My plumber had to knock out some of my bathroom wall tile to access the stack and make a repair. I am trying to go about repairing the hole. However I cannot separate the tile from the existing wall board. I believe they used some sort of adhesive wall board because I am not encountering thinset. Should I just cut all the way through along the grout lines and butt the new cement board up to the existing wall. I would be unable to tape those joints then. What is the best way to go about the repair? Attached is a picture of the main area of the repair. Note this is on the opposite wall of the shower and does not get direct water exposure.
Tile – How to best repair the tile
bathroomceramic-tilemasonrytile
Related Solutions
If you want to ensure a perfectly straight and level corner along the entire length, then I'd suggest you build a two sided "box" to rest on the raised surface. Build it out of 1x1s, making a frame that consists of 3 long straight edges connected at perfect 90 degrees by short supports (cripples) spaced 12" on center.
Lay that box over the concrete edge, and use shims to get it perfectly level. Glue in place.
Then apply plywood to the frame and proceed with tiling as normal. (You don't need to ditra the box in this scenario, just tile to the ply)
Rough sketch showing cross section of wall/floor and stick diagram of proposed box framework:
Don't waste your time trying to keep damage to a minimum. You are gonna have to patch the wall anyway. If you are installing new pieces of pipe, you will need plenty of working space, so cut a large hole (as oppossed to many little holes); You or the plumber are gonna end up doing that anyway. And patching a hole , say 8" x8" takes practically the same time as patching one twice that size. Cut you drywall along the edges of two studs, then nail 2 sections of 2x4s to each stud, in order to have a way to attach your new piece of drywall for the patch. Use drywall screws, not nails. Unless you are planning on using the existing tiles, just remove them with a moulding pry bar and a hammer. No matter how careful you are, Murphy's law says you will break a tile or 2 while trying to remove them in one piece. Are you sure there is sheetrock behind the tile, and not a substrate made of mortar and metallic mesh?
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Best Answer
Your plan is sound. Cut the damaged tile out along grout lines, being very careful to not chip the tiles that will remain.
Install new framing backing where possible, using construction adhesive to bond the original substrate to the lumber. Then, when you install your new backer, everything will be tied together well and taping the joint won't be necessary.