by Crayon

Created on: April 16, 2009

Anyone who has ever dropped a cast iron skillet on the kitchen floor or a bowling ball in the foyer knows that although a tile floor is very durable, it is far from indestructible. If you have some cracked tiles don't take out a second mortgage to replace an entire tile floor just yet, replacing one or two tiles can be a relatively hassle free process.

The first thing you should know about ceramic and porcelain tile is that the tile manufacturers are constantly dropping the styles of tile that they make in favor of new ones. Also, the tiles that the manufacturers continue to produce are subject to variations in pigmentation and texturing from dye lot to dye lot. These aspects of tile make it very difficult, if not impossible, to purchase a tile that matches an existing floor. For this reason it is important to hang on to a few of the left over tiles after the floor is installed, stashing them under your oil tank or in a stairwell keeps them out of the way but handy in an emergency. The same goes for grout, although it is easier to find grout that comes close to the color grout that you currently have it's still a good idea to store some extra grout in a resealable plastic bag with the color of the grout as well as the grout manufacturer and the room that the grout was used in written on it.

Once you've found the tile and grout that you hid in the basement five years ago the next step is removing the broken tile. Carefully remove the grout on all four sides of the broken tile with a grout saw, chisel or flat headed screwdriver. Removing the grout will help isolate the broken tile from the rest of the floor, reducing the risk of damage to the surrounding tile.

If the tile is cracked place a chisel or flat headed screwdriver in the crack and drive it into the tile with a hammer. If the tile is only chipped smack it with the hammer to create a crack. Once the chisel is embedded in the tile use it as leverage to pull up a section of tile. Once a piece of the tile is up use the chisel to separate the rest of the tile from the floor by placing the chisel where the tile meets the floor and driving it between them with a hammer.

Once the tile is completely removed from the floor it is important that all of the mortar that was used to set the tile is removed as well, this will ensure that your tile lays flat with the rest of the floor. Scrape up the mortar that is on the floor with a chisel and a mason's stone until you have taken up as much of the mortar as possible.

Mix up a batch of high grade thin-set mortar per the manufacturer's directions. Use the appropriately sized notched trowel to spread the mortar directly on the backside of the tile that you will be installing. Be sure that the mortar is spread evenly. Press the tile into the space vacated by the cracked tile, wiggling it slightly to ensure proper adhesion. Make sure that the tile is at the same height as the surrounding tiles.

Once the tile is set it cannot be walked on for twenty-four hours after which it will be ready to grout.

Mix and apply the grout per manufacturer's instruction. Make sure that you feather the fresh grout into the existing grout until it is uniform.

After another twenty-four hours the floor will be ready for normal traffic.

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