TIPS ON REPLACING BATHTUB TILE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993                   TAG: 9302150309
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CURT RICHERT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
TIPS ON REPLACING BATHTUB TILE
Ever sat in the bathtub and eyed a broken or cracked piece of tile? Each day a piece breaks off or the crack gets longer? Here are some suggestions to help with the problem.
There are no special tools required to do this work. You will need to purchase new tile, adhesive and grout.
To replace the tile, find a new one that is the same size, type and style. If you have doubts about what type to buy, follow these directions to remove the tile and take a piece with you to a home hardware store and select the one that matches yours.
Remove the damaged piece of tile by breaking up the cracked tile and removing the pieces. Scrape out the old grout and adhesive.
Apply new adhesive to the wall and set the new tile into the adhesive using a firm twisting motion. Center the tile in the hole and use tape to hold it in place until the adhesive sets.
The next day, remove the tape and lightly dampen the joints.
Grout is cement-like material that holds the piece of tile in place permanently. Prepare the grout as instructed. Work the grout into the joints and remove any excess with a wet sponge.
Clean up your tools and wait for a slight haze to form on the tile. Using a soft cloth, buff the surface of the tile to a shine.
Cover the tile with plastic for two or three days to help it cure. If the area will be subject to water, apply a sealant after a couple of weeks.

Update
In response to last week's column about re-wiring a lamp, a reader has provided an added warning: If the positive and negative wires are not correctly connected, a shock could result.
When connecting the wires to the lamp socket, make sure the positive wire goes to the positive terminal screw and the negative goes to the negative screw. This will help ensure that no electrical shock will occur.
Also, when tightening the electrical wires in the lamp socket, have the "U" part of the wire wrapped around the screw so that as you tighten the screw, the wire is pulled into the screw.

Curt Richert is a staff writer for this newspaper.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB