TILE AND GROUT REPAIRS (Continued)

Generally cracks develop on floors from two sources:

(a) Someone drops a hard object on the tile and chips or cracks the surface or an inexpensive tile with a thin glaze is scratched by heavy object. If extra tile is on hand, simply scrape out the old grout, break out the broken tile and glue and replace the tile (see below). This is the reason why you should always insist that extra tile be purchased and left behind when tile is installed. The tile will not fade over time and can then be used for future repairs. Since tile is a cooked, manufactured product it will vary in size and shade from batch to batch, So years later, even if you know the brand, line and size of the tile, it will be virtually impossible to match new tile with old!

(b) If cracks appear in a series of tiles, or a combination of tile and grout, almost always it is the result of a crack in the substrate under the tile. Tile isn’t smart enough to crack in unisom, so something below the tile in the substrate must be moving and causing the tiles and or grout to crack!

Some common causes of cracks in substrate are : (1) shifting upward or downward of the cement slab away from the cement foundation. Often this will happen many years after the home is built due to an extreme cold snap or draught. As the surrounding ground shrinks the foundation and or slab moves and will cause any grout or tile over the slab/foundation joint to crack. On occasion the slab drops or the foundation moves upward due to poor construction practices and can show up in a few years after the construction is complete.(2) If the tile has been applied directly to wood without proper preparation, the movement of the wood due to expansion and contraction due to heat, cold and humidity can cause the tile or grout to crack. (3) If improper glue (often mastic, wall tile or vinyl flooring glue) is used on a floor then any heavy weight on the tile can cause the tile or grout to crack as the glue’s flexibility will compress and not adequately support the tile and or grout. (4) If the supporting cement board or other substrate is applied so that the cracks between boards line up with cracks on the wood subfloor, normal movement in the floor can “telegraph” up to the tile and cause cracks.

Tile and Grout Repairs Continue