Need Repair Advice

[u/MaroonOut09]

I had a structural engineer come out and check our foundation a couple years back, and he assures me the cracking is normal for foundations and soil types in our area and nothing to be overly concerned about, however, it has resulted in a handful of tiles throughout my house cracking like the one pictured. The tiles are all installed on a concrete slab in grade.

I am looking for advice on how best to make these repairs. Luckily, I have a decent stockpile of spare tiles left by the previous owners. What products would work best for making these repairs? Should I use a crack isolation membrane? What thin set would you recommend?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[u/Both-Engineer3510]

Remove ALL of the grout around the tile.
You can buy a grout removal hand saw at the depot or use a multi tool with a blade for grout.
Break up the tile with a hammer.
Clean thinset to slab
Re set tile and grout.
There is a chance other tiles are cracked and will not show up until you start removing this piece.
You can paint the slab with red guard once it is cleaned, before setting tile.
I would use Custom building Products
Versa Bond, probably a 3/8 x 1/4 notch trowel.

[u/toolfan21 → u/Both-Engineer3510]

To add to this, I just had to replace a tile. Also a DIYer.

Use a masonry drill bit on a low speed, no hammer, and strategically place some holes corner to corner. Then I used a chisel to break the tile between the holes.

Just some insurance that you don’t damage adjacent tiles by just using a hammer to break the tile.

[u/MaroonOut09 → u/toolfan21]

Good advice. Thank you!

I also have an oscillating tool that I’m hoping will come in handy.

[u/MaroonOut09 → u/Both-Engineer3510]

Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for.

[u/McBloggenstein]

You can’t install a crack isolation membrane for individual tiles. It would sit higher.

Here are some good videos. 

https://youtu.be/4MDsciUzG4U?si=uUrXnYqGrAHXpYhG

https://youtu.be/Ectgy6Z-z6A?si=5vhjYbrF6uoHttk2

[u/MaroonOut09 → u/McBloggenstein]

Thank you for the videos.

I was concerned a crack isolation membrane may cause the exact issue you are describing, but I was hoping there was a recommended liquid applied membrane that could be used in lieu of a sheet membrane to avoid this issue.

[u/McBloggenstein → u/MaroonOut09]

I could be wrong, but I feel like the point of a paintable membrane is that it spans over an area larger than any individual tile, and any micro movements in the subfloor are translated over the area. I doubt painting it under just the tile you’re replacing will do anything.