Tiles Cracking In Bathroom
The tiles in the bathroom can expand and contract to changes in temperatures and humidity.
Tiles cracking in bathroom. In this test floor tiles are run through a machine that exerts loads on an unsupported 1 inch square area. I have an old home and the honeycomb tile floor had seen its day. Most tiles comply with astm c648 breaking strength standards.
Plywood subfloors will flex and that is a problem for the tile floor above. Too much strain on the grout from too many tiles can cause cracking. To discover the cause of your tiles crack youll need to carefully inspect the cracks size and pattern.
Your home may also be settling and this could cause tiles to move. Cracked bathroom tiles can be caused by either an instability in the surface under the tile or in rare cases the low quality of the tile itself. If there is no underlayment between the subfloor and the tile then the tile floor can flex.
These movements will cause the grout to crack. Tile floors crack for a number of reason but most often the problem is that the tile was installed directly over the plywood sub floor with no underlayment. This video shows how to not only fill a crack in your bathroom floor but how to make your bathroom floor beautiful again.
As long as the tile does not break under 250 pounds of pressure the tile is considered to be compliant with these standards. When this happens the grout is what holds the tiles in place. Thats when the grout in between the tiles begins to separate and.
In a case where cracking is minimal or has occurred in only a small number of tiles andor the floor is in a location where aesthetics dont matter to you the easiest most inexpensive solution is diy patching.