Need Advice for Tricky Tile Job

[russellhq]

Hi all,


I need a bit of advice in repairing a crack down a tiled wall. The source of the crack has been fixed and now the tiles need repaired.

The tiles are Victorian age and the wall is in a tenement close in Glasgow.

I've attached a couple of pictures showing the crack to give you an idea.

What I'd like to know is:

1. A source for the ceramic tiles - 6" x 6" & 6" x 3" Victorian tiles to replace the damaged ones
2. How to remove the existing 'good' tiles without breaking them (I anticipate repairing the crack will require removing some of the good tiles)

Thanks in advance!

[david campbell]

you will need a good grout rake,remove all the grout around the damage tiles allowing you to prise them off with a claw hammer ora chisel like instrument(i use an old bucket trowel),then clean off all the old adhesive and you should be ready to go

ps- the wall looks like it has moved,therefore i don't think the tiles will line up,was this the result of the building being under-pinned due to sub-sidence?

[Dan]

It could be quite difficult to source those tiles again. I don't suppose you've managed to get one off to look at the back to see if there's a print of any type?

And as for getting the tiles off, that too could be tricky. If they've managed to simply crack and craze following the path of the original crack in the substrate, that would suggest to me that they are very very well fixed. They'd normally 'pop off' if they were not fixed so well.

A bolster chisel will get the broken ones off but you might need an actual tile remover for the ones you want to protect. Do a google for 'Tile Remover' and you'll find a couple of options, you want the one you can find with the largest flat plate... I think. I can't find one on our trusty tiling tools stockist Trade tiler.

[Dave]

They will be fixed on a sand/cement bed..looks like subsidence damage.

The rows are now out of level and that is not just a straight forward repair.

The tiles are butt jointed like they used to then and removing them one by one will be tricky without a knock effect to the surrounding ones.

Trying to source exact white shading will be virtually impossible... no chance of a re-tile then.?

[whitebeam]

Because of the cracks opening the tiles they will need to be longer to fit, the only thing would be to search for a tile that resembles as close to the others as possible

[timeless john]

Me - I'd just fill it and get a detail artist in to paint it!

[Saltire69]

Me - I'd just fill it and get a detail artist in to paint it!

[russellhq]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I've attached a couple more photos to show the crack side on and also a full view of the tiled wall.

You can see that one side of the wall has fallen back, leaving a step from one side of the crack to the other. Not sure how to tile over that

I found someone that makes replica Victorian tiles and will do their best to colour match from a sample. Tiles cost £5 each. Not cheap but not hideously expensive!

Had a look for tile removers and found this:

HSS Hire - Wall Tile Remover Hire and Rent

That looks like it'll smash 'em to pieces!!

[whitebeam]

You would have to break out a large area of the substrate to get it to run flush again, it's not just replacing a few tiles.

[hunter]

It looks like you might just be tiling over a serious problem, it'll happen again if the building moves, I wouldnt touch it if I were you

[russellhq]

It looks like you might just be tiling over a serious problem, it'll happen again if the building moves, I wouldnt touch it if I were you

Hi Hunter. The building was repaired a few years ago and the wall you see was strapped above the tiles. The tile repair is the last job to be done to finish the repair. I don't expect any more movement.

[jay]

by the looks of it you will need to strip about 1,5 metres wide down the crack then try and flatten substrate has the plaster above cracked again

[russellhq]

by the looks of it you will need to strip about 1,5 metres wide down the crack then try and flatten substrate has the plaster above cracked again

Nope, it's not cracked since it was fixed 4 years ago. That's given me confidence that the building hasn't moved so I can now get on with the tiling!

[jay]

thats good news ( no cracks) prob wouldnt hurt to use a c2 adh for more give just in case

[russellhq]

thats good news ( no cracks) prob wouldnt hurt to use a c2 adh for more give just in case

"c2 ady"

Is that a flexible adhesive?

[jay]

"c2 ady"

Is that a flexible adhesive?

yes it is

[russellhq]

Found this guide for removing tiles with less chance of breakages.

Removing ceramic tiles without breaking them - Windows Live

Not sure if i'll be able to get into the grout gaps though. They're butted up quite close to each other

[jay]

that's the basic guide every jobs diff yours is going to be difficult because the wall has separated and moved up on right side bear that in mind when stripping back you will need to remove more on right hand side to try and adjust the difference in height and distance it doesn't look like much but will surprise you

you w[ll need a lot of patience when removing and re laying not one to rush

[david campbell]

if you intend using a scraper make sure it has a blade that goes through the handle and not the cheap ones as it'll last about a dozen hits with the hammer

[Phil Hobson]

These old tiles are as mentioned, fixed with sand and cement they will more than likely be three eighth's of an inch thick ( 10mm) if you are lucky enough to source some similar for field tiles. You might find the bullbous listello and border, at Minton Hollins or Original style. Wont be exact, but worth a try. Good luck