Why Ceramic Tiles Crack

Installing ceramic tiles can provide you with a beautiful and durable floor for any room in your house. However, these tiles have been known to crack in many situations. Here are a few potential reasons that your ceramic tiles might be cracking.

Construction Problems

One of the most common reasons that tiles crack is because they are not constructed properly. When ceramic tile is made, it is constructed of a clay base and then a protective finish is baked onto it. In this process, mistakes can be made. The clay might not be completely uniform. It could potentially get an air pocket somewhere in the clay or between the clay and the glaze. When this happens, there can be weak spots in the tile. After a certain amount of time, these spots tend to manifest themselves in the form of cracks in the tile.

Adhesive Gaps

Another reason that tiles can crack is because the installer did not make sure that there were no gaps in the adhesive under the tile. Tile adhesive is a lot like concrete when it hardens. It is going to provide a lot of support for the tile once it hardens. If the adhesive is not uniformly distributed under the tile, you can run into serious problems. If there is a gap under the tile, the tile could start to break when someone walks on it. The only way to know if this is a problem is to take up the tile and see if the adhesive is uniformly distributed underneath it.

No Concrete Board

If you are installing tile on a wood subfloor, you have to first install concrete board. Concrete board is necessary to give the tile the support that it needs on top of a wood subfloor. Sometimes, installers will take a shortcut and put the tile directly on top of the wood subfloor. After a very short amount of time, the tile will start to crack. When you walk on the tile, the wood subfloor is going to flex a bit. This movement causes the tile to crack and break. The only way to fix this problem is to take up the entire floor and reinstall it the proper way with concrete board.

Concrete Slab Issues

Another reason that ceramic tile can crack is is of the concrete slab below it. It is acceptable to install tile directly on top of a concrete subfloor. However, in certain cases, the concrete can cause the tile to break. Concrete likes to break apart over time. It can experience hairline cracks and when tile is installed on top of it, it will usually crack the tile as well. This is very common when you are working with a new slab that was not given enough time to cure before installing the tile. If you are installing tile on top of a concrete subfloor with cracks in it, you should use a crack isolation membrane that is designed to protect from further damage. 

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Install Ceramic Tiles Over Chipboard

Installing ceramic tiles over chipboard can provide you with a durable and beautiful flooring surface to work with. This job is not complicated, but it will take some hard work on your part as well as some knowledge of the process. Here are the basics of how to install ceramic tiles over chipboard.


What you'll need

• Ceramic tile
• Concrete board
• Nails or screws
• Hammer or drill
• Thinset
• Trowel
• Tile spacers
• Grout
• Grout float
• Bucket
• Sponge
• Water
• Wet saw
• Tape measure
• Chalk line

Step 1: Measuring the Room

Start out by measuring the room. You need to get the length and the width of the room and then multiply the two dimensions together. This will give you the exact square footage of the room. Then add 10 percent to that number so that you can have enough for waste.

Step 2: Install the Concrete Board

When you are installing ceramic tile over chipboard, you need to first install concrete board. Chipboard is not dimensionally strong enough to support tile. If you install the tile directly over the chipboard it will crack and break. To install the concrete board, you will need to first put a layer of thinset on the bottom side. Then press the board down onto the chipboard. You will then need to fill each hole in the concrete board with either a screw or nail. This will properly adhere it to the floor.

Step 3: Find the Center

The next thing that you need to do is determine the exact center of the room. Take your tape measure and get the center point of each wall. Then snap a chalk line in both directions so that you can see the center. You will need to start laying the tile in the corner of the intersection.

Step 4: Lay the Tile

You are now ready to start laying the ceramic tile. Use your trowel to apply some of the thinset to the floor. Spread it out evenly over the area. Then press one of the tiles down into the thinset. Place tile spacers on all of the corners of the tile. Take another tile and place it directly against the spacers of the first tile. Continue laying tiles in this manner.

Step 5: Cutting the Tile

Once you are to the edge of the room, you will need to make a cut. You can use your tape measure to get the exact size that you need. Then place the tile on the wet saw to make an exact cut. Then place the cut piece into the gap. 

Step 6: Grouting

After you are done laying all of the tile, you need to let it sit overnight. Then you should be ready to start grouting. Take your grout float and use it to apply the grout to the joints. Make sure that all of the joints are filled with grout.

Step 7: Cleaning Up

When you are done grouting, you need to use a bucket of water and a sponge to clean the tile. This will remove all of the extra grout and it will also smooth out the grout joints.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Replacing Damaged Travertine Tiles

The owner of this home in Ascot had 75m2 of travertine tiles installed on the ground floor and around 10 tiles were damaged and needed replacement; this can be difficult as like most things tiles are created in batches and it can be tricky to find an exact match. Fortunately we managed to source a very close match and set about installing them.

Cleaning Travertine Tiles and Grout

To get the match as close as possible we then set about giving the whole floor a general clean using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean which is a multi-purpose cleaner, it was equally important to concentrate on the grout of the existing floor which needed to be clean to match the new grout of the new floor. Cleaning the floor also ensures any grit is removed from the tile surface prior to the next step which was to polish the floor using a set of Burnishing pads, this is important as grit could get trapped in the burnishing pads and scratch the floor. We washed the floor down with clean water using a wet vacuum to remove the water from the floor before moving onto the next step.

Polishing and Sealing Travertine Floor Tiles

We polished the floor using a set of 17” Burnishing pads fitted to our weighted polishing machine; the pads are diamond encrusted and you start with the coarser Red pad designed to remove sealers before moving on to the White, Yellow and finally Green polishing pad to achieve a high shine finish. The last step was to seal the floor which we did using two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is colour intensifying sealer that enhancing the natural colours in the Travertine tile as well as providing on-going durable surface protection.


We polished and sealed the entire floor to ensure a consistent look; the customer was certainly happy and left the following comment.

“Overall a good job well done. Thank you. Mr. Wilkinson, Ascot”

Source: Travertine Tile Restoration in Ascot

How to Install Bathroom Tile on Plywood

To install bathroom tile on top of plywood, you'll have to follow a series of steps. This process is not complicated, but you will need to be willing to do some work. Here are the basics of how to install bathroom tile on plywood.

What you'll need

• Tile
• Adhesive
• Trowel
• Concrete board
• Screws
• Drill
• Grout
• Grout float
• Bucket
• Tile spacers
• Tape measure
• Wet saw
• Chalk line

Step 1: Measure 

Start out by measuring the room. Get the dimensions of the room and then multiply them together to get the square footage. You will then need to add 10 percent to that number so that you allow enough for waste.

Step 2: Prepare the Bathroom

Before installing, you will want to make sure that the bathroom is ready for installation. You need to remove the toilet from the room and take the baseboards off of the wall. 

Step 3: Concrete Board

You are then going to need to install concrete board on top of the plywood. You cannot install tile directly to plywood because it is not dimensionally stable enough. If you put tile directly on top of plywood, it is going to start to chip and break within a very short period of time. To install the concrete board, you need to apply some of the tile adhesive to the back of it and then press it down against the plywood. Then you want to install screws into the concrete board in each one of the holes. Use your drill to make this job simpler.

Step 4: Center

You may want to center your tile in the bathroom. To do this, you need to measure to the center point of each wall with your tape measure. Then snap a chalk line in each direction. You can then start laying in the corner of the intersection of the chalk lines in the middle of the floor.

Step 5: Start Installing

At this point, you are ready to start installing the tile. Apply some of the adhesive to the floor with your trowel and smooth it out. Then press one of the tiles down into the adhesive firmly. Make sure that there are no gaps behind the tile. Then put tile spacers on the corners of the tile and put another tile directly up against those spacers. Put tile spacers around the second tile and then continue installing tiles in this manner.

Step 6: Cutting Tiles

When you get to a cabinet or the wall, you are going to need to make a cut. You can do this by measuring the appropriate size that you need and then making the cut with your wet saw. 

Step 7: Grout

After you have installed all of the tile, you need to allow it to dry overnight. Then you should be ready to grout the next day. You can apply the grout with a grout float or a trowel. After you grout, you will need to use a sponge and a bucket of water to clean the grout off of the tops of the tiles.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Install Tile Over a Wood Floor

Installing tile over a wood floor is a project that is a little more difficult than installing tile directly to concrete. However, this project can be done if you are willing to do a little bit of hard work. Here are the basics of how to install tile over a wood floor.

What you'll need

• Tile
• Trowel
• Adhesive
• Concrete board
• Tile spacers
• Grout float
• Grout
• Water
• Bucket
• Tape measure
• Wet saw
• Sponge
• Nails
• Hammer
• Screws
• Drill
• Seam tape
• Chalk line

Step 1: Determine How Much Tile You Need

The first thing that you need to do is determine how much tile you are going to need for the job. This can be done by getting the dimensions of the room with your tape measure. Then you will need to multiply the two dimensions together in order to get the exact square footage of the space. You will then need to add between 5 and 10 percent to that value so that you will have enough to make cuts.

Step 2: Prepare the Room

You will now need to prepare the room for installation. Take up the baseboards along the side of the wall. You will also need to remove any carpet, tile, laminate, or hardwood that is currently on the floor. If there is vinyl on the floor, you can leave it. If you try to take a vinyl that is glued down to wood, it is most likely going to damage the floor. 

Step 3: Install the Concrete Board

Tile cannot be installed directly to a wood subfloor. In order to install the tile, you are first going to have to install concrete board. Concrete board typically comes in 3' x 5' sheets and can be attached to the wood subfloor in order to provide extra strength. You need to adhere the concrete board by using tile adhesive and nails or screws. You can drill or hammer them into place. Then cover the seams with seam tape. 

Step 4: Chalk Line

At this point, you'll need to snap a chalk line in the center of the room in both directions. This will provide you with a place to start laying the tile so that it will be centered in the room.

Step 5: Laying the Tile

When you are laying the tile, you want to make sure that you use extreme care. If you get out of alignment, it can throw off the entire floor. Spread out some of the adhesive with your trowel and then press one of the tiles down into it. Using spacers to guide you, place the next tile directly next to it. Continue laying tiles in this manner until you get to a wall or cabinet.

Step 6: Continuing

When you get to a wall or cabinet, you are going to need to make a cut. You can do this by measuring the appropriate distance and then cutting it with your wet saw. 

Step 7: Finishing Up

After you allow the tile adhesive to dry for 24 hours, you can install the grout. Using a grout float, you can apply the grout to the grout joints. You will then need to clean up with a sponge and some water.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com