The present invention relates to a method for repairing a turbine blade having a crack in a trailing edge portion of the blade. The method comprises the steps of cutting back a first surface of the turbine blade adjacent the blade trailing edge portion where the crack is located, and cutting back a second surface of the turbine blade adjacent the blade trailing edge portion where the crack is located. Each cut back step comprises cutting back the respective surface by a depth greater than the length of the crack and less than the trailing edge radius to remove the crack and form a cut back trailing edge portion. A compound radius is used to prevent a blunt transition into the trailing edge that would result in aerodynamic losses and to reduce the airfoil root stresses. The method also includes applying a thermal barrier coating to the turbine blade to increase service life. Prior to applying the coating, the tip portion of the turbine blade is modified to account for the change in the thermal characteristics of the turbine blade.