Cracks!

[tilly]

Hello,

Some days ago our conservatory floor has been tiled and skirting board has been affixed by a handyman (paid after completion), and now there are already cracks between the tiles (see 4 photos below, normally all the other joints "only" have little hair-line cracks).

Here a list of all the layers we remember (from bottom to top):

1. Concrete Foundation
2. 100mm Polystyren Sheet Jablite Jabfloor 70 Eps Floor Insulation (without timbers, we were told we won't need timbers)
3. 18mm Chipboard Egger Tongue and Grooved 4 Sides Moisture Resistant (P5) - walking on this unstable layer made us sceptical, but we were told it's "floating floor" and in the end it will be perfect
4. 5mm (max.) Tile Adhesive or something (we don't know what - could it be that plasterboard adhesive was being used to glue the tiles onto the chipboards? - there was an empty bag lying around) / Silicon (near doors)
5. Tiles (300mm x 300mm)
6. jointing with TradePoint "WALL ADH & GRT"

What has been done wrong, and how can it be fixed? (... by us?)

We are under time pressure, and since our conservatory already costed a lot more than quoted in the end, there is not much left for additional work.

Many thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Flintstone]

Oh deary me. There is no solution other than to remove the tiles

 

[Rich Midge]

Oh dear, where to start?! Tiling floating floors is considered a no no by the majority of professionals unless we're able to fix it solid or prep it to eliminate as much movement as possible. Long and short of it is your grout is cracking due to excess movement. Imo you're not going to be able to salvage this floor. Has it cracked in every joint? Did the tiler give you any guarantees?

 

[Flintstone]

They have stuck the tiles to a floating chip board floor with plasterboard adhesive and grouted with 'adhesive and grout' all in one.
It doesn't get much worse really.

 

[Rich Midge]

You can't knock the "tiler's" ambition! ;-) This has to be one of the worst.

 

[Tile Shop]

Ummm.....

Do you have a picture of the adhesive bag or can you get the name?

Floating floors are always temperamental. This guy who did it obviously knows nothing about tiling. sorry but its another danger of having a handyman over a professional tiler. He "might" have gotten away with it if an S2 adhesive, decoupling membrane, or cement backer overboarding was used.

Because of the way they are lifting (they are not just grout cracks, looks like they actually are debonding) I'm also willing to bet the adhesive hasn't been spread properly, if at all....... not that it would have bonded fully to chipboard anyway if the wrong stuff was used. Can you also lift a tile and take a picture of whats going on beneath it? That tile in the 4th picture doesn't look like it will take too much persuasion.

Unfortunately as @Localtiler says. No fix..... it will need starting from scratch, but if you get all the tiles up and take a picture of the whole floor we might be able to offer some better suggestions of what to do next in terms of prepping and fixing.

 

[Ajax123]

floating floor. EPS70 is too spongy for a tiled floor. chipboard unstable and unfixed. whole thing moves. end result... well you can see the end result.

sadly take it up and start again

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Unfortunately everything is wrong from poor preparation, tiling on a floating floor (chipboard as well) to choice of adhesive and grout. There is absolutely no solution other than to take it all up and have it done professionally - by a tiler you've seen work/ recommendations from.
As earlier said - it doesn't get any worse!

 

[J Sid]

first mistake was to get a handyman to do the tiling 🙁
all out and start from concreate and build up from here properly

 

[Diggy]

So you got about 118mm to play with , maybe use a 50mm insulation board ( check U values ) then a 60mm/70mm screed on top ( thicker the better if you have more height as it will unbonded), then tile. Thats what I'd do if it were mine , given the situation.
Didnt have to worry about all that years ago , base , membrane , sub floor , bonded screed , tile , happy days 😀, need a digger to rip up an old school floor imho.

Diggy

 

[Tile Shop]

 

[Chalker]

I'm afraid the tiles will all have to come up!
At least it will be easy!
The adhesive you have found could be from plasterboard installation? But the adhesive and grout combined is generally a very poor adhesive amd an even poorer grout. White on a floor will not last either.
You mentioned the insulation was wobbly underfoot? This rings alarm bells, as they shoud be laid onto a flat concrete base. Then you have the dreaded footing floor. I have tiled the odd (small!) floor with no problems. They are what they are, Floating. And tiles don't like movement.
Personally I would rip the tiles up and fit a laminate that looks like tiles. That's your cheapest option. If you still want tiles, I would go with above. Insulate with kingspan, and screed the floor. Allow to dry, then tile using a powdered adhesive suitable for the screed. A flexible grout and the main one, a professional tiler that comes with recommendations from people you know.

 

[tilly]

Many thanks for all your answers, evaluations and suggestions!
We will need some time to read all through in detail,
discuss it and come to the best decision about what to do.
Probably we'll have to check back.

 

[bcd-87]

first mistake was to get a handyman to do the tiling 🙁
all out and start from concreate and build up from here properly

I agree mate

 

[bsc ceramics]

you need to get this cowboy back round and see what he's got to say for himself,
its shocking people can get away with this sort of thing, we have I'm sure all done things that maybe
we could have done a little better or things we not 100% happy with but that is terrible .
P.S. when I say all I of course don't include 3 fall... lol 😉

 

[Kyle Knowles]

Handy men are for building flat packed furniture and fixing leaky taps for pensioners not tiling I'm blown away by some people what not come to the forum before the disaster ? why do they always find the form post tile job it drives me mad