Tile Floor Repair in Phoenix: Cracked, Chipped and Hollow Tiles

Cracked tiles

A single cracked tile with sound tiles around it usually took a hit, often from something dropped in the kitchen. It gets replaced. Replacing a tile means cutting out the grout around it, breaking the tile out in pieces without chipping its neighbors, scraping the old mortar off the slab, and setting the new tile level with the rest. Then it's grouted to match.

The match is the hard part. If you have spares in the garage, send a photo. If not, we hunt for the closest tile, and when the original is discontinued, we take a tile from a hidden spot, like the floor of a closet, use it in the open, and put the near-match in the closet.

Hollow tiles

Tap the tiles around a cracked one with a coin. A sharp click means the tile is bonded to the slab. A dull, hollow sound means the mortar under it has let go. A hollow tile will crack sooner or later even if it looks fine now, so the hollow ones around a cracked tile are worth replacing in the same visit.

Hollow tiles across a whole room usually mean the mortar didn't bond to the slab when the floor was laid, or the slab was dusty or sealed. That's not a one-tile fix.

A crack running through several tiles

A crack that runs in a line across several tiles is usually a crack in the slab showing through. Replacing the tiles alone brings the crack right back. The fix is to treat the slab crack and lay a crack-isolation membrane under the new tiles. The membrane lets the slab move a little without breaking the tile on top. That's still a repair, not a new floor, but it's a bigger one.

Chips, trim and bullnose

A chipped tile edge can sometimes be filled and color-matched if the chip is small. A bigger chip means the tile gets replaced. Missing bullnose, the rounded edge tiles on stairs and ledges, and trim pieces get replaced the same way, and those are often harder to match than the field tile.

Showers and tub surrounds

Wall tile in a shower gets replaced the same way, with one difference: what's behind it matters. If the wall behind a loose shower tile is soft, the tile isn't the problem. The waterproofing has failed. A single loose tile on a sound wall is a repair. A wall of loose tiles on a soft backing is a shower rebuild, which we also do.

Problems we fix on this page

• Backsplash tile cracked
• Backsplash grout cracked or missing
• Gap between backsplash and countertop
• Outlets stick out after the new backsplash
• Backsplash tile loose
• Want a new tile backsplash installed
• Want peel-and-stick backsplash put up
• Bathroom floor tile cracked
• Grout dirty or crumbling
• Floor transition at the door lifting
• Vinyl floor peeling at the toilet
• Cracked floor tile
• Tile sounds hollow
• Tile popped up (tented)
• Chipped tile
• Tile cracked in a straight line across the room
• Missing grout
• Grout dirty or stained
• Grout cracking
• Want grout recolored
• Missing bullnose piece
• Tile lip at a doorway
• Roof underlayment dried out under the tile
• Saltillo tile cracked
• Saltillo tile chipped at the edges
• Saltillo tile sealer worn off
• Saltillo looks dull and dirty
• Saltillo grout crumbling
• Want saltillo tile resealed
• Want one saltillo tile replaced
• Saltillo tile flaking on top
• Travertine tile cracked
• Travertine holes opening up
• Travertine needs filling
• Marble floor tile chipped
• Slate tile flaking
• Stone tile needs sealing
• Large-format tile cracked
• Wood-look tile cracked
• Tile lippage (uneven edges)
• Tile sounds hollow in a large area
• Tile popped up in the summer heat
• Should I replace one cracked tile or the whole floor
• How long before I can walk on a new tile repair

How it starts

Send a photo of the damaged tile and one of the floor from a few feet back. Tap the tiles around it and tell us whether they sound hollow. If you have spares, send a photo of one. We send back a fixed price, you say go, and Levi shows up to do it. New mortar and grout need a day to set before the spot gets walked on.