You might have encountered this problem in your house, in which you suddenly heard an explosion from one of your rooms, and when you went looking for what happened. You saw that tiles were popping up. Or, you might have noticed while walking on the tiles of your home that hollow feedback was being caused under the tile due to your steps. These problems are known as tile popping.
Tile popping is one of the most common problems one might face in their households. This problem can really frustrate a homeowner. It happens when there is air trapped inside the tile, and it receives additional force to blow out. This popping out of tiles can happen due to many reasons. Some have deduced that tiles of small dimensions have more chances of popping than tiles of bigger dimensions. So, an easy way of preventing it is to use bugger tiles. However, there are other reasons for tile popping, and so there are other different measures you can take to prevent it from happening. So, let’s look at the reasons for tile popping first.
Why Tiles Get Popped Up?
There are many different reasons that can cause tile popping. Some of these reasons are-
If the SubFloor is Not Level
It is really important to have a good subfloor before you lay down the tiles for any kind of tiling work. It is necessary to have leveled the subfloor. When you use the adhesives to connect the tile to the subfloor, it will create huge problems if the subfloor is not properly even. On an uneven floor, different tiles will get different amounts of adhesive, and different tiles will have different proximity with the subfloor, meaning while some tiles will have better bonds with the subfloor, some will have really worse bonds. The tiles that have worse bonds are likely to pop up.
Inadequate Cleaning Before Tiling
Cleaning the subfloor is a really important thing to do before you get on with the tiling process. To place the tile in the proper way, a clean subfloor is essential. Otherwise, the tiles won’t properly stick to the subfloor, as the adhesive won’t be able to work properly if there’s dirt on the floor.
The Tiles Absorbing Too Much Water
Most tiles that we use are sealed and most of them don’t use too much water. But there are some materials that are more porous than others and have more micropores, and moisture can get into the tiles with these micropores. And if the tiles are cracked beforehand, it absorbs even more water. If moisture is absorbed, the tiles get swelled, expanded, and pressure is created. And tiles get popped as a result.
If The Tiles Are Old
Old tiles are not as flexible as the new and fresh ones, and they crack more easily than the new ones. If your tiling work has become very old, it can get cracked easily due to long foot traffic, too much use of cleaning agents, fluctuating temperatures, and many more. With time they can’t sustain the constant shrinking, and they pop as a result.
Not Using Adhesives
There are some tiles like the vinyl flooring tiles, that can be placed without adhesives. If no adhesive is used, then the tiles can pop up at any time.
Not completing the concrete curing
The concrete curing needs some time, and make sure that the curing is completed perfectly. Some inpatient homeowner or worker might place the tile before the concrete is properly cured. In that case, tiles can pop us after some time.
Using Poor Adhesive and Bonding Material
If the tiles get exposed to direct sunlight, the adhesive can dry off very quickly. Also, if low-quality bonding materials or adhesives are used, then they can’t act as strongly to keep the tile attached to the floor.
However, any tile can pop up after a certain amount of time due to shrinking, or expanding. Also, as mentioned earlier, the sizes of the tiles also matter in this. Smaller tiles face more pop up than larger tiles.
Preventing Tile Pop-Ups
Floors are one of the most important parts of the home and it will be really inconvenient if they break after a short time and need fixing. Flooring works are generally commenced when the project is nearing the end. The spirit and the resource are likely to have been depleted by then. Some will tend to down-specs, such as changing tiles and mortars to more economic options. You shouldn’t do this at all.
The installer is another important factor. You need to get an experienced installer to do the job. The environmental factor, like heat and humidity, these factors usually affect the outdoor area. Ceramic tiles are less durable on the outdoor, so there is no fix or prevention if you still want to use ceramic tiles on the outside.
But for the most part, you must choose good quality tiles and adhesive for the tiling process. Also, let the concrete be cured properly. And clean the subfloor and level it properly before the tiling process.
Final Words
Whenever you are planning to tile your floors, make sure that you have taken all these measures properly to prevent the popping up of the tiles.
