ceramic tile repairs floor tile replacment and shower regrouts

Tile repairs are a very specialized service and its hard to get tile contractors interested in small sometimes difficult detailed repairs.The trick to these repairs are to remove and replace the cracked or broken materials without it being obvious its been repaired.To complete these repairs and it not look like a after thought is  a very
tricky undertaking.The first step is to remove the grout around the targeted tile so as not to disturb the tiles around it that will not be removed.Grout binds together tiles and gives it solidity and if not removed then action against one tile can effect others if the grout is not removed first.Alot of times it takes a hammer and a chisel to remove tiles and if the grout is not removed first then the impact can break surrounding tiles around the tile being removed.
   After the grout is removed  then the tile to be replaced can be broken from the middle out in pieces and removed carefully using the hammer and chisel a little at a time or all at once if the tile is not bonded very well. If it is bonded strongly  then a little at a time is the only way to remove it.After the tile is removed  then the task of chipping of the thin set or adhesive is the next step and can be very difficult and time consuming as well as very messy and create alot of dust.Again the hammer and chisel will be your best bet unless you have a electric alternative such as a way to sand or chip away at the concrete left stuck under the tile on the wall or floor.Once you've removed all the adhesive,you can re adhere your replacement tile back in place of the one you've removed, wait some time for it to dry and then re grout the repaired area with the same color grout as the rest of the area around the repair.
   Shower re grouts are in some ways much easier because you don't have to worry about breaking tiles from removal. But scraping and cleaning of the grout and old caulk can be very patients testing. Any loose grout or caulk has to be removed completely before  the new can be applied.The trick to these repairs is getting the new grout to adhere to the old grout.This is generally accomplished by removing enough grout from the area so the new grout has room to stay.Generally you need a 1/8 of a inch of new grout on top of old for it to adhere and not flake out later.Repairs are in some ways much harder than standard installations and in many cases you should get a professional to come out and implement the repair if possible.If you cant seem to gather any interest from any tile guys to do your repair  I will be glad to assist you in any way I can  just give me a call and Ill gladly walk you  through it right over the phone Chris Lawson owner operator tile excellence inc   978-471-9127

Tile Installation- Time Vs. Price

Hello,

First of all, let me apologize. I'm new to all this technology stuff, but I guess my "Welcome to Our Blog" post was supposed to come before I shared stories. However, I thought the following information might be helpful, and save some people some money, so it took priority. I'll try and post the first entry, but we'll see. Hang in there with me folks!

So, onto the information I wanted to share. I wanted to share some insight with people out there that need tile work done. Unfortunately, many people within the industry are out to get as much as they can for installation jobs. One of the most common ways to increase the charges for the installation is to drag the job out. Here's a good example I recently came across.

I recently installed a kitchen backsplash where the customer had gotten several estimates and done his research. Quotes were anywhere from $500-$750.00. Time frames varied from 2-4 days. As soon as I talked to him on the phone, I knew this was an installation that would take me a matter of hours. So, I priced the installation accordingly, which happened to be considerably lower than the above mentioned estimates because I knew through my 30+ years experience, that the job would take only half a day-and it would be flawless.

After our phone conversation, the potential customer checked out pictures of my work and references on my website, http://www.tileexcellence.com/  and quickly  scheduled the job. The bottom line here is, there are installers out there who will drag out the job to justify the price or are too inexperienced to do the job in a reasonable time frame, thus charging more. To save yourself from this situation, be sure to get three or more quotes for any installation and get references.  Check out their work if you can.

Tile Excellence, Inc. did the job in about 1/2 a day, and it costs the customer only $350.00 in labor. To see this project, before and after, and/or to see what Scott from Wakefield had to say about his new backsplash and the quality of the work, click here to visit our customer testimonial page.

Next blog post, I'll talk about hardyboard vs. durock. Stay tuned, and send me your questions or share your experience. Thanks.

-Chris
Owner, Operator
Tile Excellence, Inc.
Gloucester, MA
http://www.tileexcellence.com/
tile_excellence@yahoo.com
(978) 471-9127