Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall

spidrw · 04-26-2010, 04:19 PM

I recently took my bathroom down to the studs, and am now in the final steps to the process, no thanks to any of the contractors I used. Anyway...

The plumber came today to do the final hookup of the tub faucets and such, and there are two gaps in the tile where the fixtures didn't cover what I thought they would. One is around the valve, and the other is above the tup spigot.

It would just be two tiles to replace, and I have plenty of them, but I'm wondering about thinset and grout. Do I need to buy another 50 lb bag of thinset and a 10 lb bag of grout to do it right? Can I use the pre-mixed thinset that comes in the tub for these two tiles? The grout I guess isn't a big deal. It's a huge waste of material, but not a lot of money or time.

See my picture for my problem...

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

**oh'mike** · 04-26-2010, 08:03 PM

Those are soft tiles and shouldn't be to hard to remove---tap them gently and crack-em--
take them out in small pieces.

As for gluing in the two new ones--I'd use clear silicone and tape them in till they dry--

As for the grout--you have no choice but to buy more of the same brand----save the left over in an air tight can.

spidrw · 04-27-2010, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh'mike

Those are soft tiles and shouldn't be to hard to remove---tap them gently and crack-em--
take them out in small pieces.

As for gluing in the two new ones--I'd use clear silicone and tape them in till they dry--

As for the grout--you have no choice but to buy more of the same brand----save the left over in an air tight can.

Thanks! Checked Home Depot and all I found for silicone adhesive was aquarium glue. Would some Liquid Nails work? Says it's waterproof.

**oh'mike** · 04-28-2010, 05:00 PM

Regular old silicone caulk--100 % silicone-kitchen and bath. And yes ,liquid nails would work.--Mike--

spidrw · 04-28-2010, 11:14 PM

Thanks! One more question...well...two I guess.

The substrate is Hardibacker, and I put RedGard over it. When I removed the old thinset, the RedGard came off with it. Very cleanly, but now my waterproof membrane is compromised. Should I carefully put more RedGard over the bare spots or just run a bead of silicon around the area to re-seal it?

Also, the thinset was about a quarter inch thick, so the new tiles are a little below the surface if they're directly on the wall. Should I make a bed of silicon to keep the tile even with the rest of the surface, or should I just embed some spacers behind the tile? I'm not sure what a cavity back there would do if water happened to find it's way in.

**oh'mike** · 04-29-2010, 06:28 AM

Take a putty knife and coat the backer with a thin coating of the silicone,then put silicone on the tile
and push it into place.

Have a bottle of soapy spray cleaner and some paper towels handy.I like Greased Lightning--409 works well also.

As soon as you push the tile into place--spray the tile down with the soapy spray. Silicone can not stick to soap--Remove any squeeze out with your finger--soap it again and clean out the grout line

Wipe clean with your towels --tape if needed. The silicone will replace the missing redguard.

---Mike--

04-26-2010, 04:19 PM	#1
spidrw Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 26	Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall I recently took my bathroom down to the studs, and am now in the final steps to the process, no thanks to any of the contractors I used. Anyway... The plumber came today to do the final hookup of the tub faucets and such, and there are two gaps in the tile where the fixtures didn't cover what I thought they would. One is around the valve, and the other is above the tup spigot. It would just be two tiles to replace, and I have plenty of them, but I'm wondering about thinset and grout. Do I need to buy another 50 lb bag of thinset and a 10 lb bag of grout to do it right? Can I use the pre-mixed thinset that comes in the tub for these two tiles? The grout I guess isn't a big deal. It's a huge waste of material, but not a lot of money or time. See my picture for my problem... Any thoughts? Thanks in advance! Attached Thumbnails

04-26-2010, 08:03 PM	#2
oh'mike Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kane county,Illinois Posts: 16,752	Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall Those are soft tiles and shouldn't be to hard to remove---tap them gently and crack-em-- take them out in small pieces. As for gluing in the two new ones--I'd use clear silicone and tape them in till they dry-- As for the grout--you have no choice but to buy more of the same brand----save the left over in an air tight can.

04-28-2010, 05:00 PM	#4
oh'mike Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kane county,Illinois Posts: 16,752	Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall Regular old silicone caulk--100 % silicone-kitchen and bath. And yes ,liquid nails would work.--Mike--

04-28-2010, 11:14 PM	#5
spidrw Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 26	Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall Thanks! One more question...well...two I guess. The substrate is Hardibacker, and I put RedGard over it. When I removed the old thinset, the RedGard came off with it. Very cleanly, but now my waterproof membrane is compromised. Should I carefully put more RedGard over the bare spots or just run a bead of silicon around the area to re-seal it? Also, the thinset was about a quarter inch thick, so the new tiles are a little below the surface if they're directly on the wall. Should I make a bed of silicon to keep the tile even with the rest of the surface, or should I just embed some spacers behind the tile? I'm not sure what a cavity back there would do if water happened to find it's way in.

04-29-2010, 06:28 AM	#6
oh'mike Super Moderator Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kane county,Illinois Posts: 16,752	Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall Take a putty knife and coat the backer with a thin coating of the silicone,then put silicone on the tile and push it into place. Have a bottle of soapy spray cleaner and some paper towels handy.I like Greased Lightning--409 works well also. As soon as you push the tile into place--spray the tile down with the soapy spray. Silicone can not stick to soap--Remove any squeeze out with your finger--soap it again and clean out the grout line Wipe clean with your towels --tape if needed. The silicone will replace the missing redguard. ---Mike--

Need to replace two tiles on brand new wall