1st problem of the year...

[beanz]

Just a call from a customer about a cracked floor tile.. Floor was laid about 2/3 weeks before christmas. I haven't been round to see it yet, but apparently the tile has a hairline crack, but what's weird is the crack doesn't go all the way to the edges!?! Apparently it starts about 10mm in, goes right across the tile, but stops before the opposite edge. Have you ever seen this before? Tiles are about 450mm x 450mm x 10mm Porcelain.

 

[afright]

There might have been an hairline crack in the tile but you never notice it when laying ,I have had this before but had seen it when grouting just one of those things that happens now and again out of interest what was the substrate you fixed to ?

 

[beanz]

That's the only thing i can think of to be honest.. Fixed to 12mm Ply, over chip-board. Thanks for the quick response

 

[afright]

Was the chipboard fixed or floating ?

 

[beanz]

Fixed. Originally nailed, but i screwed it down too.

 

[afright]

Then maybe it might be just the one tile that had a flaw in it, fingers crossed,I would have laid Ditra as well.

 

[charlie1]

New extension??

 

[jlktiling]

Faulty Tile?

Sounds weird, otherwise surely the crack would go all the way through.

 

[beanz]

To be honest, I only use ditra if I'm tiling over multiple substrates.
Not a new extension.. House is about 10 years old.
I'm hoping it is a faulty tile, but would expect to spot that when grouting.. It's the fact the cracks don't go to the edges that I find odd!?! The only other thing I could think if, was a proud screw, but I'm pretty anal about getting the screws flat, so can't see it...

 

[afright]

Ive had it when laying sometimes you know the sound of the tile is not right and on close inspection there is a faint hairline crack running thru the tile but dont go all the way sometimes this can be easily missed when laying,but not to say that this is the problem just might be I try and use Ditra as much as possible now days just a bit more piece of mind.

 

[DHTiling]

Did they drop summit , impact crack.

 

[beanz]

I haven't seen it yet, but from their description, it's a hairline crack. The wife only noticed it because she was on her knees.. Didn't want to ask too much about that lol!

 

[Brian the Tile]

ha ha ha no maybe better not too lol:lol:

 

[Jeff the tiler]

I have had this once before and it was a fault in the tile. Only noticed when the floor had completely dried back and it seemed to pull the crack slightly further apart. Fingers crossed this is the same.

 

[John Benton]

I've had one before like that and went to look when the customer told me they had a tile with a hairline crack approx 2 inches long, only a few weeks after they were fitted. I asked where the tile was and the customer said it was in front of the fridge. On close inspection (under a magnifying glass) there was the smallest chip the middle of the crack, could only just feel it with fingernail it was so minute. Something had definitely been dropped on it as the crack ran away from the chip in 2 directions, but the customer denied that she had dropped anything. I changed the tile and the customer paid me no problem, even when I said that she didn't owe me anything. If that wasn't a sign of guilt I don't know what is. I took it of course because I knew they had dropped something on it.