We are trying to fix up and sell our house and I am needing some help with a broken tile we have. I chipped it out and took it to Rona to match, since it was installed 22 years ago and we do not have the spare/extras around.
From my knowledge it is a red clay interior, 6x6 inch, cream, glazed tile.
Rona had 2 items that I wish I could combine:
-a 3x6 inch, cream, tile that looks identical on the outside, but different inside clay
-a 6x6 inch, white, tile of the same style and make.
The worker there said they do not have the 6x6 of the cream.
Where else can I look for selection? I am in the south, near southland and mcloed. I see there are a few stores along 58th ave but I am wondering if there are other larger stores that I can try that may have a match?
Also, the dry wall behind the tile was damaged, is this a huge issue to replace or patch something in? It luckily was a bottom tile, so there is a ceramic ledge that I adhere it to, but is the drywall important for vapor or heat protection?
Is that ceramic edge part of a bathtub perchance? Assuming the drywall wasn't to badly damaged, you could probably get away with just mashing in a bunch adhesive but just make damn sure you grout properly and seal it after it's dry otherwise it will be falling out again (along with all the ones around it) before you've had a chance to sell the house.
Not sure where else to look for tile tbh. You may just have to go with something as close as possible.
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Is that ceramic edge part of a bathtub perchance? Assuming the drywall wasn't to badly damaged, you could probably get away with just mashing in a bunch adhesive but just make damn sure you grout properly and seal it after it's dry otherwise it will be falling out again (along with all the ones around it) before you've had a chance to sell the house.
Not sure where else to look for tile tbh. You may just have to go with something as close as possible.
It is about 3 inchs of the ceramic part of the bathtub thankfully. I beleive that I will have sufficient area to adhere to, as well as a good grout job.
The grout in that area is fairly brown, whereas the lesser soaked aways are white. Would I be smarter to try to brighten up the brown parts with a good clean? or try to match its discoloration?
I will also try home depot. I am very glad that 'cream' seems to be a standard color, and not just 1 of a 1000 shades of cream
Couldn't find any tile stores close enough to make to by 5pm this aft, most are in the industrial area and will be hell to get there and back this late.
I will try cleaning tonight. I think I will be able to find a matching tile and get it in.
What's behind the tile is drywall? Or do you mean hardy/cement board?
If memory serves me right (I'm not an expert), you should have vapor barrier, cement board, tiles. Old houses used this green board which aren't better than drywall at repelling moisture. It could potentially have large water damage behind, so it would be probably better to rip it out and start over again.
But anywho, it might be pretty hard to get that exact tile to match up and even different shades would stick out like a sore thumb.
For the grout, you could try this touch up paint I think from Maipei? you can get at HD which works pretty well. It's def a PITA but it's great stuff. But try some grout cleaner first like vinegar and water. If not move over to something stronger... like muratic acid or you could just paint it.
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I build custom showers and also install tiled tub surrounds and here's my advice if you're wanting to "Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up", prior to passing this problem on to some one else.
1: Stop using this tub/shower now...allow it to dry out. Do not use it ever again prior to selling.
2: Find a matching tile and patch the hole. Try places like "Habitat for Humanity" as they may well have just what you need. Clay tile are not as easy to find these days...
3: Buy a grout saw and remove all of the discolored grout; this is a definite tip off to an "honest" home inspector that the surround is most likely shot, and that it will require a full R&R in the immediate future.
4: Regrout the bottom rows and put a nice shiny bead of 100% silicone around the deck joint. Be very careful with the grout saw as the tiles are probably hanging by a thread around the bottom. A Dremel tool with the proper disc might be a better way to go. You only need to take out about 2mm of grout (1/16") so that the new grout will have a hole to fill.
5:"Run Forrest, run"...
I've torn more of these out than I care to even count and the water damage is always severe. There is a veritable miasma of molds and funguses living behind that mess...trust me on this. This is a can of worms you don't want to open...if you get behind the next tile with a putty knife? It will pop right off. So will the one beside it (and the one above it, and the one on the other side of that one, and so on, and so on). It's shot; and it needs to be ripped out and redone.
If you dry it out and "clean it up" then you'll probably "get away" with it.
Caveat Emptor (That's "buyer beware" in Latin, in case you needed to know).
The grout will start to discolor almost immediately so get it on the market asap once you've "cleaned it up".
'That's the best "advice" I can offer...
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What's behind the tile is drywall? Or do you mean hardy/cement board?
If memory serves me right (I'm not an expert), you should have vapor barrier, cement board, tiles. Old houses used this green board which aren't better than drywall at repelling moisture. It could potentially have large water damage behind, so it would be probably better to rip it out and start over again.
But anywho, it might be pretty hard to get that exact tile to match up and even different shades would stick out like a sore thumb.
For the grout, you could try this touch up paint I think from Maipei? you can get at HD which works pretty well. It's def a PITA but it's great stuff. But try some grout cleaner first like vinegar and water. If not move over to something stronger... like muratic acid or you could just paint it.
A comment on this post too...
I am an "expert" on this. I use standard grade 1/2" drywall in all of my builds but I cover this surface with an impermeable membrane and seal the membrane to the deck joint with an elastomeric caulking. I set my tiles over the membrane and grout with urethane based "Quartz Lock2" grout; on steam showers I use Laticrete's "Spectralock" epoxy grouts.
The year of our OP's house represents the absolute nadir of tile construction for wet areas: "water resistant" drywall, tiles stuck to this with mastic, and cement based (fully permeable) grouts. Like I said in the post above, I've torn tons of these things out in the last ten years.
What were they thinking?
Oh yeah..."Cheap? Cheap is good, get it up, get it done. We won't be around when it all falls apart in X number of years"
There are probably 100,000 moldfest tub/showers in Calgary alone...and it's only going to increase with the passage of time.
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I am an "expert" on this. I use standard grade 1/2" drywall in all of my builds but I cover this surface with an impermeable membrane and seal the membrane to the deck joint with an elastomeric caulking. I set my tiles over the membrane and grout with urethane based "Quartz Lock2" grout; on steam showers I use Laticrete's "Spectralock" epoxy grouts.
The year of our OP's house represents the absolute nadir of tile construction for wet areas: "water resistant" drywall, tiles stuck to this with mastic, and cement based (fully permeable) grouts. Like I said in the post above, I've torn tons of these things out in the last ten years.
What were they thinking?
Oh yeah..."Cheap? Cheap is good, get it up, get it done. We won't be around when it all falls apart in X number of years"
There are probably 100,000 moldfest tub/showers in Calgary alone...and it's only going to increase with the passage of time.
Replacing the gypsum board with a proper tile backer like Dens-Sheild, or FibreRock Tile Backboard or DiamondBack Tile Backer should still be done, regardless of how good the waterproofing is. If anything in the assembly is going to get mouldy, it's the paper faced gypsum board (and possibly the wood framing if it gets really bad). So, why not eliminate a major source of the mould and replace the paper faced gypsum board with a paperless gypsum product? I know it's 5 times the price of regular gypsum board, but you don't need that many sheets of gypsum board to do a tub enclosure.
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You know that if you do all the work yourself you can remove all the crap tile, drywall, mold, and replace it with a nice modern tile for ~$600. It can be done in a weekend and it will not only give you peace of mind when you sign that PCDS but will make the house more attractive to a potential buyer. There's no need to renovate the entire bathroom, you really can just fix the problem area.
It just takes some grunt work on your part. Bindair has already pretty much covered the repair, (in his 2nd post, lol)
but if you want more advice on a proper fix let us know.
Last edited by speede5; 07-17-2012 at 09:06 AM.
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Thanks guys. A friend referred me to an experienced worker in this area to help out.
Old grout scraped and cleaned where possible. Area around hole cleaned out, new backing and barrier in. Tile was a 95% match in color, not noticable, and needed 1/2 inch trim on one side. Fitted in, new grout, new silicone beading around bottom.
Was smart to stop using shower, as I don't like moisture penetrating where it shouldn't.
Help with replacing a shower wall tile
