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Surface Water Can water that flows over the surface of a tile floor cause that tile floor to become hollow? It’s possible, but in most cases, no. Most ceramic tile floors in Southern California were installed with thin-set mortar over an on-grade concrete slab foundation.
Is it normal for tile to sound hollow?
If the floor sounds hollow, does it mean my tile will crack? Occasionally, a floor will sound hollow even when the tile is well bonded. This can occur when a mortar bed method is used and the mortar has delaminated from the supporting layer or when the subfloor itself is not sufficiently thick or well attached.
How can you tell if tile is hollow?
A simple way to check for the hollowness in tile of granite or marble is; to tap on the tiles with a hard and flat object such as a wooden mallet. Chains or special sounding devices can be used for larger areas.
What is under my ceramic tile?
The subfloor, which is typically a layer of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). The underlayment for ceramic tiles, is the final layer that lies directly beneath the surface flooring.
Should hollow tiles be replaced?
ANSWER – Hollow sounding tile is not a defect per industry standards. Although a hollow sounding tile can be a symptom of a defect. If there is no resultant damages to the tile or grout, then I would just let it go. Make sure you have extra tile for the future just in case they do get damaged you can replace them.
How do you check if tiles are laid properly?
To check a row of tile, line up the laser with a grout joint and point it straight across the room. Have an assistant hold the laser while you check from one end to the next. The grout joint and edge of the tiles should match the laser right to the end; if they don’t, the tile is not straight.
Why is my tile floor lifting?
Sometimes, moisture can cause lifting floor tiles. Often, the moisture can come up through the concrete. Lifting floor tiles can also be caused by the moving of the surface below the tiles. Sometimes, the surface expands, which loosens the tiles.
Are hollow tiles bad?
ANSWER. ANSWER – Having hollow tiles by itself doesn’t mean there is a problem. The requirement is at least 80% continuous contact between the back of the tile and its substrate, no voids larger than 2 square inches, and full thin-set contact at edges and corners. There is no standard for how hollow a floor can sound.
What is hollow floor tile?
A tile having a hollow sound could be an indication that there is a void under those hollow sounding spots and/or the tile isn’t bonded at those hollow sounding spots. A hollow sound can be caused by the configuration of the tile assembly, it could be the result of having some sort of membrane under the tile.
What is a hollow floor?
Hollow floors offer an economic alternative floor system to a raised floor. Gypsum panels are used for dry-type floors. These panels are tongued and grooved together and bonded. The panels are gaplessly connected, which means that, once installed, it will no longer be possible to remove panels individually.
What goes under tiles?
Underlayment is something you put on top of your substrate to prepare it for tiling. The substrate (or subfloor) is the ground, whether it’s made of plywood or cement. Cement board or backer board are the most standard underlayments.
Does ceramic tile need underlayment?
Some people usually ask themselves if porcelain tiles need underlayment, well yes, they do. For your porcelain tile to last for long, you need an underlayment. Both porcelain and ceramic tiles are rigid, so if they are installed on surfaces that are not flat, they can crack easily.
What holds tile down?
Thinset mortar is the adhesive that’ll hold the tile to the floor. Often, you’ll see it referred to as thinset. We’ll also be using thinset to attach a tile membrane to the floor and to attach our tile to the membrane.
Will a hollow tile crack?
In some cases hollow sounding tiles are not likely to result in any problems. Tiles with voids under them are more problematic in commercial applications where the tile could be subjected to heavy traffic and heavy point loads, which could result in the tile crushing or cracking in those spots.
Can hollow tiles break?
On the other hand, you may find that a bonded mortar bed has debonded from the slab, for one reason or another, causing the hollow sound, but that condition will not cause any resultant problems in terms of the long term performance of the tiled floor. Voids under tile can weaken the tile and cause breaking.
How do you test a tile floor?
Specific tests are applicable from the following list described in ISO 10545: Dimensions and surface quality. Water absorption. Modulus of rupture/breaking strength. Impact resistance. Deep abrasion. Surface abrasion. Thermal expansion. Thermal shock resistance.
How do I make sure tiles are even?
Make sure that the surface is as flat as possible before installing the tiles. Adjust and hand set each tile to reduce the risk of lippage. Lift the tiles and add more thinset if necessary, remove mortar to push them down, and so on. Then use the leveling system to ensure and maintain a lippage-free tile surface.
Does grout cover Lippage?
Lippage standards are 1/32″ for grout joints up to 1/4″ wide and 1/16th of an inch for joints over 1/4″ wide. As to adding more grout, making a grout “ramp” from one tile to another is more effective with wider grout joints. Like most things though, if you’re going to do this, the sooner it is done, the better.
