Bathroom Tiles on Walls Cracking- Any Ideas?

[jonc27]

Hi and thanks for letting me post on here. Sorry if this is a long post, trying to just do the main points as it's been a bit of a nightmare.

The problem is with the wall tiles in our new bathroom. It was tiled last July with British Ceramic Tile V&A tiles. These are ceramic 152mm x 152mm.

We noticed in September that the grout was becoming very powdery and crumbling. A small hole appeared in the shower grout. You could scrape loads of it out with just a toothpick or a fingernail!

The day before the installer came back to fix this, we noticed that some of the tiles on the window sill had started to crack with hairline cracks. We found lots more on the walls and others have gone over the next 6 weeks. I'm attaching some photos. We also found one in the box that had never been installed that also seemed to have one of these cracks although it was almost impossible to see.

I should also add that once the grout was raked out (installer was trying to replace it but stopped when the extra cracking was noticed), the wall tiles became very loose. One just fell off the wall one night and you can take others off simply by pulling them.

Installer/retailer blamed BCT. BCT have been out, inspected and took some for testing, including the one from the box with the crack.

They've now issued their report, which blames the installation. They say that the problem is that the tiles were dot and dab fitted and the tiles on the wall are deboning. Also that the adhesive used was too thick as it was 10 mm. They say that the one from the box is a scratch and not a crack.

Installer is still not 100% convinced that it's the installation.

Are we being fobbed off by BCT or is it the installation?
Thanks very much, sorry again for length of post.

 

[Flintstone]

BCT are notoriously bad quality and we see stacks of people on here complaining about the quality of there tiles as well as most of us having first hand experience of it. I do agree with what they have said in this instance it's a basic ceramic tile fixed incorrectly with a thick bed which has shrunk as its dried / cured and caused the glaze to crack. I could be wrong but it looks like ready mixed adhesive which should never be used at that thickness.

 

[Dumbo]

Have to agree with @Localtiler . Bct have a really bad rep but installation techniques like that you got no hope of getting anywhere with them . It's like complaining about the fact you think the paint on your car scratches to easily after you've crashed it .

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Are you being fobbed off by BCT or is it the installation?
IMHO a bit of both!

Your tiler - has probably used too much adhesive on each tile, however his method of fixing ‘dot and dab’ in this instance is not the issue as he has almost 100% coverage. For the tiles to debond is an issue as he may not have primed the wall surface correctly.

BCT - just another example of poor quality ceramics being offered as a fashion item ( plain white!). Never in 45 years of fixing H&R Johnson’s 6 inch white tiles did I ever have a tile craze from behind like yours have! Now I’am talking Bal Tad, Bal Wall, X7 white ..... some of the strongest quality adhesives available then, and reacted nothing like yours have! (Theme here).
Indeed prior to ready mixed adhesive tiles were soaked in water drums for 12 hours and fixed with sand/cement and still no crazing!!
The tiles you have are rubbish.

 

[Andy Allen]

The glaze is so thin on those tiles you can almost see through it to the biscuit.

 

[Waluigi]

Agree with the others, double whammy. Poor tiles and poor fixing. That said, would the tiles still crack if they were fixed properly, I don’t know. Do a test piece with a proper notched trowel.

 

[jonc27]

Thanks very much all for all the helpful advice and for posting so quickly. Appreciate it.