Finishing and Customers · 4 lessons
Why tiles crack or sound hollow
Most tile failures trace back to the bed underneath, the background or movement nobody allowed for. The tile itself is rarely the problem.
Our wall and floor tiling path is in public beta: some lessons are still being checked.
Hollow tiles
A tile sounds hollow when there are gaps in the adhesive behind it: dabs instead of a full bed, adhesive that skinned over before the tile went on, or a dusty background. On floors and in wet areas, those gaps let tiles crack under load or let water sit.
Cracks
Cracks often come from below: a springy timber floor, a crack in the screed, a screed tiled before it dried, or tiles laid straight over a joint in the building. The fix is in the background, not a new tile.
Tenting
Tenting is when tiles push up into a ridge. A floor that expands with heat or sunlight has nowhere to go if there are no movement joints at the edges and across large areas.
White powder on the grout
Efflorescence is salts carried to the surface by water and left behind as it dries. It points to moisture coming through: a damp screed, a leak or a missing waterproof layer.
Common mistakes
- Fixing tiles with dabs of adhesive instead of a full bed.
- Leaving out movement joints at the edges of a floor.
- Replacing a cracked tile without finding the movement or crack underneath.
The lessons this guide comes from
- Grouting and cleaning
- Why tiles fail
- Estimating
- Handover and aftercare