Tile water absorbtion experiment

[Canyondust]

I have read the thread title, let us use that as the test name. The points are that the test (thread title) are not representative of paragraph 1.
That is the discussion. Component test (and it is useful for comparing a single component tile (non glazed)) versus system tests.

 

[Dumbo]

Do you know what I put my hands up your right . I must of misread when he said I plan on seeing how water tiles absorb

 

[Canyondust]

How is that relevant in the slightest to the conversation ? Whatever he proposed to do changes nothing to the logic behind the comments.

Your not aiding the thread at all.

 

[Qwerty]

@Canyondust put it this way, the purpose of the test was 'I plan on testing how much water tiles absorb' and the results were that the ceramic tile soaked up water and kept soaking it up, the porcelain tiles hardly soaked up anything. End of

Your posts appear to be of no help to this thread in the slightest and I am totally confused as to what your point is. @jcrtiling has made some valid points and your point about 'room temperature' has to be my favourite. The test was performed at this temperature as this is the temperature that tiled rooms in a house tend to be.

Are you a tiling professional?
Have you experienced real life situations of failure tiled substrates in showers/ wet rooms?
Do you understand the construction method of wet rooms?

The reason I ask is I think you are looking way past the point and simplicity of the test and looking to deep into it.

 

[Canyondust]

the ceramic tile soaked up water and kept soaking it up, the porcelain tiles hardly soaked up anything. End of

That is correct as far as that test goes. The test shows the maximum water absorption at room temperature. A very long way from 'end of

Your posts appear to be of no help to this thread in the slightest and I am totally confused as to what your point is. @jcrtiling has made some valid points and your point about 'room temperature' has to be my favourite. The test was performed at this temperature as this is the temperature that rooms in a house tend to be.

My point is that the moisture absorption when installed is likely to be different of this specific test for the reasons given previous. It is not a system test which is what one should be concerned with.
The points I make are very relevant as installed performance is what one should be concerned with.

The temperature is related to expansion of ceramics and stones which typically absorb more water as they get hotter. The temperature of a tile in a shower may not be at room temperature if water is directed and bathrooms change in temperature.

Are you a tiling professional?
No.
Have you experienced real life situations of failure tiled substrates in showers/ wet rooms?
Yes
Do you understand the construction method of wet rooms?
Yes. I built my second earlier in the year.

The reason I ask is I think you are looking way past the point and simplicity of the test and looking to deep into it.

As mentioned I am explaining the limitations of the test and how one may interpret the results. So my sympathy with the intention of the test is embedded in my posts.

 

[hmtiling]

Someone's got a container of bumpy whites they're trying to shift

 

[Canyondust]

I think that insult was used in a previous post.

 

[Qwerty]

So enlighten me, how would you conduct the test?

 

[hmtiling]

I think that insult was used in a previous post.

insult? I honestly didn't mean to insult anyone. If I did I can only offer my sincerest of heartfelt apologies

 

[Canyondust]

Twice it was suggested I was either selling tiles, working for a tile company.

My posts are purely related to science and engineering and to open a helpful debate. I'm genuinely interested in the installed performance of tiling systems and the associated components and longevity; a deeper interest stemming from reading posts here for close to 1 year.

Sadly the feeling of unwelcome is strong.

Hmtiling - thankyou appreciated. Just bad timing.

 

[Qwerty]

James, we are a friendly professional bunch and having spent the last 5 minutes browsing through your previous posts I can see you have gleaned alot of help and information from the forum.

This post was posted by yourself nearly a year ago and your interest in water absorption was of interest to you then too.

I stick with what I said previously, you're looking into it too deep. I appreciate your engineering mind is thinking of 1 million and 1 different factors and outcomes but my experiment was a simple one which I conducted in my kitchen using scraps of tile, whilst listening to Radio 1 and wearing my pants. As I said, a simple test

 

[Canyondust]

What was the reason for multiple insults ? That doesn't feel remotely friendly.

If you do not wish me to post then that's fine.

Yes I have gained a lot of information from reading a large amount of post. I was also passed some helpful advice. Silicon curing times spring to mind to which again I experimented as 7 days just didn't seem to be right (I appreacited that is what the packet also said).
It led me to conduct my own tests. An example is the word 'flexible' when linked to adhesives or grouts. I wondered quite what does that mean.
Rapid heat changes also led to some messing about to which a 'wet' tile acted very differently to a dry.

The test you did I found really interesting and got me thinking about why it may not be the whole story. Lingering high humidity levels are more of a concern to me than direct water action for the glazed tile condition.

 

[Qwerty]

So now I understand your point

Humidity isn't something that any of us are really concerned about as that is easily rectified with ventilation. Personally, in your situation with a wet room I would be more concerned about water action on a tile than humidity.

Do you have porcelain or ceramic tiles in your wet room?

 

[Canyondust]

Part of my job (few years ago) led me to be a lead involve in an automotive dewing test standard (it is a BS standard now). Previously devices (boxes) we're 85C/85%RH cycled and in this case spray tests related to IP67. We and other OEMs had issues. The cause was rapid changes in humidity and prolonged high humidty.

With extraction I would still expext to see a rapid humidity level increase in the room from the start of the cycle.

I can't find a link to the exact tile but they are a wood effect ceramic circa 500mm x 175mm
Tray mosaics are marble. 50 x 50 I think.


If you think that water permeating the grout could cause this kind of effect then maybe an experiment can be devised. Some years ago I was involved in the design of a new grout (nothing like we are talking here) which was for a civil works project (wind turbine) with BASF as product provider. Moisture permeation was a test.

So I can imagine the mosaics on my shower tray being immersed on one side for say 10 minutes. Do you feel this would fully wet the tile?

 

[Qwerty]

If it was ceramic, with shower being used daily then yes, in time it could fully saturate the tile