Buy a Discontinued Tile

Here today, gone tomorrow: nothing is more frustrating in home repair than having to replace a few broken tiles in your floor or wall, only to find out that the manufacturer doesn’t make that exact tile anymore. Before the internet, this was maddening. But today, hunting down discontinued tile is much easier. If you have all the product info on hand, it’s a simple matter of detective work and contacting manufacturers, resellers, and specialists. Even without the original product info, you can still bring a sample into a brick-and-mortar store for staff to help narrow down your search.

Steps

Searching with Product Info

  1. Have helpful info handy. Whenever you lay out tile, save the product information in your records for future reference. Make your life easier by knowing exactly what you are looking for when it comes time to buy matching tiles. When purchasing a new property with tile work  that you would like to preserve, be sure to ask the seller if they have any of the following info:
    • The manufacturer’s name
    • The product name
    • Item number
    • Product number
    • Universal product code (UPC)
  2. Get in touch with the manufacturer. Provide them with as much product information as you can. Find out if their warehouses are holding any backstock of that product.[1] If so, ask if they can arrange a direct sale to you. If for some reason they aren’t able to sell to you directly, ask for the names of retailers and wholesalers that they deal with so you can arrange a sale through them.
    • If the manufacturer is out of stock, ask for a list of companies who purchased the tile for resale in the past.
  3. Contact companies provided by the manufacturer. Get in touch with any retailers and wholesalers who used to carry that item.[1] Ask the staff to run a computer search of their inventory to find out if they have any backstock still available. If the company is a chain with more than one location, be sure they run a company-wide search to see if another site has it in case this one doesn’t.
    • Don’t simply go by what is on the shelves in the front of the house. They may have pulled the item off the shelves because they knew it would be discontinued and unlikely to be a top seller after that.
  4. Seek specialists. Perform an online search with keywords “discontinued tiles” and “buy” or “for sale.” Find companies that specialize or deal exclusively in hunting down old tiles that are no longer in production. Search their websites to see if they currently offer your tile.[1]
    • If they don’t have your tile advertised, contact them directly. Provide them with the product info. Ask them to perform a search through their suppliers or any other leads they may have.
  5. Shop around. Resist the urge to immediately buy your tile as soon as it is located. If possible, obtain quotes from multiple sources. Be aware that prices may vary from one to the next, depending on priorities. Expect some sources to be aware of the rarity of the item and capitalize on it. Hope for the best and see if other sources would be happy to unload backstock at a discount just to be rid of it.
    • Expect the cost to be influenced by how old the tile is, how much is available, and how much you plan to buy.[2]
  6. Buy more than you need. Don’t limit yourself to the precise amount needed to retile a specific surface. Plan against mishaps. Purchase more than needed in case you accidentally break your replacement tiles as you restore your room. Additionally, think ahead to the future, when these tiles will be even harder to come by. Use this opportunity to stock up for future projects, too.[3]

Identifying Mystery Tile

  1. Pick a piece of tile to bring to a store.[4] If you have an intact spare tile lying around, bring that. If a piece of existing tile is practically falling off the wall or loose enough for you to pluck off the floor, all in one piece, without damaging its neighbors, go for it. Otherwise, pick an existing tile to remove from the floor or wall. Make things easier on yourself and pick a damaged tile that already needs to be replaced.
    • If you are looking to re-tile another room to match existing tile that doesn’t need replacing, see if any local flooring companies offer on-site visits to give estimates. Arrange an inspection to see if they are able to identify the existing tile so you don't have to damage a perfectly good, rare tile.
    • Don’t rely on photographs. Lighting may affect the tile’s color. Also, texture is hard to capture in a photo.
  2. Get rid of the surrounding grout. Scour the grout around the tile with a grout saw. Be patient and work slowly. Only use enough pressure to scrape the grout out of place. Avoid using too much pressure or working too fast, which may cause you to slip off target and scratch a neighboring tile.[5] If you are removing a wall tile, raking too hard may also damage the drywall behind it.[6]
    • Chips and dust from tiling can be very sharp and abrasive. Wear workman’s gloves and safety glasses.
    • If you are removing wall tiles, place a towel, tarp, or sheet at the base of the wall to catch debris and protect surfaces.
    • Once you’re finished, line the surrounding tiles with painter’s tape so their surface is protected. Be sure to cover their exposed sides now that the grout has been removed.
  3. Chisel the tile out of place. First, set the business end of your chisel in the center of the tile’s surface, at a 90-degree angle. Tap the butt gently with a hammer. Repeat until enough chips fall away for you to slip the chisel underneath the remaining pieces at a 45-degree angle. Tap its butt with the hammer to pry them loose.[5]
    • Always work from the center outward to prevent the chisel or hammer from damaging the surrounding tiles.
  4. Bring the tile to a flooring retailer or wholesaler. First, measure one of its intact neighbors. Then bring the measurements, the largest chunk of tile, and any product info you might have found to one or more brick-and-mortar stores. Ask the staff to identify it if possible.[4]
    • If the staff is able to identify the exact product, ask for all product info so you can contact the manufacturer as well as any retailers, wholesalers, and specialists who may carry it.
    • If necessary, bring two chunks of tile: one that shows the most surface area, and one whose thickness is intact. Both features are necessary for exact identification.[6]

Working with What is Available

  1. Try a reproduction company. If you are unable to find your original tile anywhere, don’t give up. Search online for reproduction companies that specialize in matching discontinued tiles. See if they currently offer your specific tile. If not, find out if they are willing to make a custom order.[7]
    • Since these are reproductions, they may have entirely different product info, which might not show up in your initial search.
  2. Settle for the next best thing. If no exact reproductions are available, find a new tile that matches your original one as closely as possible. Contact the manufacturer to see if they offer any new designs that only differ from the original by a slight tweak.[1] If not, visit brick-and-mortar stores with the product info or a sample tile. Ask them for recommendations on matching your tile with another manufacturer’s product.
    • The key factors to consider in matching tile are size, shape, color, and texture.
  3. Customize closely matching tiles. If no one product captures the same size, shape, color, and texture as your original, prioritize which factors matter most to you. From there, alter the other characteristics to fit your needs as best you can. For example:
    • If the new tile resembles the old in all ways except for being thinner, don’t worry. Apply extra mastic (an adhesive used to laying tile) underneath the new tile so its surface is even with the old.[6]
    • If the store has another tile that’s perfect except for being too large, ask them if they are able to cut it down to size and/or shape.[7] If not, ask if they would be able to special-order pre-cut tiles from the manufacturer.
    • If the new tile’s shade of color is slightly off from the original, incorporate this into the room’s design. Buy additional tiles in two or three neighboring shades. Instead of having a handful of new tiles in one new shade stick out as obvious replacements, give the tiled surface more variety to make it look intentional.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.discontinuedceramictile.org/
  2. ↑ http://www.thisoldtile.com/
  3. ↑ http://blogs.findanyfloor.com/consumer/GeneralFlooringInformation/BuyingDiscontinuedorCloseoutFlooring.xhtml
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.bellatilenyc.com/discontinued-tiles-1.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-replace-broken-tile
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 http://www.lowes.com/projects/repair-and-maintain/replace-a-broken-ceramic-tile/project
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.oldhouseonline.com/how-to-match-new-tile-to-old/

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