If you have a cracked, chipped or otherwise damaged tile and want to replace it, here are some procedures for tile and grout removal used by professional tile setters:

1.) Remove the grout surrounding the damaged tile. Try to scrape out the tile grout as close to the bottom of the joint as you can. This will decompress the edges of the tile and allow room for the damaged tile to be chipped away.

2.) There are a couple of procedures you can use to remove the tile so let’s start with the safest. By safest, we mean removing a tile and not damaging an adjacent one in the process.

A.) With an electric drill and a masonry drill bit (3/16”), drill a series of holes thru the damaged tile. For a 4x4 tile,     drill about 6 to 9 holes. Try to space the holes evenly around the whole tile.

B.) Using a masonry chisel and a hammer, place the chisel near a hole that is close to a corner of the tile a carefully chisel away the tile working from the edge towards on the center of the tile. Cracks will form in the tile which will allow you to chisel along those lines.

3.) The other method of simply chiseling away the tile without pre-drilling can be used but involves more risk of cracking adjacent tiles.

4.) Once the tile is removed you can use the flat side of the Grout Getter blade to scrape out the old mastic or thin-set which bonded the old tile to the substrate. You are now ready to install the new tile and tile grout!

Recommended products for removing damaged tile

 Grout Getter Triangle                      Grout Getter Diamond                     Scraper Brush