I broke two tiles on my kitchen floor recently, probably because something heavy fell on them. I don't want to replace the whole floor, just those two pieces. What's the right way to remove the old tiles without damaging the ones around them?
The best thing is to use a cold chisel or a flat chisel with a hammer to lift the broken tile little by little from the edges, being careful not to hit the healthy pieces next to it. Once you take out the tile, scrape away the old mortar from the floor well with the cold chisel to leave a flat, clean surface. Then apply fresh mortar, place the new tile aligning it with the others and wait for it to set before stepping on it; if the tiles have grout lines (those spaces between pieces), fill them with grout after the mortar is dry. One tip: go slowly on the first few hits so you don't chip the adjacent tiles, and if you need to replace two that are next to each other, remove both so the new grout line comes out even.
Log into answer.
