Common Tile Installation Nightmares: Never Commit These Mistakes!
-One can easily admit that tile installation is a work of art. But little did everyone know that a person dealing with tile installation can quickly see beauty into a nightmare when things go horribly wrong and hey, tile installation is It is not as easy as completing a jigsaw puzzle. It takes precision and knowledge to perfect this job.
Tile professionals are always preparing their best alternative ways to make their tile installation spot on. In this article, we will be discussing five tile installation mistakes and how these can be fixed.
LACK OF CLEANING AND UNEVEN TILE ADHESIVE
Most of the tile installation problems arise as some tile setters will not have the precaution to clean the tiles and we are talking about the front and the backside of the tile, and it is equally essential to prepare the surface where the tile will be laid. Proper cleaning of the back of the tile will give a better bonding between the surface and the adhesive. A tile sponge can be used to get this done. Another big mistake that people do is that tile adhesives tend to be distributed unevenly on the surface that can lead to lippage or making other parts of the tile hollow and prone to breaking. This can be corrected by ensuring that the trowel is neither too close nor too far from the surface.
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| DTA Tilers & Slaters Sponge 12X8" | DTA Quick Switch Trowel Kit |
NOT ENOUGH EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION
The lack of correct joint, especially on adjacent materials or surfaces, can make the tiles pop up. It is also worth noting that tiles are not perfectly uniform and during the installation of tiles it is naturally going to expand and contract so it is highly encouraged to leave at least ½ inch in between the last line for the tiles, whether it will be on the floor or on the wall, to allow both materials to expand and contract accordingly. Tiles spacers are your best buddy for this task.
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DTA Cross Spacers 3mm (10,000 Pcs Bucket) |
DTA Cross Spacers 2mm (500 Pcs Bag) |
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| DTA Horseshoe Red Colour Spacers 3mm (150 Pcs Bucket) |
USING THE WRONG UNDERLAYMENT
The rule of thumb for underlayment is to have at least 1 ¼ “ of subfloor sheathing underneath to provide the necessary strength and should be placed over a mortar bed. This will fill the voids and will provide a workable level surface. A perfect underlayment can be done with the help of a heavy-duty wall and floor scrapers to clean and get that perfect condition of the surface.
DTA Heavy Duty Wall & Floor Scraper 300mm (1 Pc)
A POORLY PREPARED SUBFLOOR
It is as important as having a perfectly prepared underlayment as failure to properly prepare a subfloor can produce tons of issues on tile installation. If you are covering an existing tile, ensure that there are no loose or chipped tiles that can prevent proper adhesion.
A perfectly leveled surface is highly essential and to get this done, a tile level system can be used. Lippage Levelling System is ideal for levelling floor and wall tiles with different thicknesses and highly efficient in eliminating the movement of the tiles during the drying process.
The existing surface should have roughness to it to promote better adhesion between the old and new surface while maintaining a clean surface which means it should be free from dusts, water or moist and dust particles.
It is not advisable to replace your flooring with a Tile over a hardwood flooring. This is one of the biggest mistakes people do and totally create tile issues later on. The surface of the hardwood is too smooth to create proper bond from the adhesive to the tile that will be placed.
Tile installation can be a heck of a stress but with proper tools and knowledge to it, a polished and perfectly installed tile layout can be produced.
