Hello, we just purchased a new home (built in 2000) and have just been in
for a few months when the weather has turned cooler. Suddenly, one of our
tiles popped up in the hallway leading to a run of popping tiles down the
hallway and into the kitchen/living area. Help! What is causing this and
how can we get it to stop?!
The 15 inch tiles are cemented directly onto the concrete slab of the
house. The concrete does not appear to be wet. Every few days, another
few tiles loosen and pop up about an inch! We are concerned if we have to
re-do the entire floor of our house. Please, do you have any suggestions
for us? We have no idea why it is doing this and how we can get it to
stop.
My husband just spent an entire day cleaning off the tile adhesive with a
hammer and chisel and now another 8 tiles are loose. Already almost 30
tiles are loose down the hallway that leads into our open plan kitchen,
dining room & lounge room all with tiles.
Any recommendations?
Desperate in 'new' house.
Merle & Cheree Shenk
Ceramic Tile Repair Alternative
Summary: Ceramic tile replacement may not be the only answer to cracked and loose tiles. Consider ceramic tile repair by a good artist. First thing to do is reconnect the loose tile and clean out grout lines before grouting tiles again. The cracks can be repaired and camouflaged to your satisfaction.
Related Articles: Ceramic Tile Failure, Grout Removal, Change Grout Color
DEAR TIM: My 75 year old house has a ceramic tile fireplace
surround and hearth. The tile is original and quite unique. The surround is in
good shape, however the hearth has loose and cracked tiles. I'm thinking about
replacing the hearth tiles with new tile. Because I have been unable to locate
matching tile, what suggestions do you have? K. L.
DEAR K.
L.: My suggestion is simple. Don't replace the hearth tiles!! From your
description of the tile, it sounds as if you have Rookwood Tile. This tile was
manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the turn of the century. It adds value and
character to your home. I think that the removal of the hearth tiles would be a
mistake.
Because the new tile you install probably will be different in
size, color, texture, etc., your installation will look like a patch job. I
doubt that you will be satisfied with the final results.
I have an alternative suggestion which will yield very satisfactory results. However, you must employ the services of a very good artist. First, you must reapply the loose tiles. Prior to grouting the tiles, carefully clean out the crevices of the cracked tiles. When you grout the newly applied tiles, fill the cracked tiles as well. Work with the grout so that the cracks are filled completely flush and are smooth. Now, it is time to create the illusion.
Believe it or not, a good artist can camouflage the cracks. By blending the right paints with the proper gloss, he or she can make the cracks 'disappear'. Remember, you must properly fill the cracked tiles to successfully create this illusion.
|
|
Comments:
Merle Shenk 17 May 2008, 16:40
L. Martin 21 Jul 2008, 08:46
We just completed construction on our house and put 20x20 porcelan tile in
our Master Bath with a Nuheat mat under it. They used 1/2" concrete board
and modified thinset under and over the mat. Two days after the tile was
grouted, about 10-12 tiles(out of 168 sqft) started popping and the grout
was coming out. This bath is over a basement. The contractor thinks it is
because the floor trusses are 16"OC(sitting on 18" steel I beams
reinforcing them). It also has a 3/4" Advantek floor that is glue, nailed
and screwed. The rating on the trusses is 60 lb/sqft. But....we also have
other areas(laundry room), with the same tile, that are not popping or
coming up. I think it has something to do with the mat. Any ideas or
thoughts on this problem
michael cruickshank 28 Jul 2008, 11:28
I have a similiar problem with tiles coming loose.I removed three tiles and
broke one.Is there a way of injecting a bonding agent under thr rest of the
tiles without removing them.
Christine 08 Oct 2008, 18:37
I don't see an answer to the tile popping questions -- and boy do I need
one! Tile are popping up all over our house. Is it because the wrong
thinset was used? Should we replace these tiles with more tiles or just go
to wood flooring. Would I have a similar problem with wood? Our tiles are
18" ceramic applied directly to the cement slab. The thinset has pulled
off pretty completely from the tiles. We are in the wetlands, but there is
no evidence of water or moisture on the slab.
Pravin Patel 26 Oct 2008, 10:23
Hoem is only five years old. We have installed speciality tiles in the
kitcah areas, There wer two cracks along the entire width of the kichen
goes through about 10 tiles each crack. We have replaced one time, but we
end up with damaging and replacing more tiles. We have only few matching
tiles left. I am not able to replace since we don't have enough matching
tiles. The cracks are fine. Initially it was line hair line, But is getting
wider as time passes. Is there any chemical liquids or something which
filled the crack so it wouldn't get wider and hopeful match the color. I
have beige color so little bit off wouldn't make big contrast. Plaese help
and advise.
Thanks, pravin Patel
Maureen Santosh 03 Dec 2008, 15:36
I am in a new house also built in 2000. I have the same problem as Merle
Shenk...Have been there for 8 years. The ceramic floor tiles have been in
the kitchen for eight years to but has just started popping up and cracking
all over. I am worried about this. Is this serious? should I contact the
NHBC>
Any help will be appreciated. thanks Maureen
Michelle Dreseris 04 Apr 2009, 20:33
Hi, this evening we started hearing tiny cracking sounds, then louder ones
in one area of our living room, against a wall. The cracks have been
continuing moving from west to east across our tiled living room. The tiles
are moving up, like an earthquake fault. I'm now typing uphill by about two
inches as the floor tiles have raised up, lifted up my entire computer desk
(that weighs at least 90 pounds) and one side is now suspended in air. A
raised ridge is running through my living room and has grown rapidly from
about two feet to an area of about 18 feet by 20 feet and increasing
rapidly! Help.
I still do not see any solutions above and the area is cracking and getting bigger. I'm worried about the foundation. I'll call my insurance company on Monday. Who else should I call? Help. Michelle Miami, Florida I'll
Robin Ribakoff 20 Jul 2009, 18:50
We had the popping tile problem in our kitchen. After the Northridge
Earthquake, much of the tile in the kitchen had to be replaced. I had a
black expansion line built into the flooring. Since the grouting is black,
the expansion row looks just like grout. The expansion row has a flexible
silicone rather than grouting. That allows for expansion and contraction
without popping the tiles. This was my own bright idea. My father always
put in expansion joints in cement swimming pool decking to keep the decks
from cracking. So we did it on the tile floor in the kitchen. That was in
1994. Just last year one tile cracked. I suspect this is from settling
because we are on adobe. The house was built in the early 1960s.
You can try this. My line of silicone runs about ten feet long. It is impossible to see the difference between the grout line and the expansion line. Good luck with your project.
William 09 Aug 2009, 15:21
I had my house built on a concrete slab in 2000. In Florida.
Over the past 2 years several of the 16 by 16 inch ceramic floor tiles (set in cement)have become loose. It does not show, but you can hear a hollow sound when you tap on them. Some of them rock slightly when you walk on them. My builder does not want to do anything about it, but he put me in contact with a store here in Sarasota, which sells products to repair these problems. You need to drill small holes on all 4 sides of the grout lines and then inject a special glue, which will bond the tile to the floor. They sell all the equipment and products necessary. They have excellent result. View all comments |
