Hairline crack repair advice

[Shai]

Hi All, We have just discovered a hairline crack in one of our 6mm italian porcelain tiles. Its in quite a high traffic area and i would like to try and repair it. Im more concerned with reducing the chances that the tile gets worst and starts to move. Im less concerned with the appearance aspect of the hairline crack.

Obviously, epoxy would be my first choice but working with the stuff for years in wood i know how thick and sticky the stuff is and i know it wont penetrate the crack at all to give the tile any reinforcement or further integrity. So i started to look at thinner epoxy resins and they seem to be quite common in the US where they are called "Penetrating Epoxy". Excuse me if im preaching to the choir its just that i never heard of the stuff. Apparently its the thickness of oil so should be a great solution and actually seep through the crack and hopefully offer a good fix.

So my question is this: Has anyone used this before to repair hairline cracks? If not, does it seem like a decent enough idea? worth a try?

And, just in case, does anyone know where i can get a suitable product here in the UK?

Any advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Shai]

This is the sort of product i was thinking of.

LamLock Transparent Clear Infiltrating (Penetrating) Epoxy - For Laminations, Cracks & Voids - https://www.easystonecare.com/LamLock-Transparent-Penetrating-Epoxy-p/llcki.htm

Cant seem to find it in the UK

 

[Kyle Knowles]

Someone's not drilled the corner out before cutting it ?

 

[Time's Ran Out]

I’d rather find out what caused the crack in the first place because whatever you do won’t last!
From your picture I’d suggest the boards under the tile is a joint as there looks like a corner skirting there and so differential movement will cause stress through the body of the tile. Must be a lot of movement to get this in porcelain.

 

[Kyle Knowles]

Maybe no space left to the corner of the wall which the tile is cut round I've seen similar with tiles cut round kitchen cupboards to tight

 

[Bill]

can I see two cracks?

 

[Flintstone]

It could be a combination of things causing that crack but no resin is going to solve any issues. I would call back the tiler who did the job to replace the tile

 

[Wolfie9878]

Defo not drilled the corner first!

 

[Flintstone]

What size are these thin tiles?

 

[J Sid]

when corner of tiles aren't rounded/drilled and skirting sitting on floor with no gap for any vertical movement, this will happen

 

[Shai]

Hi All. Thanks for the replies so far.

The tiling was done 4 or 5 months ago as part of a large renovation project. We had no say on who the tiler is but we did make sure to the best of our knowledge that some things were done correctly.

For example, the floor is a suspended floor but we had the builders completely rebuild it with new joists and supports under the joists to remove any deflection to the absolute minimum. It was rock solid with supports every 1.5m. We used Mapei flexi adhesive, matting and the floor was as perfectly level as possible. The tile manufacturer actually sent a rep (Italian company whose name escapes me) to do with another matter and he checked everything and said it was all done perfectly (up to that point)

Now, i know for a fact that there is sufficient gap all round the area and we have done the calculations exactly according to the manufacturers recommendations. We even had to put a gap in the actual area to allow for expansion as the area is quite large.

Did they drill the corners? Well i have to put my hands up and say i have no idea. I did not check as it was not something i was aware of. May I ask, is it true to say that this is something that ALL tilers worth their salt would do? sounds like such a good idea but i genuinely never heard of it before and I have even frequented these forums several times in the past.

Now, for the problem at hand. I am a little stuck here as I am very reluctant to change the tile. Firstly because we used Epoxy grout (Kerpoxy i think) and secondly because we have a wet underfloor system and im concerned about some numpty damaging that which would be a disaster. So, has anyone heard of this infiltrating epoxy before? anyone used it in the manner im suggesting? Its surely worth a go?

edit - re vertical gap. Also not something i was aware of. Manufacturers datasheet only mentioned lateral expansion.

 

[Blunt Tool]

IMO filling it with a resin will only highlight it even more unless you are willing to sand it smooth but then you damage the finish of tile so if you are not going to take it out and replace just fill in with a colour match grout or Silicon, just papering over cracks tho

 

[Old Mod]

Yes there are epoxy resins available to do what you want, the name escapes me at this moment, but they are available.
Check the Waters group based in Liskard, try and speak with Daniel Waters (I won’t state the obvious)
If they can guide you, they will.
Ok question answered.


I agree with the above.
Cardinal sin with thin tile, not drilling corners of any cut out.
By Creating an arc in the corner it helps eliminate the risk of this kind of breakage, there’s no actually staring point for a fracture, and it’s naturally stronger.
However, it won’t be the sole cause, some other issue outside of this oversight, has actually attributed to the problem.
Something has stressed the corner, and as a bi product of that the tile has fractured, that’s what you need to determine.
Expansion of architrave and skirtings are prime suspects, as are un-noticed high points on an external corner of a screed.
Any or all of these are just some of the reasons the corner became stressed.
It sounds like you paid for an high end service, and you may well have received it.
Unfortunately as fixers we can only carry out our tasks to the best of our ability, and hope we spot all the potential pitfalls, occasionally something goes unnoticed.

Epoxy grout can be softened with a heat gun, it can be removed.
You should be able to remove the slab without any damage to the substrate or wet ufh, unless if it’s a retrofit ufh system.
It will then be down to the installation of your floor and the method used. This can determine the level of risk to your heating.

As far as numpty’s go....... can’t guarantee against them I’m afraid,
If you’re careful who you hire, I’m sure you can sort the men from the boys, you’re an intelligent guy.

Looking at that slab again, I think a good ‘Magic Man’ could sort that, it certainly has enough movement in it to blend fairly well, as long as it’s not highly polished.
If it is, it’s highly unlikely that it can be hidden.
Still the holy grail I’m afraid.

Good luck.

 

[Shai]

Again, thanks for the replies. Callatiler, im not concerned about the appearance that that is NOT the motivation behind this suggestion. My only concern is to strengthen the crack so A. it does not get any bigger and B. may reduce the necessity to have the tile removed/replaced..

My question is, does my proposed action strengthen and fixes the tile from a movement/structure point of view? My fear is that as people and one rather large dog walk on the tile, it will start moving and become worst with time. I stress again. I dont care how it looks at this point in time. Its in a place that is quite hidden and im confident that i can make the crack much less visible later if needed.

3_fall - thats good to hear. I do have a spare tile off cut in the garage that will fit there if it comes to it. I will also do some checking on your suggestion regarding the Waters group. Really appreciate your help with this.

Is there anyone on this forum that is an expert with this type of situation? We may need to get someone here to asses the situation and if necessary fix the tile.

 

[Shai]

Had a chat with the Waters group. Incredibly helpful so thanks for the advice 3_fall. Gave me two possible products to look at. One is this: Integra Adhesives - http://www.integra-adhesives.com/ which is incredibly strong but may not be fluid enough for my needs and the other is this Imprepox Premium – Bellinzoni Srl - https://www.bellinzoni.com/cms/en/prodotti/epoxy-adhesives/imprepox-premium-2/ which sounds like its exactly what im looking for. Only problem is they dont have it in stock at the moment but they are chasing a tin for me as we speak.

Thanks again everyone. Ill update this thread with how i got on when its done.