ceramic floor tiles making loud popping/cracking noise

mazmas · Post by **mazmas** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 5:53 am

Hello,

2 months ago in our new extension we had new ceramic floor tiles in our kitchen's floor. Recently first we started hearing popping noise where one of us was standing it did few times when we moved our location. Then it stopped and now occasionally we hear a loud popping noise. Today I have noticed near the washing machine area there is a crack in the grout (not in the tile). My question is why is this happening? And is this a serious problem which will need major work? Or they can be repaired easily? Is this the tile adhesive which is cracking?.

Sound comes approx from the same area. Any help will be appreciated

Many thanks

handyman · Post by **handyman** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:14 am

it sounds like the tiles are moving. The popping will be the grout cracking.

1 You might be really lucky, and only one tile has unbonded

2 You could regrout the cracked areas, but this will only be a temp solution, as the floor is moving.

3 The real solution (if its all starting to unbond) is to remove the floor completely, fix floor to stop movement and retile.

4 This movement could only be at the washing machine area, and may only need stabalised in that area, therefore only remove tiles from that area, prep, and retile.

Its a wait and see how bad it gets, then take it from there.

manchestertiling · Post by **manchestertiling** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 12:21 pm

Sounds to me mazmas that there is a problem with the sub-floor, was the original tiling undertaken by a professional tiler?

The underlying problem itself could be a number of different things ranging from sub-floor being faulty right through to incorrect adhesive being used & a number of issues inbetween.

More investigation required IMO, I would personally try & lift a couple to inspect whats happening under the tiles which are 'popping'

A re-grout is only a temporary solution & the same will happen again 2 months down the line if not sooner.

handyman · Post by **handyman** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 1:39 pm

3 times now i have had this popping sound, and when the floor was lifted, 2 had been overlayed with 4mm ply

, and the other had been overlayed with 3mm hardboard type stuff

And once the popping was the tiles cracking up due to the large tiles being dot n dabbed onto the floor

manchestertiling · Post by **manchestertiling** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 8:50 pm

Previous owner Craig?

Shocking!!!

This was a job we did towards the end of last year, cost the customer £12k in all + the £4k he spent on the black star galaxy granite tiles, paid 2 cowboys who subsequently disappeared. Within 3 weeks he said he could hear popping noises & had drips through the ceiling & called us, spot the mistakes guys

I should post the rest of these in the disaster area, cost him a further £8,000 to put right

handyman · Post by **handyman** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:02 pm

in all three cases, the tiling had been done by 'tradesmen', and not by the previous owners.

2 failed within a few months, but amazingly, the thin hardboard one failed only after 5 years or so of use..........not bad

I see dot n dab marks on the walls??

handyman · Post by **handyman** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:06 pm

See if the failed area is local to the washing machine.......how would you make the area under washing machine stable before re tiling?