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Short Summary
Main recommendation: To repair a chipped bathroom tile when no spare tiles are left, mix oil-based porcelain glaze with oil-based stain (gray for gray tile, or paints matched to your tile color), apply it in thin coats into the chip, buff the surrounding area while wet, then sand smooth once dry. The presenter notes the repair may not be perfect and its quality depends on the user's painting skill.
Key Points
- The chip was caused accidentally: the presenter's son Madi hit the tile edge with a hammer while cleaning the subfloor, after a grinder had already been used to trim the tile line for an oversized tub.
- Porcelain glaze in small bottles is available at the hardware store's tub section, but gray is usually not stocked.
- Gray stain from the paint department is used to tint the glaze to match gray tile; other colors can be matched with oil-based paints from a paint department (the transcript mentions Michaels as an example).
- The result is described as far from perfect but much better than the original chip.
- Sanding and optional extra coats or a two-tone texture can refine the finish, and the floor is sealed and waterproof again afterward.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Buy porcelain glaze in a small bottle from the tub section of the hardware store. If you need gray, buy gray stain from the paint department plus a couple of tools in a cardboard box from the tub display.
- Mix the glaze and stain together. Both are oil based. For a different tile color, buy oil-based paints in the matching colors and mix them with the glaze until it closely resembles the floor tile.
- If the mix looks too light, add a little more stain until it matches the tile.
- Apply in about two coats: dab it on with the small tool, going right up to the chip edge so the color blends with the stone and glaze.
- If too much is applied, pull it back with the flat tool.
- While still wet, buff the area around the chip, not the chip itself, with a small piece of paper towel.
- Let the repair dry for about one hour, then sand it smooth using the small sandpaper included in the glaze kit.
- Optionally, mix a slightly darker shade and use an artist brush to dab in a two-tone texture. Add as many coats as desired, sanding between coats, until the look is right.
- The presenter's repair is not guaranteed to be perfect, and results depend on the user's artistic skill.
- The video does not state the ingredient ratios or exact number of coats beyond "about two applications."
Bottom Line
A small chip on existing tile can be repaired at low cost with a glaze-and-stain mix when spare tiles are unavailable, with results depending largely on careful color matching and patient, layered application.
