What is the best way to fix loose, drummy floor tiles?
Most would say that the only option is to lift up the tiles, scrape off the glue and replace the tiles. Often due to the spread of delamination under tiles, this can mean you have to replace all of your floor tiles, which can cost you thousands.
Today we are going to talk about your options when faced with loose tiles.
Option 1: Spot Fix
It is possible to replace tiles if the delamination problem has not spread to other tiles in your floor. If you are unsure of if this is the case, you should watch this video on how we check for drummy tiles.
If the problem is contained to one or a couple of floor tiles, you can usually replace the tile without too much hassle.
Step 1- Remove the grout from around the tile- you can buy grout scrapers from any hardware store-be warned though-this is hard work!
Step 2- Place a few strips of masking tape over the tile and drill a few holes in the centre of the tile. This is your starting point to remove the tile. Starting from the middle means you do not run the risk of chipping the surrounding tiles.
Step 3- remove any glue, grout and dust from under the tile. This can be time consuming, but in order to avoid loose tiles in the future, you need to ensure you remove every last bit of grout, glue and grit from the area where the new tile will go. It can help to give the area a wash with floor primer to ensure the new tile does not come loose down the track.
Step 4- Make sure your new tile fits, and can sit evenly with the other tiles- you do not want to create a ledge to catch your toe on!
Step 5. Apply your tile adhesive to the tile and gently place into the void. Press down firmly to ensure the tile has bonded with the substrate-remove any overflow of glue before letting the tile dry overnight.
Step 6- Re Grout the grout lines around the tile-try your best to match the colour of the surrounding grout.
Option 2: Tile Injection
If your tiles have delaminated in a larger area, it can be much too much work to lift, clean and replace those floor tiles. That is where tile injection can help!
Tile injection requires no mess, no hard scrubbing, no cleaning off of glue/grout from the tile, and no costly replacement tiles.
All you need to do is get on of our expert tile injection technicians to pop over to inspect your tiled area, provide a quote and within hours your floor can be ready to walk on and good as new!
The unique tile injection process involves pumping a waterborne, self-levelling adhesive under the tile to re-bond the tile to the substrate without having to replace glue,grout or the tile itself. Tiles that have been treated with the tile injection treatment don't come off ever again-they are stuck for good! Just see below a picture of a tile after treatment when trying to remove it.