Hiding a Tile Floor Crack Update March 23 2022 (2023)

Introduction

This is an update of a video I made nearly 10 years ago. I am repairing the same crack but this time the crack has widened and the old method did not work. I show you a new method using inexpensive materials to hide about 95% of the crack. The cracks I repaired in this video were fairly wide probably the widest was close to 1 mm. It is much easier to do this rather than creating a mess with a hammer and chisel to remove the broken tile. The tile repaired in the video required paint since the separation due to the crack was fairly large and visible. I also used egg shell finish so that type of finish is not as porous and would not pick up as much dirt as a flat finish would. Leave comments below or ask questions and I will get back to you. The earlier video is shown here.

youtu.be/9XQshc098Jw

Video Editor - DaVinci Resolve 17
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Samsung Tablet - tinyurl.com/y4unnz5y
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Video

Okay, this is mario knapp and welcome back to my channel.

Uh, this is a follow-up video of one that I did about eight or nine years ago, I'll put that link for that one in the links below, and this shows how to hide a tile floor crack.

And this is an update because things have changed.

The tile crack became much.

Larger see it's filled in over here on that tile this one was actually much worse than this one.

This is actually a little thinner now crack.

And then the crack actually goes down two more tiles that way and three more tiles that way.

So in the process, I used the last time does not work because the crack is too big so we're going to do it a little differently this time instead of using cork, we're going to fill this with glue.

Okay.

So this is the glue that you would use like an elmer's glue, or you could use a wood glue like this.

I don't this one, actually this one might be even better, but top broke.

So what you do is open this up to the fine point there, you want to get some paper towels, ready.

And what you want to do is fill the crack with the wood glue.

The wood glue goes turns clear when it dries, you can see it's a little white when you first apply it and wipe off the excess, I like to sink into the crack don't feel the crack this is.

I tried doing this with the clock.

I did last time.

Okay.

So let's, wipe off the excess I'm going to kind of push it into the into the hole into the crack and it's important to get all this excess glue up use water and paper towel.

Now, wood glue is water soluble.

So, okay.

So now what we're going to do? So I got grout.

I bought a grout that loads to match the color of the tile.

So what I am doing is filling topping this off with the crouch.

You see the grass going gonna make this rose has many different color, crop, shades, I'll, probably speed through this.

So you don't have to see me do the whole thing.

So what the grout does not only does it color it, but it gives it some some body that's, not going to color it completely so we'll, let that sit for a few minutes and I'll come back off the extra grout vacuum it up.

So you can see it's, not completely covered that's.

Okay, not done.

Yeah, crap.

Other grout lines.

Now you match the grout to the tile not to the grout.

You have obviously and then grout down here and still pick up also gives the paint something to stick to all right now.

The next step let's fill in next step is to use the paint.

This is from it's, a glidden eggshell paint that I got from home depot.

I brought an old tile in to match if you don't have an old tile that you can match it with then get paint chips from the store and get as close a match as you can now it's going to look a little lighter.

But once I put it down, it'll, it'll darken when it dries.

This is the same paint.

I used eight or nine years ago, whenever that was I'll check the date on the video I'm using a q-tip, if you have a paintbrush, it's, even thin paintbrush is even better so I'll probably speed through this.

So you have to watch the whole thing.

Okay, let it dry a minute or two see this, uh, paint's, pretty old it's, the eggshell low luster.

And the reason why you want the low luster, because it won't get as dirty, and you just have a flat paint.

Okay.

So now we're going to start taking some of this off.

You don't want to take too much off.

I think I took a little too much off on that last swipe.

And then I usually do sometimes three coats.

Be careful.

You don't get pain all over yourself doing this it's always best to let it dry a little bit.

You don't.

Wipe it all off looks pretty good down here.

See I took off a little too much down there.

Let me get some red paper towel, I'll, clean it up a little bit.

So you see you've got paint coming off.

I tried the uh there's.

Another video on the internet where they used nail polish.

And I went to the store.

I bought two different kinds of nail polish to try to match the color.

And I just couldn't do it.

I couldn't get the color to match these, uh machines.

They use at home depot or lowe's to match the paint really work.

Well.

So how long is this gonna last it's gonna last until the crack continues to widen? I don't know how long that is it depends on your specific situation when you're doing this, try to get something that's comfortable to lean on like I have here kneel on rather, I think the second coat works because it better than the first because you have something better to stick to the other crack back.

There was compound crack.

It was two lines.

Actually, it was actually pretty bad.

You see the cabinet's over there, the crack actually extends beyond that cabinet probably gonna turn into a sinkhole someday, wind up in the bottom of the pit okay, give it a couple of minutes to dry we'll.

Take this off.

So this method is not perfect.

But it hides, I would say 95 of the crack so that you don't doesn't catch your eye.

Every time you walk into the room, which is this.

This one was doing.

It was extremely annoying.

I mean, you just couldn't couldn't could not see it.

Now you have to have to really look for it.

The key what this paint is to get the match good.

If you take a tile in, or even if you use a paint chip from the store to get you where you need to be, this is looking pretty good.

Now, if you have extra cracks, I mean, tiles, yeah, cracks.

And you want to have somebody professionally, replace them.

Do it.

I don't have enough tiles to fix all the cracks I have.

And I can't find them anymore.

They're not tiles aren't made they're out of production.

So let this go for a minute dry up.

I think this looks pretty good it'll, look better when it dries, because as I mentioned before as anybody painted a wall knows paint darkens when it dries okay, I think that's enough for the commentary.

If you have any comments questions, leave comments, and I will answer them, I'm still answering questions about the first video.

So stay tuned here and I'll show you what it looks like after it dries so I'll show you what the final shot looks like when all four are repaired stay tuned.

You.