Learn how to perform proper bathroom caulking to prevent expensive bathroom repair or call ProMaster for help. While we’re waiting for the solar eclipse later on in the month, we’ll be cooling our heels in August hiding out in the air conditioning, and catching up on the. How to Remove Wall Tiles. Removing wall tiles is different, and more difficult, than removing floor tiles because wall tiles are typically set very close together. To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, grout gets no respect. Grout can ruin an otherwise great tile job. And yet grout and proper grouting technique are often treated as.

Most tile failures can be attributed to incorrect installation. You may have seen or lived in a house that had cracking grout or even cracks running through the tiles after a few years. We know that a few other builders in our markets install only plywood as underlayment, which as you’ll read below is wrong for so many reasons. Take a minute to read through how to install tile correctly if you’re in the market for a home or even if you need some tips for your next tile project at your own home. We’re proud to say we’ve installed tile the correct way (using approved cement board underlayment approved by The Tile Council of North America .

Sure, plywood underlayment might get other builders through the first year warranty, but what about 5 years from now when all your tile is cracking? Properly installed, a ceramic tile floor should provide years of service and beauty. While vinyl floor coverings will be replaced several times, a ceramic tile floor is installed once.

I thought we would post briefly about why tile floors fail. You may have seen or lived in a house that had cracking grout or even cracks running through the tiles. Wood plank tile floors come with their own challenges Wood-like planks and other large format tile Be sure to take a look at my newer post: More tips for installing. If you’ve even glanced at the news lately, you’ve probably seen or heard the term “collusion” when referring to President Trump’s senior staff being accused.

What makes for a successful installation? The importance of the underlayment. Too often ignored by the non professional installer, the underlayment is key to the longevity of a ceramic tile floor.

It is the foundation; and, just as you wouldn’t build a home without a firm foundation, this important part of a ceramic tile installation should not be omitted either. Unfortunately, some floor covering retailers and installers will still tell you that underlayment is not necessary if you have a sound subfloor. Don’t be fooled! Your existing subfloor does not by itself offer proper support for ceramic tile, and secondly, underlayment is not intended to compensate for an unsound subfloor. In addition, it is difficult to achieve the proper bond to wood. Even though adhesive products are sold for installation of tile over plywood (fir plywood only), most professionals in the industry advise against this practice.

We have seen countless new homes that are under five years old with failed tile installations because the contractor, not interested in quality construction, but only “cheap”, omitted this important part of the floor “system”. Cfa Level 3 Books Free Download on this page. All too often they will simply lay tile directly on the plywood subfloor.

If this isn’t bad enough, the type of plywood used for the subfloor is not of the correct type for a tile- over- plywood installation, which must be fir plywood, with no voids. As of this year, 2.

The result of this practice is predictable. Failures include, cracked tiles, loose tiles, loose grout, or all three. At this point, all that can be done is to remove the tile, install the proper underlayment, and lay new tile. Especially in wet areas, such as a kitchen or bath, underlayment is essential, as moisture that may be absorbed into the wood subfloor will cause the tile to separate from the wood, and the grout will begin to come loose. Often, the tile will crack due to improper support. Once again, even though adhesive products are available for setting tile over exterior grade plywood, this may mean the difference between a 3- 5 year installation and a lifetime installation.

Underlayment must be set in a mortar bed. This is not optional, and it is another one of the most common installation errors that we find: Even though underlayment may have been installed, it has not been set in a mortar bed, but fastened directly to the subfloor. Nevertheless, we have seen this countless times in our area of Northern Illinois. Other builders in our area routinely omit this important step. This is also the mark of what we call the “handyman job”, as the nonprofessional will usually skip this step too.

Not setting the underlayment in a mortar bed may be only marginally better than no underlayment at all, and will lead to failure of the installation. All  CBU (Cementitious Backer Unit) manufacturers clearly state in their literature that the product must be set in a mortar bed. Omission of this step by a building contractor can only be due to laziness, or a means to cut installation time and cost at your expense. This is not done for purposes of bonding, so glue is not an acceptable approved means of installing underlayment. The mortar is for support, and as a filler, so that there are no voids under the CBU. One homeowner, who consulted us about a failed tile installation done by the home improvement store, told us that the contractor from the “big box store” that did the installation had glued the cement board down with construction adhesive and told the homeowner that this was “accepted practice”! For cementitious backer boards, this means 1- 1/2!

Further, it is difficult to install them flush with the board’s surface, and they are subject to deterioration from the alkali in the mortar. This is another mark of the nonprofessional installation. Unfortunately, these problems are all too common with new construction in our area. There are still far too many installers and home builders who will tell you that underlayment is not necessary, or will install it incorrectly, with no mortar bed and incorrect fasteners. We have even seen staples used! Do not be fooled by their claims that they “have never had a problem”. Do not accept this.

We have seen the resulting problems time and time again, long after the contractor is gone; cracked tiles, and loose tiles and grout. Important: No contractor or installer that is familiar with ceramic tile and tile installation methods and practices, would omit this important component of the tile “floor system”. It is your floor. If you are building a home, make sure your builder does not skip this. Beware of the “Jersey Mud Job”Recently we have run into a method which the homeowner has been told is a “mud job” by the installer, who leaves the impression that this is better than cement backer boards, and may also tell the homeowner that this is the “old method”. The tile is then set as usual on the surface thus created.

Warning! This is not a Tile Council of North America approved method, and bears no resemblance to the old mortar bed method (which required a thick bed), but is simply a shortcut which cuts installation costs, and only serves to save the installer time and money, at your ultimate expense. It is very cheap and it goes down fast, but reports from the field by other tile professionals who are industry leaders, indicate that the failure rate for this kind of installation is extremely high, and for this reason, this method is not approved by The Tile Council of North America (TCNA), which sets the standards for ceramic tile installation methods and practices. Tuneup Utilities 2008 Nl Plus Cd Code Examples on this page. The only cement mortar and metal lath method which is approved by TCNA (Method F1. In view of these requirements, one must conclude that the thin bed method described above is inferior, and will likely result in failure of the installation. If an installer tells you he is going to do a “mud job”, ask the installer how thick the mortar bed is that he plans to install.

If it does not meet the above specification, politely show him the door.

Why is my Floor Grout Cracking? Your grout is cracking for one reason and one reason only: your tile is moving.

Okay, that’s not it – Unless your grout is non- sanded and was installed in the last 2. Yes, 2. 8 days has significance, it is the amount of time it took my teenage son to clean his room. It is also the amount of time it takes for grout to fully cure. So let’s figure out why your grout is cracking: Your grout is newly installed – incorrectly. If you do have grout that was installed within the last 2. Either your grout lines are too large for non- sanded grout (smaller than 1/8. You cannot simply mix up more and fill it in.

Read this post about adding more grout to your grout lines. If your grout is not fresh, well, you need to repair the reason your tile is moving.

And stop using your pogo stick in the house. Diagnosing the reason your tile is moving is extremely varied. It could be anything from inadequate deflection in your flooring for the type of tile all the way up to and including the aforementioned pogo stick. The most likely reasons your tile is moving: Your tile does not have proper thinset coverage. The most common reason I run into is improper coverage.

This simply means that there is not enough thinset beneath your tile to properly adhere it to your substrate and support it. If there are any unsupported areas beneath your tile along the edge or in the corner of the tile, walking on it will eventually work what little support it may have loose and the tile will move down and up every time you step on it. The tile moves, the grout does not. The grout loses the battle and starts to crack out.

If it is only one tile it may be an isolated incident in your installation and you will be fine. If you have cracked grout all over your tile installation it was either improperly installed or . That is more than likely an improper installation.

While tile can be installed directly to plywood it requires a VERY specific method. And I do mean very specific. More than likely it is simply installed improperly probably by someone that did not know any better. If it was properly installed over plywood, well, your grout wouldn’t be cracking. Start reading this paragraph all over.

It needs to have thinset beneath it, it needs to be screwed down (properly), it needs proper spacing, etc., etc. Read How to Install Backerboards for Floor Tile to see all the things that should have been done. More than likely there is no thinset beneath your backerboard.

Thinset is not used to adhere the backerboards in any way – it is used simply to fill voids beneath the backerboard. It is placed there specifically to prevent your tile from moving. Moving tile leads to cracking grout. But you knew that – or you should start reading this page all over. This would be another time to start shopping for new tile. Other reasons your tile is moving.

You do not have expansion space around the perimeter of your tiled room. No, the tile will not expand – but your walls do. If there is no space between your tile and walls it will force all the pressure into your tile. This will cause cracking grout and, eventually, . For every application there are specific spans of tile which can be installed before a . This is simply a grout joint filled with a matching caulk or silicone to allow for movement without cracking your grout or tenting your tile. Most of these measurements are over 2.

So in English: if your room is not 2. If your tile is on concrete – directly on concrete – your slab may not have proper expansion joints or the tile installation did not honor those.

If installing tile directly to concrete (and you should not) there needs to be a soft joint directly above, or two inches on either side, of the slabs expansion joints. If not your slab will move differently than your tile. And there could be a host of other, less apparent or less common problems. However, if your grout is cracking it is probably for one of the reasons above. The method of repairing it depends entirely on why it is cracking. Most of it, as with most tile installation problems, is due to improper installation.

Or your pogo stick. If you have any questions about the proper way to repair your tile or grout just leave a comment. I answer every one of them – really, look around the site. I’m just super cool like that.