Repairing crack in a tile

[Andrew7777777]

Hi all.

My kitchen floor has a few tiles with hairline cracks in it and one in particular has a larger crack. It now reaks when you walk on it and feels like it is sinking beneath my feet. I don't have a replacement tile. Is it possible to repair it with epoxy or similar? How should I go about it please?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Andrew7777777]

 

[opps]

You can mix acrylic paints and "clear" two pack filler

eg Stonefill by Tetrosyl

Unfortunately, if the tiles are bouncing, the filler will probably crack in due course. Sorry.

 

[Andrew7777777]

Thank you. Is it worth lifting the tile to try and repair it? Or would we have to lift up the tile anyway to repair the cracks?

 

[opps]

You don't need to lift the tile just to repair the crack. However, ideally, you would lift the tile to see why it is bouncing, but I don't see how you will do that without breaking it.

 

[Andrew7777777]

Thank you. Looking at the reviews of the Stonefil, it appears very runny and somebody used readymade concrete instead.
Presume that runny is good as it will just go into the crack easily. What do you suggest I used to apply it? The tiles are cream. Do you think the straw colour is betetr than white or will it not matter if it just runs into the cracks?

 

[opps]

I wouldn't say that it is runny. It is slightly thinner than some other two pack fillers but I in no way was I suggesting that it will lock the tile segments in place. It will not "trickle" down through the crack. The extent to which it will penetrate is a function of how hard you push down on the filler knife.

Concrete has large aggregates, you could not push that into any of the cracks in your photos. You wouldn't even be able to push in sand and cement.

Another- non permanent solution would be to use wax sticks and then polish them off. The downside is that you would have to try to blend various colours. The Stonefill and acrylic paints will be easier to try to match the (irregular) colour. Still a case of trial and error though.

 

[Andrew7777777]

Thanks so much again for your responses

 

[opps]

Sorry mate. I cannot give you the answer which I suspect you want to hear.

 

[ree]

OP,
Given there's movement below or behind the tiles then they will have to be lifted for an examination of the prepping behind the tiles.
Do you have an expansion gap at all the abutments?
The grouting shows anything from a couple of mm's to 5 or 6mm's - it should all be equal at, say, 6mm.
If moisture has been spreading behind the tiles then you may be faced with a hard choice - leave or lift?

 

[foxhole]

You can’t have tiles on an unstable surface , would require replacement after fixing the subfloor.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You don't need to lift the tile just to repair the crack. However, ideally, you would lift the tile to see why it is bouncing, but I don't see how you will do that without breaking it.

If the tile is quite loose, you might be able to lift it out, with one of those suckers normally sold for handling glass.

 

[ree]

OP,
Dont go buying a suction cup; it would be a foolish expense for a tool thats not needed - the tiles are cracked therefore they are broken.
Clean away the grout around the edges and prise the tiles up with, say, a spatula like paint scraper or similar.
Your tiles BTW are common & easy to replace.

 

[Nige F]

If the tile is quite loose, you might be able to lift it out, with one of those suckers normally sold for handling glass.

you could find an old Spong suction mounted mincer.

 

[ree]

OP,
Ignore these nonsense replies about using irrelevant suction - for what purpose?
Believe me, that the two suckers above wont put the tile back together again.