Ceramic Tile Keeps Splitting

These joints are there to absorb pressure from shifting tiles.

Ceramic tile keeps splitting. If the tile cracks are long continuous and extending across multiple tiles the concrete below has likely cracked. The best way to keep tile from cracking is to use a score and snap tile cutter or a. The only wholesale cure is to strip the tile and then install a crack isolation membrane before installing tile again. Because of the compressed fragile nature of tile it can crack break and fragment when you try to cut it.

You have to be very patient in cutting tiles whether it is a wet saw or a manual tile cutter. If they are too thin the tiles won t have enough room to expand and contract causing cracking. It s a great book. Dirty substrates thinset not mixed correctly thinset skinned over not enough thinset too much thinset wrong kind of thinset and on and on.

Fourth a foundation problem can cause tiles to either pop at the grout lines or to form cracks in the tile surface. In there i looked up loose tile and i counted no less than 30 different causes listed in this book.