Advice needed from Pros re Tiling (grout cracks)

9 years ago

About 1/3 of the floor on our first floor (foyer, kitchen, bath and in between) was tiled with 12x24 porcelain tile. In the foyer, the grout lines developed several lines of cracks about 1-2 months after the tiling was done. Tiling looks fine in all the other areas.

The contractor has come back, removed the old grout, and re-grouted not once but TWICE (first with unsanded and then sanded grout). And now just a few days later the cracks are back. I do hear a hollow sound when tapping on some areas of tiling. What do you think needs to be done now? Thanks so much in advance!

Featured Answer

PRO

Mint tile Minneapolis

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

You MOST likely have A Deflection issue with your subfloor and substrate not meeting proper preperation standards to accept A large format tile floor. The first thing that happens is failed grout, then popped/cracked tiles.....If you have hollow spots under tile thats A further RED flag of a bad install and would lead me to question everything from point a-z.

There is some mandatory math and proper preperation set by industry standards with tiling floors, it starts with the tile choice and its rating, followed by measuring the homes deflection rating and assessing the joist or structure and correcting the substrate ( slab on grade different prep) properly to accept the tile installation.

Do you have any pictures of the prep work done? the way in which the tiles were cleaned, buttered and installed and with what type of thinset? what is the deflection rating your subfloor was prepped for and how? these are the questions you ask your tile professional to verify....

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

millworkman
9 years ago
Sounds to me like the floor is not flat, which is why you are hearing hollow spots. The tile flex or move slightly due to this and the grout being the weak link cracks. If I am correct the only way to fix this is to remove the tile flatten the floor and have the tile reinstalled.
0
Related Discussions
BATH...Cracked tiles, cracked grout & moisture in wall
Q
Comments (2)
Actually, good chance the wood DID dry out. As it dries it contracts, which would explain the cracking tile. One way or the other, there's movement due to moisture getting to the framing, whether it's from being wet and drying, or after drying out, it's now getting wet again. Either way, it never should've been covered up wet. You don't know how long it was wet, and how much damage has been done top the wood. Sometimes, there's more damage than can be seen while it's wet. No real way to tell for sure without opening up the wall, but then again, it's certainly a moisture/ movement problem involving the framing, and the only way to solve that is to pull it all apart and redo it.
...See More
caulk over tile dilemma -- need pro advice or for hire in NYC
Q
Comments (24)
Its a matter of adhesion to the adjacent materials. Silicone adheres well enough to glass held in a frame on the inside of a tank where the water pressure is forcing the sealant into the joint but it doesn't adhere well enough to be used underwater where other forces will be involved. Think of silicone sealant as more of a gasket material than a sealant. Adhesive/sealants like polyurethane are such strong adhesives. Their greatest disadvantage is the difficulty in separating the materials later. Think of them more as adhesives than sealants. In this tight joint I felt that a less viscous adhesive/sealant would be appropriate. Its just an opinion; we don't need to debate it as if the joint were a serious waterproofing problem. In the end, whatever looks good will probably be fine. If silicone is used, protect the adjacent materials with masking tape. As I mentioned earlier silicone sealants leave a residue that’s difficult to remove, to which nothing will adhere, including fresh silicone or paint. Don't use a white silicone construction sealant in a fish tank; find a clear unadulterated silicone intended for that use. Sealant choice is not always simple or obvious. They have different properties when used with different materials in different conditions.
...See More
Fix cracks in the grout between bathroom tile (floor and wall)
Q
Comments (10)
thanks mainenell. Any suggestions on the type of caulking, Im sure once I go to Lowes or HD, there will be so many types and brands with minor and major differences, I will get lost. Most frustrating thing about a DIY project is to pick an item at these big box stores. Is this the current one grout?
...See More
Help with grout lines and tile cracks in ceramic tiled shower
Q
Comments (21)
No, you can’t see if waterproofing is there without tearing things out and likely damaging the waterproofing. I will echo HB’s caution to not beat yourself up. It is easy to get into a heap of trouble when buying a house. We bought this one knowing it had foundation work done that was warranted and the warranty transferred to us. Six years later, we learned that the front living room and foyer of the house, which was on a slab foundation, had a big crack down the middle of the slab and had fallen a good four to six inches. Yes, the foundation piers that had been put in were working fine and were guaranteed. But the foundation repair company had advised the homeowner that he needed 12 piers, and he only did six. The right side and front were supported, but left side was still sinking. The home owner had hidden this from us by putting in a false floor and putting thick carpet over it. It turns out that the front room was sunken 6 inches lower than the adjacent foyer when it was built in the 1970s. The owner used that six inches to put in a kind of floating floor with 2 x 4s, shimmed to level with wood shims, with a plywood subfloor on top. This was not a first house for us. It was my 4th house, and we hired an inspector who my friend had used and who was supposed to be picky. He did not notice that room seemed odd, with a 1 inch drop. It cost us six months of construction living and $40,000.
...See More
Related Professionals
Lockport Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · White House Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Fullerton Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Alpine Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Kuna Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Paducah Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Upper Saint Clair Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Walnut Creek Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Liberty Township Interior Designers & Decorators · DeRidder General Contractors · El Monte General Contractors · Lake Forest Park General Contractors · Makakilo General Contractors · Rolla General Contractors · Welleby Park General Contractors
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
zargunn:

What is the construction of the floor?

Here in Florida, most homes are on a concrete slab and most tile setters tile right over the control joints in the concrete. Of course, control joints are designed to allow the concrete to move and when it inevitably does, the tile cracks or "tents".

If your tile setter has a grout line over a control joint, consider yourself lucky, but the hollow sound is no good. They must be reset.
0
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
"....What do you think needs to be done now? ...."

I think you need to remove some grout and pop out a few of the tiles. I would think you have a bond breaker issue where the substrates' tile prep has failed or the thin-set has failed. Often large tiles are set with the wrong setting materials.

you might discover a pre-mixed thinset like Mastic was used. This would of course be a bad idea and not the right choice for that tile size.

Your builders could have used construction adhesive and cement board as tile prep - that would be wrong as well.

Or maybe the thin-set was right but over watered and installed too thick.

So many things could have been done wrong. Removing a few tiles should point out what the problem was.

Do you know if the installer left room for expansion around the perimeter?

HOUZZ FEATURE IDEABOOK: [WHY BATHROOM FLOORS NEED TO MOVE[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/why-bathroom-floors-need-to-move-stsetivw-vs~16362005)

URL:[https://www.houzz.com/magazine/why-bathroom-floors-need-to-move-stsetivw-vs~16362005[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/why-bathroom-floors-need-to-move-stsetivw-vs~16362005)
0
zargunn
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks so much, everyone! We did not live in the house while the tiles were installed. So I don't have any pictures or don't know any detail of the installation.
0
PRO
By Any Design Ltd.
9 years ago
Then you best pop out a few tiles and take a look at what is going wrong.
0
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
zargunn:

Before you move in, bounce a golf ball on each of the tile. On tile that large better bounce twice on each. Properly laid tile will make a nice "snick" sound, hollow tiles will "thunk". You'll hear the difference right away. Keep track of your "snicks" and "thunks" on paper and figure the percentage of bad tile. If it's too high, it's a do-over.
0

Advice needed from Pros re Tiling (grout cracks)

Mint tile Minneapolis

Comments (7)

millworkman

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Joseph Corlett, LLC

By Any Design Ltd.

zargunn
Original Author

By Any Design Ltd.

Joseph Corlett, LLC

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Advice needed from Pros re Tiling (grout cracks)

Mint tile Minneapolis

Comments (7)

millworkman

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Joseph Corlett, LLC

By Any Design Ltd.

zargunnOriginal Author

By Any Design Ltd.

Joseph Corlett, LLC

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

zargunn
Original Author