Preferred countertop tile repair adhesive?

[MerlinsBeard]

So, in the process of cleaning up some caulk to respond to an ant invasion, I ended up cracking an edge piece of tile off of a bar countertop that's structurally made of plywood. I've never repaired kitchen countertop tile. I have some grout from the original installation from the contractor, but not sure what adhesive is best to use to stick the tile to the plywood. The original adhesive color is not grey, it's more of a light tan.

Also, can I sand down the original adhesive on the tile that broke off, or should I use one that's unused (I do have a few spare tile and edge pieces)?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[65ranchero]

How was the original tile installed? How big
Mastic or modified thinset
I think (and I am no expert) that cleaning it up and use what it was install with.
mastic maybe use some construction adhesive.
Pictures may help.

 

[dcg9381]

I have some grout from the original installation from the contractor, but not sure what adhesive is best to use to stick the tile to the plywood.

Generally we don't stick tile straight to plywood, but there is a thinset for it. The existing "adhesive" on the tile is likely hard and provides the precise offset. I'd use epoxy, you can get it in small quantities over a thinset for "wood". Use it on top of the existing adhesive.

Also, can I sand down the original adhesive on the tile that broke off, or should I use one that's unused (I do have a few spare tile and edge pieces)?

You can totally sand it down, but see my above comment on offset. If it's a broken piece, I would consider replacing the entire piece vs doing a repair.

 

[JohnX14]

Good time to replace the entire '80's countertop.

Half kidding. The tile is likely set with "thinset" mortar. You can re-attach it with a number of products, including epoxy, liquid nails, etc. But matching the grout may be a challenge.

 

[PCustoms]

I know a guy who tiles whole kitchens in sika epoxy....

I would not recommend that, but realistically for a single tile construction adhesive could work.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

Got a picture. Not exactly sure what adhesive was originally used, but maybe the color can give a clue.

I do have grout cracking in isolated areas but I find it to be fairly minimal and don’t particularly want to turn this into a bigger project.

 

[PCustoms]

Got a picture. Not exactly sure what adhesive was originally used, but maybe the color can give a clue.

I do have grout cracking in isolated areas but I find it to be fairly minimal and don’t particularly want to turn this into a bigger project.

Yeah, that wasn't ever installed correctly....

Is the wood rotting?

You want to slap that one on quick and move on?

 

[jhelrey]

Liquid Nails.

 

[DGersic]

I’d use mortar, but I have a half a 50 lbs, bag leftover here from a recent bathroom project. I don’t think I’d buy a whole bag for just this piece. Maybe ask a local tile shop, see if they have a partial, or a broken bag, something you can get a couple of cups of mortar cheap.

Clean out the debris. Also undercut the adjacent tiles slightly. Make some shims, could be just a couple pieces of popsicle stick or paint stir stick. The idea is to shim your replacement tile so that it matches the height of the existing tiles. Trial and error until you’re happy with the fit. Then adhesive to set the tile. Grout to fix the joint after.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

The piece is in a fairly unobtrusive location, so I don't mind trying to just compromise to save effort. As far as I can tell, the plywood has no deterioration.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

When you say undercut the adjacent tiles, are you saying to grind away a little bit of that adhesive to be able to get a shim to fit underneath?

Are you suggesting that the shim should be glued along with the replacement tile? Sorry I'm a tile noob.

 

[DGersic]

When you say undercut the adjacent tiles, are you saying to grind away a little bit of that adhesive to be able to get a shim to fit underneath?

Are you suggesting that the shim should be glued along with the replacement tile? Sorry I'm a tile noob.

Yes. Remove the old grout, too.

What I would want is something like these spacers.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/BARWALT-Revolve-Spacer-Base-1-8-inch-100-Pack/5015598123?store=59&cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-flr-_-ggl-_-PMAX_FLR_000_Priority_Item_Omni-_-5015598123-_-local-_-22872915043-_-&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23526945078&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W98h-4T-tZz4cO2ndO06768z&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs7OF9vjvkwMVtzgIBR381xP1EAkYASABEgJQXvD_BwE

But it’s probably overkill for one tile. The shim allows you to set the height of the replaced tile to match the one next to it. These also set the grout spacing. When the adhesive sets, the vertical piece gets broken off, then the grout hides it.

Looking at your removed tile again, I’d be careful around its neighbors. That doesn’t look like it was very well adhered to the plywood structure underneath. You might be best off with construction adhesive, a small disposable notch trowel, some small shims to level it, and grout.

 

[PCustoms]

I'd smear some liquid nails on the back and tape it in place until it cures

Not perfect, not the right way to do it but this will become a rabbit hole if you do it "right"

 

[carlaisle]

It looks like that tile was initially installed with thinset which subsequently failed and was then reinstalled with either mastic or construction adhesive. Get the old stuff off the back of the existing tile and countertop and remove the existing grout from the adjacent tiles. Use modified thinset to reinstall. You can adjust the thickness of the thinset to get the tile coplanar with the existing countertop. Regrout and you should be good for another 20ish years. Pretty much anything that will stick could be substituted for the thinset, but that's the correct way to do it.

It looks like those adjacent tiles are separating from the countertop. You may want to fix them now, too, or roll the dice and pretend you didn't notice that.

 

[KenC]

It looks like that tile was initially installed with thinset which subsequently failed and was then reinstalled with either mastic or construction adhesive. Get the old stuff off the back of the existing tile and countertop and remove the existing grout from the adjacent tiles. Use modified thinset to reinstall. You can adjust the thickness of the thinset to get the tile coplanar with the existing countertop. Regrout and you should be good for another 20ish years. Pretty much anything that will stick could be substituted for the thinset, but that's the correct way to do it.

It looks like those adjacent tiles are separating from the countertop. You may want to fix them now, too, or roll the dice and pretend you didn't notice that.

Agree with that assessment. The original install was never properly bedded into the thinset. Either it was too dry when it was placed or not enough setting pressure applied. Cleaning all the stuff off is the hardest part. I'd use a sanding disk on drill or sander to do that, really coarse grit, 40 or so. Apply thinset to the base and butter the tile to be sure you get good adhesion.

Construction adhesive or the good old Liquid Nails can be used, but I wouldn't. too hard to line up the old/new surface and keep it that way til it dries. and any squeeze out is nasty to deal with.