It’s a common question asked by homeowners, tenants, and landlords: Can cracked tiles in your bathroom be a problem?
If you notice one or more cracked tiles in your bathroom, it’s vital that you identify the source of the problem, and take action in order to prevent water from seeping into the cracks and causing damage to the subfloor and structural integrity of your home.
In order to do this, you first need to understand the most common ways that tiles crack
Common reasons why Bathroom Tiles Crack
- Direct Impact: When a heavy object is dropped on a particular tile or excessive weight was placed on the tile, causing it to crumble under pressure or produce a chip as the result of direct impact. When this occurs, the best course of action is to immediately replace the broken tile without compromising the bathroom’s waterproofing system.
- Building Movement: Excessive building movement caused by defects, foundation failure, and movement of the ground can cause tiles in the house to compress together and crack under pressure. You can tell these cracks apart from those caused by direct impact as they often extend across several tiles and there are no visible chips on the surface. Upon discovering these cracks, it’s vital they be replaced and that a waterproofing expert carries out a thorough assessment of the bathroom to ensure the waterproofing system is still reliable.
- Tiles installed on poorly spaced joists: When horizontal joists (support beams that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor) are spaced too far apart, any tiles laid down between these gaps are at risk of becoming unstable and failing. As a result, the subfloor starts to collapse and the tiles above will bend – resulting in noticeable cracks.
Why Cracked Bathroom Tiles are a problem
Regardless of the cause of tile cracks, it’s vital that you identify the problem in order to prevent future cracks, and ensure any water damage caused by the cracked tile is rectified so as to maintain the structural integrity of the building.
For the most part, the main reason why cracked tiles in a bathroom are a problem, is because water can seep into the cracks, reduce the lifespan of the in-built waterproofing system, and eventually penetrate the subfloor. Thus, causing moisture damage in parts of the home where water should not go.
As a result of water penetrating the subfloor, this causes the various supporting timber products to rot, degrades the structural integrity of the foundation, and can weaken the concrete substrate – leaving you with a hefty repair bill costing you potentially thousands of dollars!
How a Waterproofing Expert can repair your cracked tiles and protect your home from water damage
Waterproofing experts are highly skilled when it comes to tile repairs and replacements, leak detection, installing bathroom waterproofing, and general shower refurbishing.
With early intervention, the combined services of a waterproofing expert can help reduce or even prevent the risk of household water damage, enhance the beauty of your bathroom, and even boost the resale value of your home.
How exactly do they achieve these outcomes? Below is a simple breakdown of their process:
- Initial assessment:During their first visit, a waterproofing expert will assess the current condition of your bathroom. On the surface, they’ll inspect the quality of the individual tiles on the bathroom floor and walls, inside the shower, and around the bathtub. And they’ll check for gaps between the tiles in the form of failing grout or sealing. To investigate the potential for water damage, the use of thermal image cameras uncover the presence of moisture below the tiles.
- Treatment options:If any of your tiles are cracked, or moisture is detected below the surface, there are a number of ways to resolve the issue. Making sure the waterproofing system is working and reliable is by far the biggest priority. From there, replacing any broken or loose tiles is the second priority, followed by sealing any gaps between the tiles with the use of exclusive grout and sealer – which is far more durable and long lasting than what you can buy in-store.
- Testing: Once the bathroom has been properly treated, your waterproofing expert will test all the water facilities to ensure no water is escaping and instead going down the drain like it should. To give you extra peace of mind, these services will be covered by a workmanship guarantee of 10 years or more (Shower Sealed provides a guarantee for most services).
Concerned about the cracked tiles in your bathroom becoming a problem? Request a FREE onsite inspection from Shower Sealed today. Act now by calling 1300 519 133 or fill out the online form.
