Repairing a tile floor
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If my tiles have just come loose but are not cracked, can they be re-used? What would be the correct method if that is possible? I think the person that did the job didn't have the grout right because the tiles started getting loose pretty quick.
4 answers
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Tile comes loose because of many factors. The most common is the installer mixed up the thinset to dry or used it after it began to set. Adhesion failure also can be caused by dust on floor, wrong type of thinset and movement of the floor. Of course any combination of these can also be the cause as well. Grout has nothing to do with it. Before you start, tap the surrounding tiles with the back of a broom handle. Do the tiles sound solid, or do you hear a hollow sound. The latter indicates that those tiles will soon be coming up, so you may want to address them during the fix. Removal of the grout between them and using a flat wide putty knife should be more then enough to pop them free. Do not force them up, if they do not pop up easy, then do not try or you will crack them for sure. Look at the bottom of the tile, is there thinset stuck to it? OR is the bulk of it stuck on the wood floor? Wood floor side indicates that the thinset was to dry and did not stick to the tile. Also size of tile has a lot to do with it. If you watch any video or show of them tiling large tile you will see them back buttering the tile. This assures that the tile has good adhesion to the thinset that Is applied to the floor. A good tile person will test a tile every once and a while by pulling it up and checking to see that the thinset has not dried out to much causing the adhesion to fail. To fix you need to remove the thinset from the floor and from the back of the tile. The floor is done using a chisel and small hammer, taking care not to strike the surrounding tiles. A good vacuum after your done is then suggested. The back of the tile is a bit harder as you cannot hit the chisel or you will crack the tile most of the time, you can scrape the stuff off, or you can use a diamond grinder disk that you can rent to make quick work of the cement. Take your time, these disks will cut really fast and can crack or weaken the tile. Once your done go to this site, http://www.floorstransformed.com/choosethinset.html and determine what type of thinset it is that is proper for the type of tile it is that your setting down. Using the wrong stuff can make a mess of things. Follow the directions carefully when mixing and using. Also you will need to get the correct trowel for the job, This again is dependent upon the size of the tile your fixing. This can be determined by reading the bag of the thinset as they have examples of trowel sizes depending upon the type of thinset you purchase and the size of the tile. Now that the tile has been set down and dried over night, you can do the grout, A sanded grout Is normally used on floors with anything other then a paper thin grout line. you will find that there are many different shades and colors to be had. Choose something that is as close as you can. Do not be worried about the color when it is mixed and applied, It will change a lot as it dries. If the color is to far off, there are stain kits you can use to re-color the floor so everything matches.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Mar 24, 2014
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Thank you so much for the information. It pretty much convinced me I need a pro!
Charlotte Kent
on Mar 25, 2014
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@Woodbridge Environmental- I too have experienced some challenges with a tile floor and am hoping you can help. Originally a new plywood subfloor and self leveling cement were used as a base but after about a year, tiles began to loosen. Upon inspection of the support beams underneath the bathroom, we discovered one of the beams kicked out on an angle creating a flex in the wood subfloor. We were able to sure everything up- sister another beam next to the one that kicked out and now I'm confident the floor is solid. However- I was under the impression that to correct the loose tiles, I would need to rip up ALL of the tiles and start all over again. I'm hopeful your solution of repairing individual tiles could work. I have approx. 12 loose tiles- each measuring 12"x12". It 's the area of course that is on top of where I had a loose beam. All remaining tiles under the vanity and toilet seem to be solid- it's just those 12 in front of the tub running the length of the room that are loose. Do you think the method you listed above would be effective for my situation since there are about 12 out of 40 tiles that have lifted? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your response!
Kimberley N
on Mar 27, 2014
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does any one no if you can put tile&grout in a single wide mobile home?????
Debra Hyler
on Mar 27, 2014
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