fixing shower tiles

since we don't have a home improvement forum yet, i'll post this here...


i've got a few loose tiles in my shower. they're basic ceramic tiles, like maybe 2.5" by 3.5" or so. i've got a couple rows that i can tap on and they sound like they've come free from the backing and i can see some cracks in the grout.

i'm thinking it shouldn't be too hard to pop them out, clean them off, then stick them back on. or am i wrong? is it hard to get the mortar (or whatever it is that should hold them in place) off the back? do i have to worry about replacing the are behind them if it's at all damaged? (i doubt it's damaged very severly if at all). i haven't yet delved in so i'm wondering if i should hire somebody or if i might be able to do it myself. i'm reasonably handy. it's probably a dozen or so tiles, maybe 2 dozen at most, all connected so it's one spot job.

 

Plywood, man. Little squares of plywood.

 

You can buy a small amount of the repair grout at Home Depot..If you are successful in get them off the wall without breaking them, they probably don't have any grout on the back...even if they do...a little won't matter..
If if you break one or two..you can still put the grout back on wall and put them back in place..then caulk over. Instructions are on the grout container...
Good luck with it.

 

so grout = mortar? i can just stick them to the wall with the same stuff that goes in between them? is there a particular type of grout? the seams are relatively small -- like 1/8" or so.

 

i forgot to specify for those of you from west virginia that my shower is located indoors.

 

:banginghe

 

That's big pieces of plywood. Be sure to put a hole in one of them.

 

No, grout is not mortar and you don't caulk tiles (except for at 90 degree corners) Dont pay any attention to that. You need thinset mortar made for wall tiles and a notched trowel small enough to fit the spot you will be fixing. Probably a .25" notch but you can look that up, it's based on the size of the tile.

Home Depot sells Custom Builders modified thinset. I found it to be widely reccomended.

Generally speaking you need to chip off the thinset on the backer board without damaging it so you can apply a new layer. You also want to clean up the back of the tile if possible. You may need to get new tile.

Then, of course, you need to grout.

I would read around this place and ask your question: http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1

 

just hire someone.

 

yeah, okay. this sounds more like what i was thinking. hmm... i hadn't thought about the problem of the mortar being stuck to the backboard. my guess is that it's lost its bond to the backboard and not the tile itself. maybe i should pop one off and take a peek.

i'd rather just pay somebody to do it, but then, the shower is probably rather old and i wouldn't want to get into somebody deciding it needs to be completely redone because of some code or such... it seems like a pretty small job for somebody who knows what they're doing, which of course, is difficult to contract out to somebody who knows what they're doing.

i'll check that link you posted, tho. thanks.