Tile & Shower Repairs Auckland
Cracked tiles, loose tiles or a shower that won’t stop leaking? We repair and replace tiles across Auckland, and we fix the cause, not just the surface.
Auckland tile repair
When you need tile repair
Tiles are tough right up until they aren’t. A pot gets dropped and a floor tile cracks. A hollow sound turns up underfoot where the floor used to feel solid. Or the skirting board outside the bathroom starts swelling and nobody can say why. These are the calls we get, and the common thread is that small tile problems don’t stay small. A cracked tile lets water in. A drummy tile is partway to cracking. And a shower that’s been leaking for a year has been soaking the framing behind it the whole time.
Here’s the thing most people are never told: tiles and grout were never the waterproof layer. That job belongs to the membrane underneath. So a proper tile repair starts with why the tile failed and whether water got past it, not with making the surface look right again. That’s the difference between a repair that lasts and one you pay for twice.
What we handle
Repair work we take on
From one cracked tile to a shower that’s leaking into the wall, here’s the repair work we take on across Auckland.
Cracked and chipped tiles
A tile usually cracks for a reason. Sometimes the reason is a dropped cast-iron pan. Easy story, easy fix. More often the floor underneath has moved, or the tile was sitting over a void in the adhesive and finally gave way under a heel. We replace the tile properly, and we look hard at why it went, because a new tile laid over the same problem cracks in the same place.
Loose and drummy tiles
Most people walk over a hollow-sounding tile for years and hope. Sometimes hoping is fine, since tiles laid over certain membranes sound hollow while being perfectly bonded. The pattern that isn’t fine: one or two drummy tiles in a field of solid ones. That usually means the adhesive underneath has let go, or was never fully there. It matters most in showers, where wet-area standards call for near-full adhesive contact under every tile, and a void behind a shower tile is a little reservoir for water. We tap-test the area, sort the truly loose from the harmlessly hollow, and re-bed what’s failing before it cracks.
Leaking shower repairs
Picture the skirting board in the hallway outside your bathroom starting to swell. Or a damp patch on the carpet at the bathroom door. A leaking shower usually announces itself from the outside like that, and by then the water has been travelling for a while. The leak itself might be failed grout. It might be tired silicone, a mixer weeping away quietly inside the wall, or the membrane giving up. Each one gets fixed differently, which is why we diagnose before we quote. We take moisture readings and go over the junctions closely, and if it’s warranted we’ll flood test the base. Guessing is how showers get regrouted three times and keep leaking.
Matching discontinued tiles
What do you do when the tile in your bathroom was discontinued nine years ago? It’s the most common snag in repair work. Tile ranges in New Zealand turn over fast. So we chase supplier stock first, then close matches. And when the original is genuinely gone, we salvage. There are usually intact tiles hiding under the vanity or behind the washing machine, and those can move to the visible repair while the near-match goes where nobody looks. No match at all? We’ll say so, and talk through the options rather than pretend.
Single tile replacement done right
Replacing one tile without wrecking its neighbours is careful work. The grout around it comes out first with an oscillating tool at a controlled depth, so the neighbours don’t take the stress when the tile lets go. Over a membrane, nothing gets swung. The tile comes out in controlled pieces, the membrane underneath gets checked and patched if it needs it, and the new tile is back-buttered onto the right adhesive with proper coverage. Then grout, matched as closely as fifteen-year-old grout allows.
When a repair isn’t the honest answer
Some showers are past patching. If the membrane has failed and water has reached the framing, new tiles are just redecorating a leak. The real fix is a strip-back and re-waterproof. If the tiles are sound and it’s the grout that’s crumbling or black, that’s a different job again, our grout repair service. Part of what you’re paying us for is knowing which of the three you’ve got. We’ll tell you straight, even when the answer is the cheap one.
Tile repairs across Auckland
Repairs are compact jobs, so they travel. South and East Auckland, from Papakura and Takanini through Manukau, Howick, Pakuranga and Botany. Central suburbs like Remuera, Ellerslie, Epsom and Mount Eden. Out west through Henderson and New Lynn, and over the bridge to the North Shore.
Auckland’s housing keeps repair work interesting. Villa bathrooms started life as bedrooms and were never designed to get wet. Plenty of seventies homes have particleboard floors that swell the moment water finds them. And in the nineties townhouses the tiled bathroom often sits directly over the living room, which raises the stakes on every leak. If your suburb isn’t in that list, ask. The answer’s usually yes.
How it works
What to expect
Diagnose
First, we find out what’s actually wrong. We look at the damage and tap-test the tiles around it, and where a leak is suspected the moisture meter comes out. You get told what failed and why.
Source and quote
Then the tiles get sorted, whether that’s matching stock, a close substitute or a salvage plan using your own hidden tiles. Once it’s settled you get a clear written quote.
Repair
Next comes the repair itself. Grout out, damaged tiles lifted carefully, the membrane protected and patched where it needs it. New tiles go in with full adhesive coverage.
Check and hand over
Last, fresh grout and silicone. Where water was the problem we check the leak is actually gone, then walk you through what was done.
Done properly
Why choose Hi Tech Tiling
Tile repair attracts handymen. We’ve re-repaired plenty of their work. As tilers who also waterproof, we see a cracked tile or a leaking shower the way the wet area is actually built, layer by layer, and we find the layer that failed.
Our advice is straight about scope too. Most like-for-like tile repairs count as exempt maintenance under Schedule 1 of the Building Act, so no consent is needed. A shower whose failed membrane has rotted the framing is a different conversation, and you’ll hear it from us before anyone spends money. Where insurance is involved we write the reports and quotes insurers ask for, and we identify whether the leak came from the plumbing, the tray or the membrane, because that distinction can decide a claim.
Our workmanship is guaranteed. And we’d rather fix three tiles well than sell you a bathroom you don’t need.
Good to know
Repair questions, answered
Can you replace just one cracked tile?
Yes, and it’s one of our most common jobs. We cut the grout around it, take the old tile out in pieces, and check the bed underneath before the new one goes in. The catch is usually matching the tile, which is why we talk about that first.
Why is my shower still leaking after being regrouted?
Because grout was never the waterproof layer. If the membrane under the tiles has failed, water passes straight through no matter how fresh the grout looks. A shower that keeps leaking after a regrout needs diagnosis, not more grout. We take moisture readings and inspect the junctions and penetrations to find where water is actually getting in.
My floor tiles sound hollow when I tap them. Is that a problem?
Sometimes. Tiles over certain membranes sound hollow and are fine. The pattern to worry about is isolated drummy tiles among solid-sounding ones, which points to voids or failed adhesive underneath. Those tiles crack sooner or later. In wet areas the voids also hold water. Worth a look before they let go.
Our tiles were discontinued. Can you still match them?
Often, yes. Supplier stock turns up more than you’d expect, close matches cover most of the rest, and your own bathroom usually hides a few salvageable tiles under the vanity or behind appliances. Where a match genuinely doesn’t exist we’ll show you the options rather than pretend. Sometimes a small feature panel beats a bad match.
Will insurance cover my leaking shower?
Depends how the damage happened. Sudden accidental damage is usually covered. A slow leak that ran for years gets treated as gradual damage, and the hidden-damage cover in most NZ policies is capped low and aimed at burst pipes rather than shower membranes. We provide the report and quote your insurer asks for. Identifying the true source of the leak can make a real difference to the outcome.
Do I need building consent for tile repairs?
For most repairs, no. Like-for-like repair and replacement counts as exempt maintenance under Schedule 1 of the Building Act. The exception is work that’s fixing a durability failure, for example a shower whose failed waterproofing has rotted the framing. That can need consent, and we’ll flag it before work starts.
Talk to Hi Tech Tiling
Cracked tile, hollow floor or a shower that won’t stop leaking? Send us a photo or book a look, and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a repair, a regrout or something bigger. Call 021 681 166 or send through the details.
Hi Tech Tiling, 3 Bellfield Road, Ōpaheke, Auckland 2113. Phone 021 681 166.