This Resourceful DIY Camouflages Cracked Tiles, But Is It Practical?

As an interior designer, I have seen my fair share of creative floor tile configurations and installations that are inspiring and unconventional. I have also seen installations go awry, often when a DIYer (or occasionally an installer) makes one of many easily avoidable mistakes when tiling. Regardless of whether you are hiring for a job or doing it on your own, the goal is to have a perfect floor tile installation.

However, one TikTok video shared how their installation experience did not go as planned when a tile was cracked in the process, leading the installer to purposefully break the rest of the tiles for a decorative look. Watching it is simultaneously horrifying ("Would an installer really do that?") and interesting ("Okay, it does look pretty cool"). Let's break down this perplexing tile installation technique to determine if it could indeed be used as a practical solution for hiding cracked tiles or as design inspiration for your next floor tile project. The quick answer: Put the hammer down and keep reading!

Let me start by saying that I respectfully call baloney on this TikTok video. The premise that a tile installer cracked a tile during the process and then decided to break them all to make up for it is, frankly, silly. Considering that the typical thin-set mortar used to adhere the tiles to the floor takes a few hours to a full day to cure, he could have easily popped out the cracked tile and replaced it. Hopefully, that gives prospective DIYers some peace of mind — you have plenty of time to get your tile placement just right. In addition, when purchasing tile, your installer will always require you to buy an overage of at least 10% more than the square footage of the room to ensure there is spare material to accommodate waste from cuts or breakage. So unless this was some super rare tile with only enough pieces left in the world to barely cover the floor, there will always be an extra piece on site for the installer to fall back on.

Regardless of the video's caption, let's really look at this installation idea beyond the "accidental" circumstances — is installing intentionally broken tiles to create an interesting pattern a real thing? The answer is absolutely! That's exactly how mosaics have been made for centuries: break a tile, set it in a decorative configuration, and add plenty of grout between the cracks to cover sharp edges.

Just because this installation technique can be done, should it be? The TikTok video shows the installer performing the break prior to the thin-set curing, meaning the pieces move away from each other during the cracking process, allowing enough space between tile pieces for grouting (which is essential to cover the sharp, broken edges). For this reason, this method is not a practical solution for camouflaging a cracked tile that's already installed on a floor since there is no way to grout in the tight cracks. So, please do not take a sledgehammer to your tiles in hopes of creating this look. You will end up with shattered tiles, sharp edges, and a lot of mess, rather than the artistic clean breaks of a tile not yet cemented to the floor. If you are planning to install new tile and love the mosaic look, then this TikTok inspiration is doable –- just consult your tile installer for the method they recommend to properly break and set the material.

Another consideration before you go smashing up your new tiles is maintenance. The more grout, the harder the flooring is to keep clean, so be prepared to do some scrubbing in all those extra grout lines, similar to a shower floor with small tiles. At the end of the day, if this mosaic aesthetic makes your heart sing, go for it on your new tile installation, but absolutely not on your existing tile floor.