How do I repair a damaged ceramic tile?

October 4, 2007 2:02 AM

I chipped a bathroom wall tile while drilling a hole in it. The chipped bit came off the surface of the tile quite cleanly and I want to re-attach it. What adhesive should I use?
posted by DZ-015 to Home & Garden (8 answers total)

I've used cyanoacrylate superglue (Loctite) to stick cracked tiles back together before, that seems to work fine.
posted by tomsk at 2:11 AM on October 4, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks!
I'll give it a try...
posted by DZ-015 at 3:35 AM on October 4, 2007

In case anyone suggests it I'd warn you away from Gorilla Glue. I love the stuff and have used it on almost everything. But just a couple of days ago I tried using it to fix a chipped bowl. It didn't work out so well. The chip is firmly pack in place but the expansion of the glue pushed the chip up a bit. When I went to clean the excess with a razor, the edges of the chip came off with the excess. So now the chip has an outline.
posted by Toekneesan at 4:15 AM on October 4, 2007

Waterproof epoxy is another good choice.
posted by TedW at 7:13 AM on October 4, 2007

Seconding waterproof ceramic epoxy.
posted by yeti at 8:50 AM on October 4, 2007

check out This to That
posted by letahl at 8:52 AM on October 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

Epoxy. I don't know the difference between 5-minute and long-set, but just make sure that you rig up some sort of gizmo to hold the tile chip securely in place. Maybe rig it to whatever you screwed into the wall?
posted by anthill at 10:31 AM on October 4, 2007

I'd use super glue gel. because tile is porous regular super glue will soak in to quickly to make the connection. Just glob it on press the chip in place tightly and wipe away the excess. Then hold it for about thirty seconds so it can set up. Give it about a day to dry before you let it get wet. Epoxy will work fine to but it is a messier, longer process resulting in a bond of about equal durability.
posted by subtle_squid at 11:50 AM on October 4, 2007