Raised tile.

[Donflem]

Good morning gentlemen. I have a tile coming up that I need to fix,the problem is it’s only half exposed the rest is under a cabinet underneath the refrigerator. I was just wondering if anyone had a trick to fix it with out removing the refrigerator?

Thanks in advance. Don

[jacwjames]

What kind of tile it this.

I'd be checking for a water leak and possible damage to the floor.   Take a sharp pick and see how soft the subfloor is. 

Check ice maker line on fridge, over the years mine developed pin hole leaks where the tubing was bent to get up to the water valve.  Finally solved that problem by adding a flexible wire braided type plumbing hose.

[WOROB40]

It appears you have a floor issue causing the tile to buckle.  If is is ceramic tile as it seams looking at the picture, you will need to remove your refrigerator and see what is causing your floor to sink in.  If it is vinyl tile, a hair dryer will reseat it for now.  I have a 2006 Cayman and have the same issue in the bedroom at the hall, but I removed carpet and replace with vinyl tile throughout.  Just learned to live with it.

[MurrayD]

I would remove the 1/4 round trim at the bottom of the cabinet and then cut/break the tile off. This will allow you to see underneath and determine if water has damaged the subfloor. If not, cut a piece to match, install and replace 1/4 round to cover the joint.

 

[Donflem]

It’s ceramic. I know I have a water problem of course I just left for a six month trip. I was wondering if there might be a temporary fix? If and when I have to pull that refrigerator I will replace it with a residential one.

[MurrayD]

Remove the tile as I suggested and clean up underneath. Then temporarily glue the same piece back in.

[jacwjames]

If the floor is salvageable you can try a wood hardener. 

Pull the tile up,  and use a scrapper to get the loose stuff up/off.  Put a fan on it to dry it out, this may take a while but you could put one there at night and see if you can get it to dry out some. 

Lowes carries a wood hardener  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Minwax-Wood-Hardener-16-fl-oz-Clear-Wood-Filler/1000447109?idProductFound=false&idExtracted=false 

Then use an adhesive to hold the tile down. 

[Scotty Hutto]

Here is my suggestion for getting the tile up...  It's been a few years (and I've since replaced my fridge with a residential and replaced all of my flooring with engineered wood), but here's exactly what I did:

1. Remove the quarter round (shoe mold)

2. If you can find a Harbor Freight, buy a "toe-kick" saw.  About $70...  (The blade is arranged for this type work) (If you're near Marietta, GA, you are welcome to borrow mine)

https://www.harborfreight.com/68-amp-3-38-in-toe-kick-saw-62420.html

3. Use a diamond blade for tile - you'' have to buy this extra (i *think* it's a 3", but please confirm)

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-professional-continuous-rim-diamond-tile-blade-58961.html

4. Cover everything in close proximity (lots of dust)

5. Use the toe-kick saw to saw the tile right at the base of the cabinet

6. Clean, fix, etc. whatever you can to make the tile lay flat

7. use appropriate adhesive or thinset to reset tile. I would suggest the small bucket of premix thinset from a home improvement store)

8. Grout as appropriate (sanded caulk from a home improvement store makes a nice temporary fix if you can find something close in color)

9.  Replace quarter round.  It should cover the cut made with the toe-kick saw.

Hope that helps.  

[Donflem]

Thanks guys for the advice. I’ll try your suggestion.

[jacwjames]

Quote

 

My tile was laid before the cabinets were installed, which makes it difficult to remove/replace a tile that goes underneath the cabinet.  I had to fix one in the bed/bath area, got the old one out and trimmed it with my tile saw so that if fit up to the cabinet, didn't worry about trying to get it to go underneath.  If you are just trying to get by this may be your best option.  You can buy a cheap grinder and get a tile blade from Harbor Freight. 

[LakeBob]

21 hours ago, Scotty Hutto said:

Here is my suggestion for getting the tile up...  It's been a few years (and I've since replaced my fridge with a residential and replaced all of my flooring with engineered wood), but here's exactly what I did:

1. Remove the quarter round (shoe mold)

2. If you can find a Harbor Freight, buy a "toe-kick" saw.  About $70...  (The blade is arranged for this type work) (If you're near Marietta, GA, you are welcome to borrow mine)

https://www.harborfreight.com/68-amp-3-38-in-toe-kick-saw-62420.html

3. Use a diamond blade for tile - you'' have to buy this extra (i *think* it's a 3", but please confirm)

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-professional-continuous-rim-diamond-tile-blade-58961.html

4. Cover everything in close proximity (lots of dust)

5. Use the toe-kick saw to saw the tile right at the base of the cabinet

6. Clean, fix, etc. whatever you can to make the tile lay flat

7. use appropriate adhesive or thinset to reset tile. I would suggest the small bucket of premix thinset from a home improvement store)

8. Grout as appropriate (sanded caulk from a home improvement store makes a nice temporary fix if you can find something close in color)

9.  Replace quarter round.  It should cover the cut made with the toe-kick saw.

Hope that helps.  

Have an assistant with a squirt bottle of water spray the tile and saw blade while cutting, will reduce the mess considerably!   

It appears you have subfloor damage, however you may be able to cut the piece and glue back in place for the short term.

I've seen this before, had to replace the entire floor in our 1/2 bath......

Good Luck!

[Donflem]

Thank you gentlemen. I’m going to harbor freight tomorrow.

[dereeves]

For temp fix till you get home...just get the junk out from under the corner and use polyurethane glue. Put a couple tabs of that under it and weight it down to cure. Don't use too much or it will be a pain getting it up when you're able to properly repair it. The glue, if you are not aware, comes in caulk tubes and some brands label it as construction adhesive. 

[Donflem]

Thanks Danny.

[dereeves]

I use the PL brand of poly glue. To give you an idea, if you don't know, how strong it is, i used to build loudspeakers and sub's. I used that to construct the boxes out of 1/2" or 3/4" MDF. It filled the saw imperfections as well as sealed the enclosure. I haven't built any since like 2009 and they are all fine, including the 15" sub i built that is the size of a dorm fridge. It is strong stuff.