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If you've ever worked up a sweat putting tiles on a wall, then taken a step back and realized that the grout lines follow the curvature of the earth, you know how difficult tiling can be. And that hard work extends to the tiles. repairThe same goes for . What if you can't save a few discontinued tiles and have to deal with a cracked one? If you can't simply replace the damaged piece, you have a few options.
tile decal
If you don't have a spare tile, the easiest way is to cover up the damaged area. Tile decals (aka tile stickers) are exactly what they sound like: decorative decals that you stick directly on top of your existing tile. While they might not work well in areas that are likely to come into direct contact with water (like shower walls or floors), they can easily hide cracks or holes in areas that are simply damp. Plus, when applied in large quantities, they can make your tile cover-up look like an intentional design.
Tile filler or grout
If the tile damage is fairly deep or extensive, you may be able to fill it with a clear epoxy and paint over it (see below). This will create a hard, durable repair, but whether your work stays unnoticeable will depend entirely on your ability (and painting skills) to match the paint to the tile.
Alternatively, grout is great for repairing damaged tile in a pinch, especially if your tile has stripes or patterns, as grout may not perfectly match the color or sheen of the tile, but it can effectively fill in medium to deep damage, and you can probably find grout that's a pretty good match.
paint
Yes, it is possible to paint tiles. This is usually done to give the tile a new look without having to remove and replace the old tile, but if the tile has minor damage, you can cover it with a colour-matching paint. This works particularly well for hairline cracks and small holes. The more severe the damage, the more visible the painted repair will be. The trick here, of course, is colour matching. If you get it even a little bit wrong, the repair will be very visible unless you paint the whole tile.
According to Family Handyman, the best paints for tile are:
Create your design
Finally, if none of these aesthetic approaches seem to work, and you have to remove and replace the tiles, there is one final option: you can create a new pattern using not only the broken tiles, but also tiles of the same size in different colors or with designs. There is no need to go overboard here: just carefully replacing a few tiles with a pattern can repair the damage and make the mismatched tiles look more intentional.
