My tiles are chipping
Tiles are generally very tough but they are not invincible. Like any hard floor surface, if a hard object on the right angle is dropped onto a glazed tile (porcelain or ceramic) there is a change of the tile itself chipping or cracking. More often than not, a chip in a tile will look like a crater in the tile as it chips through the glaze and into the biscuit of the tile. The biscuit is the clay that makes up the body of the tile behind the coloured surface/glaze. What can cause a chipped tile? Tile have a good reputation for durability and strength as with the millions of tiles that are laid every year in Australia, only a few chip, crack or have manufacturing issues with them. If a tile chips, it is generally not a manufacturing fault, but is the cause of one of the following accidents against the tile itself: • Dropping a heavy or hard object onto the ceramic or porcelain tile. This may cause the surface to crack or chip. • Walking or dragging metal heels or hammering nails onto the tile • Causing furniture to be dragged along the tile that has metal tipped feet. This includes chairs and other things in the house that have steel or metal feet and no rubber protection. What can you do if your tile is chipped The only way to fix a chipped tile is to remove it and replace it with a new tile. If your tile shops has calculated your tile order right, you should have a carton of tiles spare in case of accidents such as this. This will make sure you have the same batch colour and shape to replace the tile. If you do not have a box left over, then you can bring the chipped tile to your tile store to see if your tile shop can source the same or match the existing chipped tile. To remove the chipped tile, you should: • Scrape out all the grout around the chipped tile. • Use a small chisel and chop a hole in the center of the damaged tile. • Working your way outwards, but always chipping towards the centre of the tile, gradually remove the tile. • Replace the tile and grout, like we mentioned earlier, your tiler should have a few spare tiles or you should have them stored just in case of issues such as this.
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