How to Fix Chipped Ceramic Glaze

Fix chipped ceramic glaze to give your pottery a new lease on life.

Ceramic glaze gives pieces of ceramic art or tile their luster. If this glaze is chipped, it can ruin the look of the entire piece. You can fix chipped ceramic glaze by removing the glaze altogether and replacing it with a new, unblemished glaze. With some time and care, your ceramic tile, pot or other piece of art will be as good as new.

Things You'll Need

• Power belt sander
• Medium-grit aluminum oxide sandpaper
• Oil-based polyurethane
• Paintbrush
• Extra fine regular sandpaper

Instructions

1. Attach the aluminum oxide sandpaper to your power belt sander. Sand and buff the ceramic, smoothing out the ceramic glaze as much as possible. If you're sanding ceramic tile, try not to sand into the grout lines. Wipe off the dust from the object or tile with a wet rag.

2. Stir the oil-based polyurethane as gently as you can. Avoid shaking or dropping the can, as this can make air bubbles in the finished glaze.

3. Paint the oil-based polyurethane over the sanded ceramic tile. Brush it on in smooth, even coats in the same direction. Avoid getting any of the gloss into grout lines. Let the oil-based polyurethane dry for at least 24 hours.

4. Buff the dry polyurethane glass lightly with an extra fine sandpaper. Buff the gloss to a dull shine. Wipe away the sanding dust. Paint on another coat of oil-based polyurethane as you did in Step 3. Allow it to dry for 24 hours.

5. Sand the coat again with the extra fine sandpaper to smooth out the surface. Wipe away the sanding dust. Apply the last coat of polyurethane and allow it to fully dry and cure for 48 hours.

References

• Ask The Builder: How To Paint Ceramic Tile