cracked travertine tiles - TilersForums.com

[faceman]

I laid a travertine floor last year and loads of cracks have appeared. It was a water UFH floor about 35m. The screed was put down months before i started and had been warmed up before i started. I used a single part flexible adhesive suitable so it is baffling. it is a long floor and when i removed a plinth i saw a crack in the screed but there are cracked tiles throughout the whole floor. Any of you very experienced guys got any ideas. The builders are hoping i'll be able to fix this even if i have to replace all the broken ones, but if i do will they just crack again?

 

[Gazzer]

How long was the floor? Any expansion joints ?

 

[White Room]

Did you use a decoupling membrane

 

[CJ]

Are you 100% sure the floor was brought up to temp and then cooled right down..........or did some muppet of a plumber turn it full on first time????

 

[marbleman]

faceman how big was the floor ,

 

[marbleman]

replacing the tiles will not sort out the issue as the floor is under stress and on the move, so many issues can make it fail, if not dry, heating turned on to quick or to heigh, no decoupling membrane, no expansion joints if over 6m2 , depth of bed of adhesive, what size of joints where used , and i sure there is more just getting tired , hope this helps

 

[White Room]

Pretty well covered it there marbleman

 

[faceman]

The actual floor is about 9m long but has an island just after half way which has a meter wide bit of tiling either side. The layout is brickbond so it makes expansion joints difficult plus they don't want to have them and there is no uncoupling mats. I've tried to educate them on new ideas in tiling but they don't want to know because they just can't grasp such a cost will benefit them in the long run. As for how the heating was run i can only assume it was done properly, it was before i came on to the job. i do know the first plot that went live had no thermostat and was turned on full for ages and a long solid wood floor expanded and shrunk about 3 inches width and length ways before it was turned off. It is 1 of 3 floors this size i did for them and the only one in travertine, the others being limestone. There has only been problems on this one though.

 

[enduro]

You might find that replacing the cracked one's maybe OK now, as the floor might not move anymore. I did a repair on a similar floor last year and it has not cracked again.

 

[DHTiling]

they just can't grasp such a cost will benefit them in the long run.

Well i bet they wish they had listened now though...It is crazy when customers think they know better..and a failure like this is a prime example of a customer who won't listen..:mad2:

 

[Spud]

how thick is the screed ?

 

[Terry Cottar]

The actual floor is about 9m long but has an island just after half way which has a meter wide bit of tiling either side. The layout is brickbond so it makes expansion joints difficult plus they don't want to have them and there is no uncoupling mats. I've tried to educate them on new ideas in tiling but they don't want to know because they just can't grasp such a cost will benefit them in the long run. As for how the heating was run i can only assume it was done properly, it was before i came on to the job. i do know the first plot that went live had no thermostat and was turned on full for ages and a long solid wood floor expanded and shrunk about 3 inches width and length ways before it was turned off. It is 1 of 3 floors this size i did for them and the only one in travertine, the others being limestone. There has only been problems on this one though.

You did your best and now they have to pay! A decoupling membrane should have been used!!! If it's only that small rip it up and do it again or get a specialist in to fill it and hone it but it may happen again

tel