QUESTION

How do I repair my cracked tile? - I have a question in regard to a cracked ceramic tile in the kitchen of my seven (7) year old home (bought new by Del Webb/Pulte in Phoenix, Az area). Is it a good idea to try and fix it somehow or to have it replaced? The location is close to a cabinet and is a small, partial tile. The tile is a mottled brown/white/tan coloring. If you like, I can send over a photo attachment. If you suggest fixing it, please let me know what to try. Also, do you have advisers in the Phoenix area? Thank you for your time.

ANSWER

ANSWER - First of all the question should be why did the tile crack. Tile shouldn’t crack unless it wasn’t installed correctly, or it was installed over an unstable substrate, or it was abused in some way. Normally cracked tiles are not repaired. They are replaced.

Of course you need to have some extra tile of the same type and shade to do the replacement. If you don’t have any attic stock from the original installation it can be hard to find replacement tiles particularly if they are more than 3 years old.

Depending on what caused the crack will determine how to fix it so it won’t reoccur. If the substrate underneath it is cracked or unstable it needs to be repaired before the tile is replaced. If the tile was installed so there are excessive voids under it then the replacement tile can be installed just making sure there are not voids. If it cracked due to abuse then you have to avoid that behavior in the future.

It is not easy to get a qualified tile installer to replace tiles. It is normally not worth their time and they don’t want the liability of working over someone else’s work. I would call the developer and ask them to repair it. Not that they will do a good job, but hopefully they will. We do have an inspector in Tucson, AZ, but it would likely be cost prohibitive to have us inspect and replace the tile.