Replacing A Broken Floor Tile

Tile flooring has been the most popular type of flooring used in bathrooms for many years. When installed properly tile flooring is almost impregnable to water and is extremely durable. Most tile floors will last for the life time of the homeowner and if properly cared for will retain its beauty for the duration.

There can be times when an accident occurs which will break a ceramic tile. This may come as a surprise to many homeowners, as most people believe that ceramic tile flooring is unbreakable. Unfortunately this is simply not the case. Tile flooring can and does break on occasion. If you happen to have a tile in your bathroom floor which has seen a mishap and needs to be replaced, do not fret for it can be taken care of without too much trouble. A chipped or broken ceramic tile can be replaced by the homeowner with a few simple tools and the desire to do the job.

The first thing you will need to do is to find a replacement tile for the tile which has been broken or otherwise damaged. Ideally who ever installed the flooring saved some of the leftover flooring just for such an emergency. Hopefully you are the previous homeowner saved some of the ceramic tile which was left over from the installation. If this is not the case, then you must go to the local home improvement store or specialty flooring supply center to get tile which matches your existing bathroom floor.

While you are at the home improvement or hardware store you will also need to pick up the materials needed for the repair. Pick up a supply of premixed grout mix, some adhesive and clear grout sealer while you are shopping for your bathroom tile replacement.

Tools you will need: hammer, small chiusel, damp sponge, one-inch putty knife, safety goggles.

You will need to remove all of the remaining old grout surrounding the broken or damaged tile using a chisel or a one-inch putty knife, being sure to wear your safety goggles to avoide flying tile chips. While scraping the old grout from around the broken tile area, be very cautious that you do not nick or chip the surrounding ceramic tiles. Once you have the old grout removed you may use a hammer with the chisel to remove the broken tile.

Once you get the old ceramic tile out, you will see the old tile adhesive remaining on the floor. Using your one-inch plenty ninth scrape out all of this old grout. You will need to leave the floor surface as smooth and clean as you possibly can so that the new ceramic tile will be able to adhere to the floor securely.

Now that you have the floor clean of adhesive, it is time to put new adhesive in its place. Using your one-inch putty knife spread the adhesive evenly where the tile is to be placed. Now carefully placed the newly purchased ceramic tile into the adhesive and make sure that it looks completely square with the surrounding tiles. Place firm and even pressure on the tile so that it sets firmly into the adhesive. The adhesive must tile before you can continue the installation. Consult the label of the adhesive to know how long it takes for the adhesive to cure.

Once the adhesive has had time to completely dry is time to grout the new ceramic floor tile. Mix of the tile grout per the manufacture instructions on the container. Apply the grout into the spaces surrounding the new ceramic tile. Using a wet sponge, wipe all of the excess grout from the tiles and smooth out the joints around the tile.

You will need to let the grout dry out completely which will take approximately 24 hours. Once the grout is completely dry you may coat it with the clear grout sealant.

You have now just repaired your bathroom floor and saved yourself a good hunk of change by not having to hire a professional to do the job. Give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy your newly repaired bathroom floor.