Hard flooring options

[FoxtArt]

Eh, I've installed hardwood (tongue and groove) and I don't know any other way to repair damage than to pull it all back from the wall. Maybe better installers have a trick, but since they interlock you either have to rip out the structure that holds it together or uninstall the whole floor to get back to the damaged area. I consider that to be a bitch. Tile, you can use anything but an impact drill to cut out just the one piece. Vibtraroty cutters, cutoff wheels on grout, diamond tipped hole saws, diamond edged saws-all (with a pilot) etc. Once you're through to the concrete board you can generally get it to pry up the rest of it pretty well, then just scrape the thinset, mix a small batch of thinset in a paper cup, and reinstall.

I also do grout in very small batches (paper cup) so tbh, fixing damage isn't much more time over the install, save for breaking the f'n tile off. Cutting is a win, pulverizing until a crack develops can work too but it sucks on well installed. (impact drills imo cause premature wear on the surrounding adhesion)