This customer from Garstang had got in touch to ask if anything could be done to repair several chips in a white Ceramic tiled floor. The tiles had become damaged when a Plumber visited to fit a new radiator and even though he put a sheet down the heavy metal radiator had managed to chip the tiles in several places.
A couple of years ago we would have advised replacing the tiles however this isn’t always possible as it assumes spare tiles are available and that you don’t have electric underfloor heating which is easily damaged during tile removal. Fortunately, with modern fillers and systems were able to make an invisible surface repair.
Repairing Chips in a Ceramic Floor Tile
To fill the chipped areas, I first needed to widen and deepen them to ensure the filler would make a strong and effective bond with the ceramic tile. This is done using a multi-tool fitted with a tiny abrasive wheel.
The chip was then cleared of dust and debris using a vacuum and then a small amount of filler was pushed into the hole. We use a specialist two-part resin for this which is available in multiple colours and starts to harden when mixed. Excess resin is then smoothed off with a slightly damp sponge until its level with the tile and then left for twenty minutes to harden.
The surface was then cleaned down with a solvent to smooth the surface and remove any unwanted resin sticking to the tile.
The resin set hard after thirty minutes and at this point it was clear that the white resin wasn’t the correct shade and so the repaired chips stood out on the tile. This however was anticipated and to get the repairs to match a blend of acrylic paints were blended until the right tone was achieved. This blend was then lightly sprayed onto the repair areas until the repairs matched.
Once painted three thin coats of matt lacquer were sprayed onto the repairs to harden the paint and keep it waterproof, this will protect it and keep it from getting scuffed from shoes etc.