Vent: My 'easy' tile floor fix turned into a three day mess
So, I had a single cracked tile in my kitchen, right by the fridge. I watched a few videos and it looked straightforward. I got a chisel and hammer, thinking I'd pop the old one out, clean the spot, and set a new one. In my experience, things are never that simple. The tile came out in a million tiny pieces, and I found a bunch of wet, crumbly mortar underneath. Turns out, the grout had been cracked for a while and water got under there. I ended up having to pull up six more tiles to get to solid ground, and the subfloor was a little soft. I spent the next two days cutting out a small section of plywood, putting in a new piece, and then redoing the whole area. I learned that a single broken tile can be a sign of a bigger, wetter problem. Has anyone else had a small repair blow up like that? What's your rule for when to stop and call a pro?