Cracked Floor Tile Causes

Natural circumstances such as moisture penetration pressure changes or aging can also cause cracks.

Cracked floor tile causes.

Cracked floor tiles aren t cause for immediate panic. To discover the cause of your tile s crack you ll need to carefully inspect the crack s size and pattern. Cracked tiles on floors and walls is a problem because it can be difficult to track down the source of the crack. Ceramic tile can develop hairline cracks for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes hairline cracks in tile floors are one of the first tell tale indications that soil or moisture is affecting a foundation. Perhaps you dropped something heavy on the tile such as a cast iron skillet. In areas with cold winters porous tiles like terracotta contract at freezing temperatures and then expand during mild spells eventually leading to cracking. If the tiles are on your patio a common cause for cracking is the freeze thaw cycle.

Cracks in concrete substrate. Whatever the cause you can remedy the cracks yourself without having to hire a professional. Tiles provide a durable covering for floors walls and backsplashes. If you notice a crack that extends across multiple tiles this is a sign that the concrete underneath has cracked.

Or if your ceramic tile was installed over newly laid concrete the tile may crack as the concrete settles. Although cracks sometimes indicate serious structural issues they re often a symptom of superficial damage. Ceramic tiles should not crack under normal usage and when they do it is almost always due to improper subfloor conditions or improper installation. Knowing what can cause cracking can help to troubleshoot cracked tiles and lead to a better tile floor.

In many cases the crack is not the result of an inferior tile. When tile is bonded directly to concrete and that concrete happens to crack so can the tile layer above. While most types of tile can handle a lot of abuse they are not indestructible and hairline cracks may occur. To prevent cracks from forming in the first place we recommend you ask your contractor to install a crack isolation membrane during tile flooring installation.

This is known as reflective cracking and often causes multiple tiles to crack.