Replace a cracked or loose ceramic soap dish

How a built-in soap dish is held on

A built-in soap dish is a ceramic piece made to fit in a wall of tile. It sits in the space of one or more tiles and sticks to the wall with the same kind of adhesive as the tiles. That's a cement-based thinset mortar or a premixed tile adhesive. Grout fills the joint around it and ties it to the tiles next to it.

A dish works loose when the adhesive behind it fails. These dishes are not designed to hold a person's weight, so leaning on one can pop it loose or crack it. If the tiles around the dish also sound hollow or the wall feels soft, water may be behind the tile.

Why a ceramic soap dish works loose or cracks

Let's fix it

1. Check the dish and the wall behind itWiggle the soap dish gently. Then tap the tiles around it with a screwdriver handle. Solid tile sounds sharp, and a dull, hollow sound means the adhesive behind it let go. Press the wall around the dish. If tiles flex, the wall feels soft, or you see dark stains or crumbling grout, water may be behind the tile. Stop there and call a tile pro, because the backing may be rotted or moldy. If the wall is solid, decide which job you have. A loose but intact dish can come out whole and be reset. A cracked one needs a matching replacement. Measure it now. Many are sized to fit standard 4-1/4 or 6 inch tile, but check yours.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • Several tiles near the dish sound hollow That points to a wider adhesive or water problem. Don't reset one piece into a failing wall. Have a tile pro open it up and check the backing.

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2. Cut out the grout and tape the neighborsPut on safety glasses and a dust mask. Cutting grout makes fine dust that you shouldn't breathe. Run a carbide grout saw back and forth along each joint around the dish. Or use an oscillating tool with a grout blade at low speed. Keep the blade in the middle of the joint and go down until you reach adhesive or the wall. Take light passes. A blade that slips can scratch the glaze on the next tile. Then put painter's tape along the edges of the tiles around the dish to help protect them. A loose dish may now lift out by hand. Never pry it against a good tile.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • The saw keeps jumping out of the joint Start with short strokes to cut a shallow groove, then lengthen them. A hand grout saw is slower but easier to control than a power tool.

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3. Break out a cracked dish with hammer and chiselSkip this step if the dish came out whole. With safety glasses and gloves on, use a cold chisel and a regular claw hammer or a small sledge. Hold the chisel's tip at the center of the dish face, where the crack is. Tap the chisel with light, controlled taps until the ceramic breaks. See how to use a hammer for a safe grip. Then work outward toward the edges, driving toward the center, not toward the tile next to it. Keep the chisel at a low angle near the edges. Pull out pieces as they loosen. If light taps don't break it, reposition the chisel rather than swinging harder. Hard blows can crack the backing or the neighbor tiles.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • A neighbor tile chipped or cracked Stop and check it. A small edge chip may hide under grout. A crack means that tile needs replacing too. See how to replace a cracked wall tile.
   • Big pieces won't let go The adhesive is strong there. Break the piece smaller, then work a stiff putty knife behind it. Don't lever against the good tile.

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4. Scrape the old adhesive flatClean the opening so the dish can sit flush with the tile around it. In a home built before about 1980, stop here until the old adhesive is tested for asbestos. Otherwise, scrape the lumps off with a stiff putty knife or a margin trowel. For hard spots, hold the cold chisel nearly flat to the wall and tap it lightly with the hammer. Don't gouge the backing. If you're reusing the old dish, scrape the old adhesive off its back too, so it sits flat. Scrape loose grout from the edges of the neighbor tiles. Vacuum, and let the opening dry out completely. If the backing is soft, crumbling or wet, stop and call a pro.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • I gouged the backer or drywall Fill a shallow gouge with a little adhesive and let it set before setting the dish. A wide or deep hole, or wet backing, needs a proper patch first.

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5. Set the dish and tape it in placeDry-fit the dish first. It should sit flush with the tile face and leave an even joint all around. Use an adhesive the maker rates for shower walls and tub surrounds. Some premixed adhesives say so on the label, and others say they're not for constant water or steam. Spread adhesive on the back of the dish and on the wall, so the back has full contact. Press it in with a slight twist until it's flush. Then run strips of painter's tape from the dish up onto the tiles above. A soap dish is heavy at the front and tends to slide while the adhesive is soft. Leave it to cure as the label says, often 24 to 48 hours.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • The dish keeps sliding down Add more tape, pulled tight up onto the tiles above. Some people also wedge tile spacers in the bottom joint. Recheck it after 15 to 20 minutes.

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6. Grout, caulk and wait before showeringAfter the adhesive cures, peel off the tape and pull any spacers. Pick grout by joint width, as the grout maker says. Non-sanded grout is often rated for joints up to 1/8 inch, and sanded grout for wider joints. Press grout into the joint with a rubber float held at an angle. Wipe the haze with a damp sponge. If the dish sits near the tub, don't grout the corner where the tile meets the tub. That joint gets matching tub and tile caulk, because it moves. Wait before showering as the grout label says, often 72 hours for cement grout. Then seal the grout if the maker recommends it.
   Done

   Something went wrong?

   • The new grout doesn't match New grout often looks a little different from old grout. A grout colorant pen can help, or regrout the small area around it so it matches.

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Watch it done

Replace Ceramic Soap Dish - or a Broken Tile - in Your Bathroom or ShowerBy DIY DUO on YouTube. Their method may vary a little from ours.

Watch on YouTube

If it comes back

If the dish works loose again, water may be getting behind it, or someone is still using it as a handhold. Check the grout around it. Cracked or missing grout lets water in, so see how to regrout tile. If people need something to hold onto, have a real grab bar installed into the framing.

If the caulk at the tub keeps splitting or getting moldy, redo it. See how to recaulk a bathtub.

If a plain tile near the dish cracked during the job, swap it the same way. See how to replace a cracked wall tile. For a refresher on light, controlled taps, see how to use a hammer.