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Tip: Use a scrap of wood as a fulcrum to keep from damaging any other tiles.
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Removing the Grout Note: Illustration A, Illustration B, Illustration C,
Illustration D, Illustration E available using  Materials:
Grout saw
Pry bar
Brush
Glass cutter
Straightedge
Drill with 1/4" masonry bit
Safety glasses
Hammer
Rubber mallet
Cold chisel
Putty knife
Tile nippers
Notched trowel
Scrap of 2x2 wood
Sandpaper or sanding sponge
Tile adhesive
Latex grout
Coins or toothpicks
Grease pencil
Replacement tiles
To replace an unobstructed tile, use a grout saw to remove the grout on all sides. Try prying the tile out using a flat bar; place a thin piece of wood under it to prevent damaging the adjacent tile. - Run a grout saw along the joints bordering the damaged tile, applying firm pressure as you move the saw back and forth (illustration A, click above to view).
- Clean fine debris and dust from grooves with a brush or shop vacuum.
Taking Out the Tile - For ceramic tile that sits partly under a fixture, score an x on the damaged piece with a glass cutter and straightedge, then score along the base of the fixture (illustration B, click above to view).
- Drill a hole through the center of the x with a 2/4-inch masonry bit. Hammer a cold chisel into the hole and, working toward the edges, break the tile into small pieces. Remove the tile fragments, and scrape off the old adhesive beneath them with a putty knife.
- On marble or slate tile, mark an x with a grease pencil. With a masonry bit, drill 3/4-inch holes every 1/2 inch along the x and the fixture's base. Break out the tile with a hammer and chisel.
Marking the New Tile - Lay a new tile over the tile adjacent to the space you have cleared.
- Replace the pencil in a school compass or inscribe with a grease pencil, and open the compass to the width of a tile.
- Set the pencil at the edge of the new tile and the point of the compass or scribe at the corresponding point on the base of the fixture.
- Holding the new tile securely, move the compass slowly along the base of the fixture to mark the shape of the base on the new tile (illustration C, click above to view).
Cutting the Tile - Score the fixture outline with a glass cutter, then score a crisscross pattern in the area to be cut away (illustration D, click above to view).
- Using only the corners of the nipper blades, nibble 1/4-inch pieces of tile away from the scored area with tile nippers. Check the tile for fit, and smooth the edges with sandpaper. To replace tile around a pipe, mark the pipe diameter on adjacent edges of the tile, draw lines across the tile, and use a carbide-tipped hole saw to drill a hole at the center of the square thus formed. Using a glass cutter, score the tile through the center of the hole, then set the tile on a pencil and break the tile by pressing on both sides.
Setting the Tile in Place - With a notched trowel, apply adhesive to the subfloor or mortar bed. If the new tile has tabs on its back, also add a thin coat of adhesive to the tile bottom (illustration E, click above to view).
- Apply enough adhesive to raise the tile slightly higher than the ones around it. Use toothpicks or coins set on edge as spacers to keep the joints between ceramic tiles open and even.
- Lay a 2x4 across the tile, and tap it down with a mallet or hammer.
- Let the adhesive tile set for 24 hours, remove the spacers, and fill the joints with latex-enforced grout.
Estimated Cost Grease pencil = $2.00
Sandpaper = $1.86
Tile adhesive = $15.27
Latex grout = $9.36
Total = $28.49
Additional Tools Cost Grout saw = $7.19
Glass cutter = $8.81
1/4" masonry bit = $3.25
Tile nippers = $19.50
Total = $38.75
Note: To order the new HGTV's Complete Fix-It book, see Resources, below. Illustrations (Copyright) Time-Life Books 2000.
RESOURCES :
HGTV's Complete Fix-It
Author: HGTV
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