A cracked tile is not a renovation. Say it again if needed. It is one tile. One. And yet somehow this single cosmetic issue has a talent for convincing homeowners to price out an entirely new floor, call three contractors, and spend a week going back and forth on grout colors for a project that was never actually necessary. Step back. Breathe. Do a tile repair.
1. Tap Everything First
Before touching the cracked tile, grab a coin. Tap it. Then tap the tiles next to it. You’re listening for a hollow, almost papery sound, which tells you the adhesive underneath has let go. Solid tiles sound completely different. Dull and dense.
Why does this matter? Because a tile that looks fine can be hiding a failed bond. Left alone, it will crack later on its own. And a cracked tile that sounds hollow means you’re fixing two problems at once: the visible damage and the invisible one underneath it. Find out now. The coin costs nothing.
2. Remove It Slowly. Really Slowly.
Most people worsen the situation here. Thirty seconds after they grab a hammer and chisel and begin prying, three tiles, rather than one, are broken. First, the grout lines must be cut. Each of the four of them. Before anything is lifted, work along each junction with a grout saw or an oscillating multitool.
After clearing the grout, place a thin putty knife beneath one of the tile’s edges. Gentle pressure. It should lift rather than shatter. If it doesn’t move, the grout lines need more clearing. Do not force it. Experienced builders describe this step as the one that separates a repair from a disaster, and they’re right. Patience here costs nothing except a few extra minutes.
3. Finding a Match Is Worth the Trouble
Tile batches vary between production runs, even within the same range. A replacement from the same brand can look noticeably off next to the original. So bring a photograph to the supplier. And if an exact match doesn’t exist, try this instead: pull one original tile from somewhere hidden, inside a closet, behind the washing machine, under a cabinet, and use that for the visible repair.
Put the new, close-enough tile in the hidden spot. Nobody is checking behind the washing machine. The visible patch looks right, and that’s the only thing that matters.
4. Set It, Grout It, Seal It
Thinset on the subfloor, notched trowel, tile pressed firmly down. Drop spacers in the joints so everything lines up with the surrounding floor. Then walk away.
Grout before the adhesive is ready, and the tile moves. Just a little. Just enough to look wrong for the rest of its life. Cure time is printed on the bag, and it means what it says.
Once it’s ready, match the grout color to the existing floor, load the rubber float, and go in at a diagonal across the joints. Straight-line strokes mostly drag the grout back out again.
Wipe the tile face while the grout is still soft. Not in an hour. Right now. Grout that hardens on the tile surface turns into a filmy mess that takes three times longer to shift.
Last thing: seal the grout. Unsealed grout in a bathroom is a sponge. It absorbs everything and makes a year-old repair look worse than the original crack.
When to Stop and Call Someone
One cracked tile with solid neighbors? Handle it yourself. But if tapping reveals large sections of the floor have lost adhesion underneath, or the subfloor feels soft when pressed, stop. Call experienced builders before committing further. Fixing a failed subfloor after new tile is already set costs far more than finding the problem first. Know what you’re actually dealing with.