How to Change Bathroom Floor Tile
If one or more of the floor tiles on your bathroom floor have become damaged, it can lead to bigger problems, especially if the damage is a crack or hole that will allow water under the tiles. Replacing it is a matter of getting the damaged tile out -- without damaging the adjacent tiles -- and putting a new one in its place. If you try to simply break up the bad tile, the damage will certainly spread to the ones around it. Be patient, and have your new tiles ready to install before you take out the old ones. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Grout saw
- Vacuum hose
- Cold-chisel
- Hammer
- Hand-held glass cutter
- Razor scraper
- Thin set mortar
- Notched trowel
- Replacement floor tile
- Grout
- Grout float
- Sponge
Instructions
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1
Extract the grout from the perimeter of the first tile that you want to replace using your grout saw to dig it out. Pull out the pulverized grout with your vacuum hose.
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2
Hold your chisel to the center of the tile, straight up and down. Strike the chisel hard with a hammer, knocking a small crater into the center of it.
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3
Score two deep intersecting lines along the surface of the tile using your glass cutter, making an X over the surface. The crater should be right at the center of the X.
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4
Hold the chisel on the scored line near the center and strike it again with the hammer. Move the chisel and hit it again. Keep hitting until the tile begins breaking up along the lines. Break it out completely.
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5
Repeat for each tile you need to remove. Scrape the exposed surface with your razor scraper.
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6
Spread thin-set mortar on the back of each replacement tile with your notched trowel, covering the back completely and getting it to a depth of about 1/8 inch. Set each tile in place where the old ones were, spacing them evenly with the surrounding tiles.
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Let the mortar set for 24 hours. Spread grout over the floor with your grout float, pressing the grout into the gaps between the tiles. Use your damp sponge to clean up the residual grout. Let the grout set for 48 hours.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection and gloves when you break out the existing tiles.
