Tile Repair on San Juan Island

A cracked floor tile, a chipped corner in the tub surround, a backsplash tile that's come loose: these are common and they're fixable without tearing anything else out. The trick is getting the old tile out without cracking its neighbors, and getting the new one in flat and level with the rest.

I cut out the grout by hand around the damaged tile, break it out from the center, clean the old thinset down to a flat bed, and set the replacement. Then the grout gets matched as close as possible and sealed. If you have spare tiles from the original job, that's the best match. If not, I'll help you find the closest thing available.

Sometimes a loose or cracked tile is telling you something. A whole row cracking along the same line usually means the floor underneath is moving. A loose tile in a shower can mean water is getting behind it. I'll tell you if I think that's what's happening, because a new tile on a moving floor just cracks again.

For grout and caulk problems without broken tile, see caulking and regrouting.