Whether in the bath, the shower, the kitchen, or any other location in the house, ceramic tiles become loose and fall off any surface over time. Age and moisture are the primary causes for loose and displaced ceramic tiles. Simply replacing ceramic tiles without remedying the reason why they became damaged or loose is counterproductive.

Mix and Match

1. Take your old ceramic tile, or a piece of it, to the store and match it as closely as possible with a new one.
2. You can also purchase the same size tile in a shade or design that complements or contrasts with your old tiles.

Eliminate Sources of moisture

1. Examine the wall or ceiling closely for clues as to where the moisture may have entered the surface and caused the tiles to dislodge.
2. Check all molding and trim edges and bull nose tiles where they meet the wall, ceiling, or floor. They should be caulked tight.
3. Check out all caulking and replace it, if necessary.
4. Make sure all vent fans are cleaned, lubricated, and in good working order.
5. Verify that walls and ceiling are well insulated.
6. Check the insulation in the attic and under the floor in between the floor joists and add more or replace it, if necessary.

Prepare the Surface

1. With a putty knife or scraper, clean out the old tile cement or mastic from the location where you will install the new tile. Be careful here not to damage the surface or the adjacent tiles.

Install the Tile

1. You can cut the new tile to fit, if necessary, with a number of different tile cutters. A tile cutter like the one pictured is convenient, accurate, and easy to use.
2. With a putty knife, apply ceramic tile adhesive to the back of the new tile. Apply it just like you would butter a piece of toast. Do not apply the adhesive too thickly.
3. Press the tile into place.
4. Use grout spacers to align the new tile with the existing ones. Grout spacers are small hard plastic pieces that fit in between the tiles at the corners. You can buy them by the bag in different sizes. They hold the tile firmly in line until the adhesive dries. You can also use a straight edge or level to make certain the new tile lines up with the old ones.

Grout the Tile

1. After the adhesive has dried, remove the grout spacers. You can dig them out with the point of a small knife or the corner of your putty knife if you cannot remove them with your fingers.
2. Match the new grout with the old. You may have to add a color additive to match the hue of your old grout exactly.
3. Apply the new grout using a sponge and wiping the grout at an angle across the new tile and into the grout spaces.
4. Let the grout set briefly, then wipe the excess away with a soft cloth or a damp sponge.

Seal the Grout

1. After the grout has dried at least 24 hours, seal it with a good grout sealant containing silicone. You can apply the sealant to the whole tiled surface to help protect it from moisture. Be sure to wear gloves and goggles while applying the grout sealant.
2. Let the sealant dry according to the manufacturer’s directions and you are ready to use your newly repaired tile surface.

Replacing a tub diverter is an easy job in most cases. There are those exceptions, however.

The tub diverter should have been caulked in place where the rear of the spout meets the shower wall. Cut that caulking free with a sharp knife being careful to avoid cutting the shower wall surface.
Usually, you can score the caulking or lift up an edge and then peel the rest off. If someone has caulked the spout with silicone caulk you may need to exercise patience in removing it. Silicone caulk is very difficult to remove. Use a very sharp knife to cut away at it.

Feel the underneath side of the tub spout. If there is an opening at the rear of the spout where it meets the shower wall, you will need to loosen an allen screw up inside that opening. The best tool to do this with is a balldriver allen wrench.  http://www.bondhus.com/products/screwdrivers/body-0.htm. This is an allen wrench that has a ball-like tip. That allows you to tilt the allen wrench at an angle and still loosen the allen set screw.

After fully loosening the set screw, turn the tub spout gently to break the seal and pull it toward you to remove it. Install a new tub diverter spout with the same style connection, i.e, an allen set screw at the rear. Hold the diverter spout firmly against the shower wall or as far as it will go while tightening the setscrew. You can tighten the setscrew about hand tight with the spout turned 90 degrees to one side so you can get to the setscrew easily. Then turn the spout so it faces down into the tub and tighten the setscrew the rest of the way.

If there is no opening at the bottom rear of the tub spout then the tub spout unscrews from a nipple. Place the handle of a pair of pliers or channellocks into the spout opening and turn it counterclockwise. If you are going to throw the tub spout away just grab the end of the spout with a pair of channellock or waterpump pliers or even a pipe wrench and unscrew it. Sometimes corrosion has totally locked the spout in place and you will have to exert quite a bit of force to remove it. In doing so, you might damage the threaded spout nipple. If you have to replace it and can’t get a wrench on it to unscrew it, use a nipple extractor that you can buy at any hardware store or plumbing outlet.

Apply joint compound to the threads of the new nipple and screw it into place using the nipple extractor to tighten it, if necessary. Apply joint compound to the external threads of the spout end of the nipple and install the tub spout. Be sure to caulk it where it meets the shower wall. Trim the acrylic latex caulk with silicone with a wet finger tip or a caulk trim tool. Let the caulk dry at least 24 hours before getting it wet.

A note of caution: The tub spout nipple fitting should have been anchored inside the wall to supporting lumber but not all are. Use extreme caution when removing the old tub diverter spout or tub spout nipple. If you think the fitting in the wall is loose or not supported at all, or suspect the nipple fitting or its connections in the wall have been damaged, you must open up the shower wall to repair or replace it.