Can hollow tiles be fixed without removing them?
Sometimes. Where tiles are hollow but still intact, level and not tented, some contractors inject a low-viscosity adhesive through small holes drilled in the grout joints to re-bond them. It works only if the cause has stopped and the bedding behind the tile is sound. Where tiles have lifted, cracked or the screed itself is hollow, removal and re-laying with full adhesive coverage and proper movement joints is the more reliable repair.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Popped, Hollow and Debonded Tiles in Singapore: Causes, Safety, Repair and Who Pays. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Tiles pop or sound hollow when the bond between tile, adhesive and screed fails, usually from thermal movement without movement joints, poor adhesive coverage, an uncured substrate or age. Indoors, the unit owner generally pays after the developer's 12-month defects period. On façades, falling tiles are a public-safety risk handled through the MCST or owner and BCA's Periodic Façade Inspection.
More questions on this topic
- Why do floor tiles suddenly pop up with a loud crack?
- Is a hollow-sounding tile always a defect?
- Who pays for popped tiles in my HDB flat?
- Who pays for popped tiles in a condominium unit?
- Can the developer refuse to fix popped tiles after the defects liability period?
- Are popped façade tiles covered by the Periodic Façade Inspection?
- How do I stop new tiles from popping?