Reasons Why Your Tile Floor Could Crack
01. - It Received a Sharp Blow. - If the crack is located in one area, extending across only a single tile, this is probably the case. Sometimes, you will see a chip taken out of the tile where the object hit.
2. - The Tile Is Sub Standard. - Because the tile is cracked, and the tile is the only visible portion of the installation "sandwich" of mortar and substrate, most homeowners assume that the tile is at fault. Usually, this is not the cause.
3. - It Cracked Under Heavy Loads. - Did the fridge do it? Most tiles are in compliance with ASTM C648 Breaking Strength standards. In this test, floor tiles are run through a machine that exerts load on an unsupported 1-inch square area. As long as the tile does not break under 250 pounds of pressure, it is considered compliant.
Most tiles meet and exceed the 250 lb. minimum. For example, many Interceramic tiles have a breaking point of 450 lbs. per square inch. A sizable refrigerator such as a 22 cu. ft. side by side weighs about 300 pounds, representing about 75 pounds per square inch of breaking force--far less than ASTM standards.
4. - It Was Installed Over a Control Joint. - Control joints in concrete are, as our Construction Expert puts it, "pre-planned cracks." Since it is almost certain that concrete will crack, why not place those cracks where they can be kept track of? So, it is not prudent to use tile to bridge a line that you know in advance will expand.
5. - It Was Installed On Improperly Spaced Joists. - With tile, the less deflection, the better. Wood is flexible; tile is rigid. Joists are the long wood "girders" under the subfloor that hold up everything--subfloor, mortar, tile, contents of the room, people. Joists that are spaced too far apart will allow for deflection in the plywood subfloor, thus allowing the finish floor tile to bend--which it does not want to do. Joist spacing must conform to the International Residential Code.
6. - Its Concrete Substrate Has Cracked Over Time. - You've seen concrete basement floors, driveways, or patios. Chances are good that this concrete, if it is a few years old, has a long crack or two running through it. Even though concrete seems like the perfect substrate for tile, it too has its own problems. When concrete substrate cracks, this is transmitted to the tile above in the form of a reflective crack. If the tile cracks are long, continuous, and extending across multiple tiles, likelihood is high that the concrete below has cracked.
7. - Its Concrete Substrate Did Not Cure Long Enough. - Newly poured concrete is full of water. As the concrete cures, the water evaporates and the concrete shrinks. It is recommended by The Tile Council of America that you let new concrete cure for "as long as possible" or at least for 28 days. Some thinset manufacturers recommend only 14 days' curing time before installing the tile, but the Tile Council believes that this is not long enough.
Source: The Spruce
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