Cracking Ceramic Tiles

Q: What’s causing our ceramic tiles to crack? We had them installed in our entrance hall about a year ago, and now they’re a mess. At first we noticed a hairline crack in just one tile, but it’s now spread in a straight line across the 3-foot width of the hall. This crack has become thicker over time, too. What can we do?

A: Ceramic tiles are great, as long as the material under them doesn't move. If it does, even a little, cracks develop because tiles are so brittle. That's what's happening in your case. The fact that your trouble has appeared so soon after installation points the finger at the tile setter. It’s likely that inadequate precautions were taken to stabilize the floor. Were tiles put down directly onto the existing sub-floor, without reinforcement? This sort of short-cut often leads to cracking. The best installations include sheets of cement-based backer board or a layer of mesh-reinforced mortar applied over the sub-floor first. Tiles set properly on top of either of these substrates won't crack, even if you drop something on them. A plastic sheet material called DITRA also boosts the reliability of ceramic tiles installed over double layers of plywood subfloor. So, what can you do now? Unfortunately, there's no easy fix. I’m sorry to say that reinstallation is the only way to get durable results.