Old Tile Repair using what is There

This Red Clay Tile is Very Old but Now Looking Great.

The Grout was standard natural cement colored and missing in many places.

The spaces between the tiles were pressure washed and left to dry. Then saltio natural cement colored grout was mixed with water and Latex, forced into the grout lines. Cleaned off with a small cell sponge and left to dry overnight. It was sealed the next day with two coats of high gloss saltio & stone sealer.

What About the Cracked ones

Fill in any cracks or missing areas with grout unless you can still get or have some of the old tiles or stone pieces to put in those voids. If you have loose or hollow sounding tile, take them up with a flat bar by taping it under them or between them to get them up. Mix up some thin set mortar and set them back in, even if you have pieces. Pieces are better than missing spots. let those dry over night or use fast set mortar and they will be set up in about 20 minutes. If you are in really cold climates in winter months you should consider using epoxy mortar to set them. cold has a habit of freezing water that gets in and pushing the tiles up to loosen them. You can purchase it at any good tile store.

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Red Clay tiles 8 X 8 inch had a lot of use over the years but were in pretty good shape.

Here is what the tiled area looked like before the renovation. Lots of missing grout and some cracked tiles from skateboarder's having some fun on the steps.

You can see what rainy weather and the hot sun does to grout over the years and what they can look like with a little work. This took about 8 hours and $50.00 in materials to bring it back to a nice look without ruining it's aged appearance.

Always Pre-Seal

It is a good idea with any unglazed tile or stone to pre-seal them with at least two coats of sealer before you grout to keep the face of the tiles from having grout that will not clean off. Just lay the tile on a tarp if not installed yet and spray with a pump sprayer or roll sealer onto them and back brush with a paint brush any bubbles that might be left before it dries. Always clean the tools up with water before finishing so it does not dry in your sprayer or it won't be usable again without a lot of work. Put two or more coats on before you start grouting. If you need to know how to grout then just look Here.

Down at the bottom of the page are some instruction on how to grout!