Got water under kitchen floor tiles - how little can I fix?

[Alex Fthenakis]

Hi, I'm looking for some next steps advice on a complex situation. I'll try to include any info that I think might be relevant. The irrelevant backstory is at the end for those who are curious.

So tonight I stepped on a tile in front of the kitchen sink and water seeped up around the grout. I've now stopped the leak, pulled up all the loose grout, and am wondering what I'll need to do next once it dries (or to help make it dry).

More about the situation:

• I estimate the leak was a drip every 2 seconds for about 24 hours before I got to it.
• It's a tenement flat, 1st floor. Looks like the subfloor is plywood sheeting over the original poplar floorboards. Under the cabinet is sheeted but un-tiled. This was ground zero for the drip (once it made its way through the cheap particle board cabinet).
• At the point where the wet patch goes under the tiles it looks to be about 3 tiles wide.
• Initial tile (tile 1) is probably 1/3 to 1/2 detached from its adhesive. I tried to pull it up but am pretty sure I'd have to remove the rest of the grout and break the tile in order to do so.
• At the join between the next two tiles moving along the cabinet edge (tiles 2 and 3) it looks like the plywood is warping up slightly. There appears to be a bit of water coming through the grout here - just enough to wet it, not to seep.
• I removed all the grout that came out easily. I was using a grout saw but basically just picked at it and took out all the loose chunks, hoping this would help start the drying process and slow any further damage.
• The tile directly in front of the initial one (one tile away from the cabinet, tile 4) has a hairline crack in it. I'm not sure if I did this or if it's old.
• I have a box of 11 spare tiles that came with the flat. I'm not sure if it will be possible to get more.

First and most important question: do I need to do anything else urgently? Seems to be drying relatively well so far.

Then we're on to next step options. In this case I'm not concerned with appearance, just with making sure I get the floor back to a functional standard. Obviously it's not a shower or wet room, but it is right in front of the kitchen sink so it ends up with drops on it about 3x per day. With that in mind can I:

• re-grout between affected tiles only? Will the loose corner of tile 1 just flex free of the grout again and allow further water ingress?
• replace tile 1 and re-grout the immediate area only? Will the warped tiles 2 and 3 have problems? Will the cracked tile 4 let in too much water?
• replace tiles 1 and 4? or 1-4? and then regrout? How big a risk is it to leave water damaged plywood underneath? I presume it will dry eventually because of the hollow space below it.

Or am I going to need to pull up tiles, cabinets, and countertops until I've got enough access to replace all the affected plywood? If that's the case then I'm probably looking at doing a full kitchen remodel. It's something I want to do, but had planned to wait a few more years (like maybe 10). Is this the kind of thing where I should be phoning the insurance company?

Photos (and backstory) below. Any advice much appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex

[GALLERY=media, 15478]Overview by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15480]Tile 1 with grout removed by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15479]Water stain between tiles 2 and 3 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15481]Buckling between tiles 2 and 3 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15483]Under cabinet 1 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15482]Under cabinet 2 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15477]Spares 3 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15476]Spares 2 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY][GALLERY=media, 15475]Spares 1 by Alex Fthenakis posted Nov 29, 2017 at 12:44 AM[/GALLERY]

So how did it all happen? Well it's because my washing machine stopped heating water. I figured it would be a simple fix. Called the guy out and he said I needed to just replace the whole washer. So I ordered one immediately (a week ago) so that it would arrive before wash day became too crucial. And of course I was upset about the unexpected expense, so I refused to pay extra for installation or removal. Last night in prep for tomorrow's delivery I decided to disconnect the old washer. No problem, all straightforward. Except the shutoff valve on the mains water supply doesn't actually shut off all the way - it only goes enough to take it down to roughly 1 drip every two seconds. And I didn't notice. Until the drips started coming up through my grout. Good thing I saved £25 by not paying the delivery team for installation!

 

[Qwerty]

Wow, that was a detailed account! Not great news I'm afraid........ your tiles are fixed incorrectly. Tiles should not be fixed directly to wood due to the expansion and contraction it will experience. Some people will do it and may be lucky, but you have proven that by stepping on a tile it has caused water to come up through the grout joint. This tells me two things - 1- That your tiles/ subfloor is moving far too much
2- That you will need to replace that tile, very possibly all tiles!

That water will ruin the wood underneath and potentially rot out.
If it was my home, I would recommend removing it all and starting again.

 

[One Day]

I would say the correct way, short of a complete rip out, is to cut out the affected area including the wet, warped ply. Allow it all to dry and then use your spares.
If the ply is over 6mm then use a specific tile board in its place. If it is only 6mm ply then you'll need to use an s2 adhesive and fix directly to the floor boards.
Not an ideal situation to begin with though!

 

[Alex Fthenakis]

OK, great help so far, thanks. Sounds as I feared.

I put an oil-filled radiator in the washing machine alcove overnight and now the un-tiled ply under the cabinet is all bone dry. No more signs of water under tiles, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean it's all gone.

News from Italy this morning (I emailed Marca Corona to ask for help IDing the spares):

Dear Mr Fthenakis,

thanks for contacting us
Unfortunately, the collection you mentioned (Libeccio) has been discontinued since many years and it is no more available nor in our warehouse, nor by our retailers. (“Prima” is just the quality of the tiles chosen: it means they were the first-class selection of the production)
We are extremely sorry but hope you will find a viable substitute in our current assortment
At your disposal for any further question

Best Regards
Marketing Dept.​

With that in mind I'll be very wary of making any mistakes. I'm now of two minds whether to go to the 'discontinued tile' forum or the 'find a tiler' forum and just pay someone else to do it.

 

[Tom Tidmarsh]

What ended up happening here? I'm in a similar situation right now... I have 3 tiles that are cracked and the subfloor is definitely wet. Did you end up remodelling the whole kitchen or just replacing the affected tile?