tile and surrounding area with a cloth.

 

A completely invisible repair which seals your floor perfectly.