When attempting squeaky floor repair without access to subfloor, drill pilot holes and nail through the surface. Locate the floor joists and nail directly into them for a fastening job that won’t work loose. Using nail setters, countersink the nail heads.
Another possible contributing factor is the absence of movement joints in the original installation. These allow the floor a bit of “flex” to compensate for any expansion or contraction coming from the substrate, and they’re essential for ceramic or natural stone tiles.
Why is my tile floor popping up?
A common reason for tiles popping off the floor and coming loose is that no expansion joints were included in the installation. Expansion joints are included in floors over 20 feet in width/length, and should be caulked rather than grouted; if not, the pressure from expansion will cause tiles to pop up.
Using low or incorrect quantity of adhesive can also make tiles pop out very quickly. Poor quality and quantity of the adhesive is the main cause of most cases of tiles popping up out.
You should be asking “How can we prevent tiles from popping up?”
If all points before are caused by human errors and less experience, there is one absolute force that cannot be prevented; the weather. If the area of the floor is directly exposed to sunlight, there are the chances of popping up of tiles because the direct sunlight will result in heat leading to expansion of tiles.
Another frequently asked question is “What is pop up or popped up or tented floor tiles?”.
Among these, pop up or tenting or buckled tiles is one of the most common tile’s defect that has been observed in the floor tiles installed in various areas exposed to versatile environmental factors. What is Buckled or Popped Up or Tented Tiles?
Why does my bathroom tile sound hollow?
A tile having a hollow sound could be an indication that there is a void under those hollow sounding spots and/or the tile isn’t bonded at those hollow sounding spots. A hollow sound can be caused by the configuration of the tile assembly, it could be the result of having some sort of membrane under the tile.
A tile floor over a wood sub floor will sound more like a hollow sound compared to a tile floor installed directly to a concrete slab. If the tile is installed over a non-bonded mortar bed it will sound more hollow than tile installed over a bonded mortar bed.
So, does a hollow floor mean my tile will crack?
Please visit the TCA Team for information on these types of services. If the floor sounds hollow, does it mean my tile will crack? Occasionally, a floor will sound hollow even when the tile is well bonded.
Does hollow sound mean the tile is not bonded?
Other systems that intentionally separate the tile layer from the substrate (such as the mortar bed with a cleavage membrane system like TCNA Handbook detail F111) should be closely examined to ascertain if hollow sounds necessarily imply that the tile is not bonded.