What would cause tiles to lift years after install?

[Robinhood4x4]

The wife and I were sitting in the family room and all of the sudden we hear snap crackle pop. I walk down the hall to investigate and when I stepped on a few of the tiles they crunched. A line of them had teepee'd...lifted 1/2" to 1".

After chipping the grout and removing the tiles, the slab underneath looks fine. No cracks. The bathroom tile, adjacent to the hall is fine. The area in question is smack dab in the middle of the house.

The house was built in 1999 and we're the third owners. We moved in 2 years ago so I don't know how long the tiles have been here. The temperatures have been cool for the past month with the nights getting down to the low 30s and the days getting up to the mid to high 60's. We don't normally use the heater. We live in Gilbert, AZ.

Any ideas on what would cause this?

http://www.robinhood4x4.com/misc/temp/Tile1.JPG

http://www.robinhood4x4.com/misc/temp/Tile2.JPG

[slosurfer]

IN the second pic, is that all the loose ones removed, or are there still loose ones? One way to tell, it to tap on them with something. You can tell a real difference in the sound between one that is good and one that has come unbonded.

Was the thinset stuck to the bottom of the tile and not the slab?

[slosurfer]

how long is that hallway?

[slosurfer]

Steve, here's an article that will help explain why it happened, you'll have to scroll down to the "tenting tile" part.
http://www.tileusa.com/movementjoint_faq.htm#causetent

Now we just have to figure out how to assure it doesn't happen again when you fix it. :)

[Robinhood4x4]

No, there are still some tiles that are loose. I can go 1 or 2 more tiles deep from where I've already removed. The thinset stuck to the tiles. The hall is probably about 12 feet long.

The tiles marked with a red dot are loose.

http://www.robinhood4x4.com/misc/temp/Tile3.JPG

[4runnerchevy]

We had the same thing happen, it was from the tile too snug to the walls. There was no expansion between the wall and tile, at a few points.

[slosurfer]

Was it one of those CA earthquakes following you guys? :flipoff:

It sounds like you've had some movement, which can happen for various reasons.

Hard to tell in the pic, but is your baseboard sitting on top of the tile or is the tile up against the baseboard with a grout joint?

[Robinhood4x4]

Well this sounds promising. I was expecting the worst and thinking cracked foundation. Is this something I really need to worry about or just a matter of fixing tiles?

The tile is up against the baseboard with a grout joint.

[slosurfer]

We had the same thing happen, it was from the tile too snug to the walls. There was no expansion between the wall and tile, at a few points.


That's what it looks like to me. It looks like their is a grout joint between the baseboard and tile. If your baseboard is grouted in, it should have actually been colored caulking rather than grout to allow for expansion. If the baseboard sits on top of the tile, then there should be no grout between the tile and the wall (it will be hidden by the baseboard), and that will allow for expansion.

If you remove all the loose tiles and it appears that that is all that is loose, then I would just fix that area and use sanded color caulking to match the grout for one joint. This will act as an expansion joint. I would do it on the joint that ended up at the peak of your tile tent. When done right, you won't even tell that one joint is caulking and the others are grout.

[Robinhood4x4]

Thanks Chris and Kevin, you guys are alright, no matter what everybody says about you. :flipoff:

Pirate thought I had zombies coming up out of the ground.

[slosurfer]

:lol: :lol: I just read that thread, and I have to admit, I overlooked the zombie possibility. I'd be on the lookout this weekend, they sometimes wait a day or two before coming out and attacking. :D

[Erich_870]

Zombies... I like that :rofl:

I'll leave all tile know-how to Slo, but in regards to your concrete slab, it looks perfectly sound from the pic. No cracking from differential settling. :thumbup:

One question, does either end of your hallway receive direct sunlight? I'm wondering if a temp differential formed from one side getting warm and expanding. When the tile had no expansion joints like Slo mentioned the force was absorbed by the thinset until it became too much, just like the article mentioned.

Slo's idea for an expansion joint is the only preventive method I can think of, unless you want to board up what ever windows shine on it :tongueout:

Erich

[fustercluck]

I knew this would be conquered by Slosurfer.

[slosurfer]

http://www.robinhood4x4.com/misc/temp/Tile3.JPG


That wood floor that you are standing on to take this pic, has it gotten wet lately?

Also, it should have a caulked joint at that wood and not a grout joint (can't tell what it has in the pic).

One more thing, after looking at it again, when you fix the tiles, put the caulked joint running from one post to the post on the other side of the hallway.

[Bob98SR5]

steve,

piss in the direction of the red dotted lines, not the other way :flipoff:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w177/bob98sr5/lance/piss.jpg

[ttora4runner]

Here's something else to consider as well and this is something we are have to do at work on the construction project that on, due to the pH level of the concrete we've had to wash/treat the floors before setting tile multiple times to bring it down to point that there wouldn't be reaction between the thins set and concrete. Which could cause this.

May want to look into that.

That's just my 2 cents from the peanut gallery.

[slosurfer]

Here's something else to consider as well and this is something we are have to do at work on the construction project that on, due to the pH level of the concrete we've had to wash/treat the floors before setting tile multiple times to bring it down to point that there wouldn't be reaction between the thins set and concrete. Which could cause this.

May want to look into that.

That's just my 2 cents from the peanut gallery.



I think this problem would have shown up sooner with this problem and would have been more widespread. Also, it would have been more of just loose/hollow tiles. The fact that these "tented" and all at once, really points to an expansion problem.

[Robinhood4x4]

steve,

piss in the direction of the red dotted lines, not the other way :flipoff:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w177/bob98sr5/lance/piss.jpg


So you're saying that's what I should have done at your house????