Appreciation post: A broken tile at the community pool taught me a new trick

I was helping fix a cracked tile at the local rec center pool, and the old maintenance guy, Frank, showed me how to use a grout saw to undercut the mortar bed. I had always just tried to pry things out, which usually made a bigger mess. He said to cut a clean line about an eighth of an inch deep first, and the tile popped right out without damaging the ones next to it. Anyone have a different method for pulling a single tile without wrecking the surrounding ones?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivert186d ago

Ever try using a heat gun first? I used to just go at tiles with a hammer and chisel, which always cracked the neighbors. But heating the tile for a minute or two with a heat gun can soften the adhesive underneath. Then you can slide a putty knife in and pop it out pretty clean. It's way less messy than prying cold tile.

thomas.cameron6d ago

Honestly, the real trick is to check if it's a mud-set or thin-set job first. If it's a mud bed like Frank's, undercutting is the only way that makes sense. But on a modern thin-set job over backer board, you can sometimes just drill a small hole in the center of the broken tile. It relieves the pressure and lets you break the tile inward with a small chisel, so you're not putting force on the edges. Then you clean out the pieces and scrape the old glue. Saves the grout lines around it every time.