At a glance
A single broken or cracked tile is one of those DIY jobs that looks intimidating but is well within the reach of most householders. The key is patience during removal – rushing the extraction of a broken tile is the most common cause of damaging the tiles around it, which turns a simple repair into a much larger job. Done carefully, replacing one tile takes a couple of hours and leaves a result indistinguishable from the original installation.
This guide covers wall and floor tile replacement as well as the simpler repair of cracked or crumbling grout joints, which can often be sorted without replacing the tile at all. The approach differs slightly depending on whether the tile is on a wall or floor, and whether it is ceramic, porcelain or natural stone – all of which are covered below.
What you’ll need
Assessing the damage
Before reaching for tools, work out exactly what you are dealing with. A hairline crack in a ceramic wall tile is a different repair to a shattered porcelain floor tile, and the approach varies accordingly. The most important initial check is whether the tile is hollow – tap it gently with a knuckle. A dull, hollow sound means the adhesive bond behind the tile has failed, which may explain the cracking and means surrounding tiles could be similarly loose.
How to remove the broken tile
Tile removal is the stage where most damage occurs. The goal is to get the broken tile out without transmitting enough force through the substrate to crack the tiles on either side. The key is to cut the grout joints first so that each tile is truly isolated before any chiselling begins. Skipping this step is what causes chain cracking.
Put on safety glasses and gloves
Tile fragments, particularly from porcelain, are razor sharp. Grout dust and debris from the angle grinder are a serious eye hazard. Wear both before starting and keep them on throughout the job.
Cut along all four grout joints
Use a grout rake or oscillating tool to remove the grout from all four joints around the broken tile. For porcelain tiles, use an angle grinder with a thin diamond blade to score along the joint line. The cut needs to go through the full depth of the grout – do not rush this step.
Drill a hole in the centre of the tile
Use a masonry drill bit to drill one or two holes in the centre of the broken tile – away from the edges. This gives the chisel a starting point and reduces the chance of transmitted force cracking adjacent tiles. For ceramic tiles, a standard masonry bit is fine. Porcelain requires a diamond-tipped tile drill bit.
Break out the tile from the centre outward
Place the cold chisel in the drilled hole and tap gently with the club hammer to break the tile into pieces, working from the centre toward the edges. Remove pieces as you go. Never lever from the edge of the tile – this transmits force directly to the adjacent tile.
Clean back the substrate
Once the tile is out, remove all old adhesive from the wall or floor surface using the chisel. The substrate must be clean and flat for the new tile to bed properly. Check with a straight edge – any high spots will prevent the new tile sitting flush. Dust and debris must be removed before tiling.
Never use an SDS drill or rotary hammer to remove wall tiles. The percussive action transmits too much force and will almost certainly crack the tiles around the one you are removing. Use a standard drill for holes and a manual cold chisel for breaking out the pieces.
Fitting the replacement tile
Finding a matching replacement tile is often the hardest part of this job, particularly in older bathrooms where discontinued ranges are common. Always check the back of one of the existing tiles or look inside a nearby socket box for a maker’s mark before buying. A close match is better than an exact match from a different batch – tile colours vary between firings even within the same range.
Apply adhesive to the back of the tile using a notched trowel, combing it in one direction to ensure even coverage. Press the tile firmly into position, using tile spacers to maintain the same joint width as the surrounding tiles. Check it is flush with its neighbours using a straight edge – a tile that sits even slightly proud will catch on bare feet and feel wrong. Wipe away any adhesive that squeezes into the grout joints before it sets. Allow the adhesive to cure fully according to the manufacturer’s instructions – typically 24 hours – before grouting.
Butter the substrate as well as the tile on large or heavy tiles. For tiles over 30cm or natural stone, apply adhesive to both the back of the tile and the substrate surface. This ensures full coverage and prevents voids that can cause the tile to crack under foot traffic or minor movement.
Grouting and finishing
Once the adhesive has fully cured, remove the tile spacers and apply grout to the joints. Mix or prepare the grout according to the packet instructions – it should be the consistency of stiff peanut butter. Press it firmly into the joints using a grout float, working diagonally across the tile face to force grout into the full depth of the joint rather than just the surface.
Fixing cracked grout without replacing the tile
If the tile itself is sound but the grout joint is cracked, crumbling or heavily stained, regrouting is a much simpler job than full tile replacement. The old grout needs to be fully removed before applying new – applying fresh grout over old is a temporary fix that will fail again quickly. A grout rake or oscillating tool removes grout from joints efficiently. Work carefully along the joint and avoid digging into the tile edges.
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