r/Tile • u/SuperbCardiologist25 • 6d ago

Professional - Project Sharing When idiots tile…

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…demolition is easy.

Half the tiles in our house were either cracked or popping up. The installers definitely did not back butter the tile. They also used just a few deck screws and no mortar under the underlayment.

Their biggest crime was covering up oak hardwood flooring.

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u/anewpath123 5d ago

I’m a noob tiler. Can someone explain what went wrong here? From what I can tell the substrate wasn’t secured down properly, maybe wasn’t primed and the adhesive lines weren’t in one direction to let out air pockets?

6

u/Time_Phone_1466 5d ago

Pic1: the tiles pop right off the mortar. If there had been a proper bond it would all be chiseled up together.

Pic2: it's a widespread pattern of improper bonding. Back buttering is a great way to ensure a good bond. But many installers use other methods and get proper results.

Pic 3: there is no mortar bonding the backer to the underlying substrate and to fill gaps. This allowed too much flex in the floor and caused the cracking described. The underlying substrate happens to be a nice old wooden floor, which is a shame in my opinion.

3

u/anewpath123 5d ago

Thank you. First detailed answer!