S
sean@silverfern
Hello everyone.
I have an issue with a bathroom floor I have laid.
Bathroom floor was rotten and replaced by the joiner, who was also acting as ‘sort of ‘clerk of works on this residential refit. He said the floor was solid and all fixed. I could see it was overlaid with 18mm ply, so believed him and went ahead.
I laid the tiles back in June. A few days after they were laid the grout around a few near the door started to crack. The joiner inspected, said they were loose and needed to be replaced. I thought I'd made the grout mix too wet but anyway agreed and replaced the tiles that he indicated as loose. About 4 altogether. None of them appeared loose, one did have a small cavity but I cracked several removing them as they were hard down. But the job was done anyway.
Now seveal of the tiles, including some of the ones I replaced, are cracked. Customer called me back to the site and I saw that the crack was in a straight line thought 4 or 5 tiles. Tiles near the door appeared loose too with grout cracking around them. I lifted these tiles and discovered that there was a crack in the adhesive running in line with a joint in the plywood. See photos 2 and 3.
I believe that there is movement on the floor or stress in the floor somewhere, propogating at the join of the 2 ply sheet. I have looked closer, as in photo 4, and I think the 18mm ply is directly on the floor joists.
I believe that if I lay further tiles down again they will soon crack and that the problem is with the floor. There is no sight or feel of movememt in the floor.
What do you all think? And what do you think is the best course of action?
Single part flexible adhesive was used. Ardex X7R first, then when I replaced the tiles, weber rapid-set. Just because I had run out of the Ardex. The tiles I replaced I ensured were well stuck down, as you might imagine. There are no other problems with the floor elsewhere, including under the bath. All other tiles are solid.
