Loose or Broken Tile?
Whether your kitchen floor is new or old, there's nothing that disturbs the balance of a room quite like a broken tile. After all, tiles were installed with a pattern in mind: break one link in the chain and the whole thing falls apart. That's why it's important to know how to fix a broken tile - like learning how to change a tire, sometime it pays to know how before you have to do it.
First, we can assume that the conjoining material between each tile is already hard, which means that you'll have to do a little work that might include dust and debris. Make sure to wear protective eye goggles - you might even want to cover your mouth to prevent inhaling too much dust into your lungs.
Next, you'll have to destroy and remove any leftover spots from the previous tile. Most likely your tile is still in place, unless the whole tile itself came out already. In order to remove tile chips, you're going to want to follow a precise pattern: break the tile in the center using a hammer and nailset, and then cut the tile into an X pattern using a glass cutter. Then you can use the hammer to chip away the rest of the tile - beginning in the center - and pry up the pieces using a metal tool.
Once the area is cleared of the main tile bits, it's time for you to dry it out - suck out the remaining debris with a vacuum cleaner. It might not hurt to sand down any protruding areas that might get in the way for the new tile, so be sure to vacuum after you've done the sanding, as well.
Now that you have a clear area where your tile used to be, it's time to replace the tile. First you're going to want to fill the area with latex primer and allow it to dry - you should probably make sure to protect this area so that no one steps in it, particularly small children if you have them. After the primer has dried, you can apply tile adhesive, making sure to move it left and right to make sure it settles in properly. It's important to keep the tile level, so use a mallet to make sure that it gets in far enough. Any extra tile adhesive that comes out of the sides can be scooped up with a stick or screwdriver.
Give the tile some time to dry and you should be all finished. You've covered up the spot in your kitchen that detracted from all the rest. Now if you could just get a new set of cupboards.
Photo Credits: wakingphotolife
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 4, 2009 in
Floors, Handyman, How to Fix, kitchen
There's the chip.
If you've been driving behind a truck carrying stones, looking for a way to drive through traffic and get out of harm's way, you're definitely irritated when one of the rocks slips out and comes down on your windshield, chipping it slightly. Even if you know a lot about cars, this inconvenience seems like a waste of time and money to get fixed, especially since it feels like it never should have happened. But thinking about the problem won't fix the chip. Here's how a chip in your windshield can be fixed.
First, remember that fixing chips in your windshield is usually best left to professionals. Unless you've fixed chips before, this article will only serve as a demonstration of how chips are fixed by technicians who know how to work with glass. Even though glass is all around us in our daily lives, it is still a highly fragile and brittle material that can easily form into sharp edges that can do a lot of damage to someone who's not being cautious.
Glass professionals will be able to drill into your glass windshield and apply some sort of vacuum pressure to prepare the area. The professional will then inject resin into the windshield, which will work to fill the affected area as if the glass was always there. Once this has been injected, it is cured by ultraviolet light and then scraped smooth.
This is ideally what happens, but not always how it goes down. A chip present in a windshield means that there's a strong possibility the glass can crack, causing further damage to the windshield and making a total replacement necessary. That's why your chip repair costs can be higher than you expected - not because anyone is ripping you off, but because of the fragile nature of glass. If you could work with glass, you would probably understand the complications that often arise in glass repair. It's often best to simply replace glass instead of repairing it.
Now that you know a little more about the chip in your windshield, you should try to strive for better prevention. Stay clear of debris-stirring or carrying trucks that might drop a stone on your windshield. If you're careful about how you drive, you should be able to avoid a chip in your windshield.
Once you do notice a chip in your windshield, be sure to have it taken care of as quickly as you can. Be sure to ask professionals for advice about what to do before you take the car in for treatment.
Photo Credits: Lee Bennett
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 3, 2009 in
Car, How to Fix, Mechanic
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