Tile & Grout Repair
The cracked floor tile in front of the tub from a dropped curling iron three winters ago. The three hollow-sounding tiles on the shower wall that have been on the punch list since the last home inspection. The bullnose at the tub apron that took a moving-box hit during the third bedroom switch and has been sitting in a kitchen drawer ever since. The corner grout that has eroded so far back that the shadow line at the seam runs deeper than a quarter. The bathroom-floor tile that pops underfoot at the doorway because the original installer floated mastic over a flexing subfloor instead of thinset over a rigid one. Tile and grout repair is the trade for the bathroom-tile problems that have been on the list for a while — failed tile removed without breaking the neighbors, replacement set in fresh thinset, regrout in the matched color and joint width, sealed against the next decade. Starting at $2,500 for a small spot repair up to $12,000 for a full shower-wall regrout and multi-tile replacement on a 1990s install past its service life. Most spot repairs finish in one to two visits with the cure time between thinset and grout being the schedule driver.
Service
What Does Bathroom Tile & Grout Repair Include?
Tile and grout repair covers the failure modes that show up in a 7-to-15-year-old bathroom tile install — cracked field tile from impact or substrate movement, hollow-sounding tiles where the thinset bond has failed, missing or broken bullnose pieces at tub aprons and shower curbs, blown-out corner grout in the shower, eroded grout along pan-to-wall seams, and floor tiles that pop when walked over. We do the substrate inspection on arrival, remove the failed tile without breaking the neighbors, set the replacement in fresh thinset matched to the location, regrout the affected area with sanded or unsanded grout matched to the joint width, and seal the new grout with a penetrating sealer. The job is the right call when the tile install is structurally sound but has spot failures — and not the right call when the substrate behind the tile is moving, the install was over the wrong substrate to begin with, or more than 30 percent of the field tile is hollow (those route to a full re-tile under the bathroom updates trade).
Cracked Field Tile Replacement
A cracked floor tile from a dropped object, a cracked wall tile from a wall-stud hit (a curtain rod, a towel bar that pulled out), or a cracked shower-floor tile from a tile that was set over a subfloor with too much flex. We remove the cracked tile with an oscillating multi-tool and a grout saw, working from the joint outward to avoid breaking the neighboring tiles. Substrate gets cleaned of old thinset down to the bonding surface. Replacement tile (your attic stock, our sourced match from Daltile, Bedrosians, or Pental Surfaces, or a discontinued-tile substitute when an exact match is impossible) sets in fresh thinset with the correct trowel pattern for the tile size.
Hollow Tile Reset
A tile that sounds hollow when tapped (a coin or a knuckle works as the test) has failed thinset bond — the tile is sitting on the substrate but no longer bonded to it. The tile is structurally intact but will pop loose under stress. We remove the loose tile, clean the substrate, re-set with fresh thinset, regrout the perimeter. Hollow tiles in the wet zone are higher-priority than hollow tiles in the dry field — a hollow tile on a shower floor lets water sit between the tile and the substrate and eventually rots the backer board underneath.
Bullnose & Edge Trim Replacement
The bullnose tile at a tub apron, a shower curb, or a wainscot top is the most-likely-to-fail piece in a bathroom because it sticks proud of the field and takes every accidental hit. Replacement bullnose has to match the field-tile color, glaze, and bullnose-edge profile — sourced from the original tile line when still in production, from a tile boneyard for discontinued lines, or fabricated from a field tile with a wet-saw bullnose grind for the rare lines where no commercial bullnose exists. Set in fresh thinset, grouted in.
Grout Restoration — Regrout and Seal
Eroded grout along shower pan-to-wall seams, missing grout in vertical wall corners, blown-out corner grout where the grout has cracked and chipped away, and dingy grout that has absorbed years of soap film and cleaning chemicals. We grout-saw the failed joints down to a uniform depth, vacuum the dust, and regrout with sanded grout (for joints 1/8-inch and wider) or unsanded grout (for joints under 1/8-inch). Color match by product line (Mapei Keracolor, Custom Polyblend, Ardex FG). New grout cures 24 to 72 hours before the sealer goes on; the sealer (TileLab SurfaceGard, Aqua Mix Sealer's Choice Gold, or equivalent penetrating sealer) gets two coats wiped on, with the second coat after the first cures for 24 hours.
Substrate Inspection Before Any Tile Goes Down
Before any new tile sets, we tap-test the surrounding field for additional hollows, press-test the substrate for soft spots, and check the floor for flex with a straightedge. A tile crack at the doorway with a 1/4-inch dip across 24 inches of floor means the subfloor is undersized for the span and the next tile will crack in the same way — we route to subfloor reinforcement first. A hollow tile in the shower over a substrate that has gone soft means the backer board has failed and the wet area routes to wall repair behind tile first. The honest call now saves the repeat repair later.
How Bathroom Tile & Grout Repair Works
Seven sequential steps from the on-arrival inspection through tile removal, substrate prep, replacement set in thinset, regrout, and sealing — the sequence we follow on every spot tile repair.
Inspect and Tap-Test the Surrounding Field
Tap every tile in the surrounding field with a knuckle or a coin to identify additional hollows. Press-test the substrate for soft spots. Check the floor for flex with a straightedge. Surface every additional repair before the demo starts so the scope is honest before the first tile comes out.
Remove the Failed Tile Without Breaking the Neighbors
Grout-saw the perimeter joints down to the substrate. Score the failed tile with an oscillating multi-tool, working from center outward. Pop the tile out in pieces with a chisel and a hammer. Work from the joint outward — never from the field inward — to avoid breaking the neighboring tiles.
Clean the Substrate Down to the Bonding Surface
Scrape the old thinset off the substrate with a margin trowel until the substrate reads flat to a straightedge. Vacuum the dust. The substrate has to be clean enough that fresh thinset bonds directly to it — any residue from the old install will compromise the new bond.
Match the Replacement Tile and Dry-Fit
Pull a matching tile from owner attic stock when available, source from Daltile, Bedrosians, or Pental Surfaces for current production lines, or pull from a tile boneyard for discontinued lines. Dry-fit the replacement to confirm size and finish match the existing field. Cut to size if needed on a wet saw.
Set the Replacement Tile in Fresh Thinset
Mix Mapei Ultraflex 2 or Custom Versabond thinset to manufacturer spec. Trowel the substrate with the notched trowel size appropriate for the tile (1/4-inch by 1/4-inch for most floor tile, 3/16-inch by 1/4-inch for wall tile, 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch for large-format). Back-butter the tile, set, beat to plane, joint-clean with a damp sponge. Cure 24 hours before grout.
Regrout the Affected Area with Matched Grout
Sanded grout (Mapei Keracolor, Custom Polyblend) for joints 1/8-inch and wider; unsanded for joints under 1/8-inch. Color matched by product line to the existing grout. Float the grout into every joint at 45 degrees, strike with a damp sponge in two passes, haze off with a soft cloth after the grout sets up.
Seal the New Grout with a Penetrating Sealer
After grout cures 24 to 72 hours (per product spec), brush or wipe two coats of a penetrating sealer (TileLab SurfaceGard, Aqua Mix Sealer's Choice Gold, or equivalent). Second coat after the first cures 24 hours. The sealer keeps soap film, body oil, and cleaning chemicals from penetrating the grout pore network.
Tile & Grout Repair Pricing
Final pricing depends on the number of tiles, the tile size and material (porcelain, ceramic, natural stone), how much grout-line area is being restored, the substrate condition, and whether the replacement tile has to be sourced from a boneyard for discontinued lines. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Send us a photo of the cracked tile and we will tell you whether your line is still in production.
Why Handis for Bathroom Tile & Grout Repair
The most-common bad outcome on a small tile repair is the rookie installer who breaks two of the neighboring tiles trying to remove the cracked one in the middle, turning a one-tile job into a three-tile job. The second-most-common is the installer who matches the tile but mismatches the grout color so the patch reads as a brighter or darker line across the field. The third is the installer who skips the substrate inspection, sets the new tile, and watches it crack again in the same way six months later because the substrate is still flexing. After enough small tile repairs, every one of those failure modes has a step in the process that prevents it — and the step is non-negotiable on every Handis visit.
Remove the failed tile without breaking the neighbors
Grout-saw the perimeter joints first. Score the failed tile with an oscillating multi-tool and remove in pieces. Work from the joint outward, never from the field inward. Eight out of ten times the tile comes out clean and every neighbor is intact. The other two times we knew on the tap-test that a neighbor would come out too, and the quote already named the second tile as in-scope. Surprises do not appear on the invoice.
Match the tile, or tell you on arrival when an exact match is impossible
Owner attic stock first. Then current-production matches at Daltile, Bedrosians, Pental Surfaces, and the local tile boneyards. For discontinued lines, the closest visual and finish match — and we tell you on arrival when the patch will be visible because the exact line is gone. We do not set a near-match without confirming the choice with you first.
Color-match the grout to the existing
Grout color drift over time is the most-common reason a tile patch reads as a patch. New grout cures lighter than aged grout because the aged grout has absorbed years of soap film, body oil, and cleaning chemicals. We bring the closest color from the product line (Mapei Keracolor or Custom Polyblend in the matched shade) and run a sample swatch on the new joint before committing — so the new grout cures to a color that blends with the field, not stands out as a brighter line.
Substrate inspection — no fresh tile over a moving floor
Before any new tile sets, we tap-test the surrounding field for additional hollows, press-test the substrate for soft spots, and check the floor for flex with a straightedge. A 1/4-inch dip across 24 inches at the doorway means the subfloor is undersized for the span and the next tile will crack in the same way. We route to subfloor reinforcement first when needed. The honest call now saves the repeat repair later.
Seal the new grout — and tell you when to seal the existing grout too
The new grout gets two coats of a penetrating sealer (TileLab SurfaceGard, Aqua Mix Sealer's Choice Gold). If the existing grout has not been sealed in years (the usual case on a bathroom past its first decade), we will tell you on arrival that the existing grout would benefit from the same sealing pass while the bathroom is open. The sealer add-on for the existing field is line-itemed on the quote so you see the choice clearly.
Estimate
List the tile failures by location (floor at the door, shower wall corner, bullnose at the tub apron, shower curb), include phone photos if you can, and tell us the approximate age of the bathroom and whether you have any attic stock of the original tile. We will quote the repair with replacement-tile sourcing options.
Customer Reviews
Recent tile and grout repair reviews from verified Handis customers.
Cracked floor tile in front of the tub from a dropped flat iron two winters ago. Tech removed the cracked tile cleanly, set a replacement from our attic stock, regrouted the perimeter, and sealed everything. The patch is invisible. We could not pick it out of the floor if we tried.
Three hollow-sounding tiles on the shower wall that the home inspector had flagged eighteen months ago. Tech tap-tested the whole wall first, confirmed there were no others, removed all three, re-set in fresh thinset, regrouted, sealed. No leaks, no movement, no repeat issues four months later.
Broken bullnose at the tub apron from a moving-box hit during a bedroom switch. The original tile line was discontinued so the tech sourced the closest match from a Seattle tile boneyard and grind-fabricated one piece to match the original profile. From across the bathroom it reads as a continuous edge.
Whole-shower regrout on a 1995 install. Tech grout-sawed every joint in the 3-wall shower plus the niche, replaced four hollow tiles he found during the prep, regrouted everything with the matched color, sealed it all. The shower looks like a different install. Six months later, every joint is still tight.
Eroded grout along the shower pan-to-wall seam. We had tried to regrout it ourselves twice and both times it crumbled out within months. Tech said the existing grout had failed because the joint had been moving and the regrout had no flexibility — he grout-sawed it deeper than we had, treated it with a flex additive, regrouted, sealed. A year later it is intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis bathroom tile and grout repair.