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Any tilers on? Kitchen floor tile advice needed!

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 187
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in Advice #1
We have a couple of kitchen floor tiles that make a cracking/popping sound when they are stepped on, almost like the sound of someone loudly cracking their knuckles.

I think the problem stems from a leaking dishwasher, which we have since replaced. My theory is that water leaking from the dishwasher has seeped under the kitchen tiles, has caused the mortar to weaken, which has led to the loosening of the tiles, and the cracking sound we're hearing today. Grout around the problem tiles has started to crumble, and you can visible see these tiles move slightly when stood on.

Is my thoery probably the correct one? More importantly, can I fix the problem without removing the tiles? If so, what do you suggest?

I don't want to attempt to remove the tiles if I can help it, due to fear of breaking them (they were laid when we moved in, and I assume they've been discontinued and/or would be difficult to track down for replacements).

Any advice on how to effectively fix the cracking issue would be greatfully received. Thanks.

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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12,830
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    #2
    Without removing the tiles (which would be better), the only thing I think you could do is remove the grout, and regrout the tiles, then use a grout protector/sealer to hold the grout in place. That might improve things a bit but will not be a cure. The only cure is to remove the tiles. scrape away any tile adhesive off the tiles and the floor and reset the tiles. Unibond Floor Adhesive is the best stuff to use to do that.

    If the tiles are wobbly, they might be easier to take up than you might think, as the adhesive has come away from the tiles in parts.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 187
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    #3
    petertard wrote: »
    Without removing the tiles (which would be better), the only thing I think you could do is remove the grout, and regrout the tiles, then use a grout protector/sealer to hold the grout in place. That might improve things a bit but will not be a cure. The only cure is to remove the tiles. scrape away any tile adhesive off the tiles and the floor and reset the tiles. Unibond Floor Adhesive is the best stuff to use to do that.

    If the tiles are wobbly, they might be easier to take up than you might think, as the adhesive has come away from the tiles in parts.

    Thanks Peter and cheers for the tip re: Unibond floor adhesive. Where the grout has crumbled away in parts, you can actually see a visible gap between tile and floor. Let's say I can't confidently get the offending tiles up. Is there a suitable product to inject adhesive under the tile, that you know of? (Obviously I'd do this after removing the grout, then regrout afterwards).
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 12,830
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    #4
    mrobbo wrote: »
    Thanks Peter and cheers for the tip re: Unibond floor adhesive. Where the grout has crumbled away in parts, you can actually see a visible gap between tile and floor. Let's say I can't confidently get the offending tiles up. Is there a suitable product to inject adhesive under the tile, that you know of? (Obviously I'd do this after removing the grout, then regrout afterwards).

    Not inject, but you can push the Unibond into the gaps using a small plastic tiling trowel (It is too thick to inject.) I've not had a tile lift with Unibond, but have had it happen with cheaper adhesives.
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    terlterl Posts: 167
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    #5
    I dont know really how to solve the problem as such but we had something similar when our dishwasher leaked.We had hardboard which became swollen under the tiles and lifted them so they were quite uneven.

    If you have accidental damage on your insurance it might be worth looking into seeing if you can claim. we did and they offered us a good deal of money to retile the whole kitchen floor. We accepted it but were able to lift the tiles off themselves without cracking and got a local joiner to replace the hardbaord underneath.

    In the the end it cost a few hundred to fix but received many times more than that from the insurance.
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