Inspector Sleuth: Solving Three Tile Failure Crimes

As someone who spends the majority of my waking hours investigating why a tile and/or stone project is not performing as designed and expected, I’ve come to think of each failure as a crime. Put simply, a tile or stone crime is an action or activity that, although not illegal, is shameful and wrong, violating both industry standards and best practices.

Crimes I see most often are the installer does not know how to properly install all components in the tile installation system, including the tile; the design professional fails to properly specify the correct installation system and tiles for the intended use of the application; and the manufacturer or distributor does not understand or know the capabilities of the tiles being sold for specific installations.

While no one is going to jail, these crimes are not without victims because someone is always injured by the causative irresponsible actions. And while I don’t call the perpetrators criminals, they’re in need of corrective action.

The Questionable Installer
The most common reason for tile failures is installation errors. I liken this problem to pre-meditation in a crime. The installer knew going into the installation that they had no idea what they were doing.

When investigating a failure, I ask the installer if they know the proper industry standards for the installation or if they followed the tile or tile installation system manufacturer’s instructions. Most of the time, the installer says they did not read the manufacturer’s instructions or they did not know the installation standards.

Case in point: I recently finished an inspection for a project in Phoenix, where the architect stopped the installation because it did not look right. When I arrived on-site, two-thirds of the floor tiles were installed. It was a disaster. Grout joints varied in width from one-eighth-inch to one-inch. Tile mortar was used to flatten the installation. The waterproofing membrane, per the manufacturer, is not allowed to be installed in an exterior condition. This was a true tile crime.

The Dubious Design Professional
I also recently completed a cement terrazzo inspection due to broken corners and deforming tiles. I observed multiple cracking grout joints in the installation. When tiles were removed for inspection, water was standing below the crack isolation membrane. The water was also dissolving the primer used to install the membrane. The cement tiles were deforming. When reviewing the plans and specifications for the project, the design professional failed to call out movement joints as required by the Tile Council of North America’s method EJ171.

I asked the installers if they brought this to the attention of the design professional. They told me they had and that the design professional said movement joints were not needed. It was my determination that the cracking grout joints allowed water from the ride-on cleaning machine to penetrate the tile installation system all the way down under the crack isolation system. This enabled the membrane to fail and allowed water to be absorbed into the cement tiles, deforming them. When removing tiles not exhibiting cracked grout joints, multiple chisels were bent due to the tenacious bond of the tile to the mortar. This was a crime characterized as commission by omission.

The Manufacturer or Distributor as Suspect
As a commercial tile contractor, there have been countless times I have reviewed the specification for the tile product and said, “That tile is a bad idea for that application.”

One installation performed was glass mosaic tiles in stainless steel pools. The glass mosaics specified were mesh-backed. We wrote several requests for informations to the general contractor and architect, but they were turned down every time. A year after completion of the installation, the tiles started to de-bond from the pools. All tiles were installed with the highest performing epoxy mortar and grouted with epoxy grout. However, the adhesive used to hold the glass mosaics to the mesh failed. The tiles were removed and all the mesh was properly embedded into the epoxy adhesive. When tested by a certified International Organization for Standardization laboratory, the adhesive, per the testing results, was similar in composition to Elmer’s glue. The design professional had read the product data of the material that stated the tiles were recommended for submerged applications. The manufacturer of the tile did not know or understand the capabilities of the mesh-backed mosaic tiles they were manufacturing and selling. This tile crime is likened to fraud.

Reducing Recidivism
All three of these tile failures should not have occurred. Installers must know the tile installation standards and follow the tile manufacturer and tile installation system manufacturer’s instructions. These instructions are recognized as more important than American National Standards Institute standards and TCNA methods. Ignoring manufacturer instructions, which often cite standards, can and will cause failure, and the brunt of the cost to repair or replace the installation will fall on the installation contractor.

Design professionals must also follow tile installation industry standards. From experience, most installation failures are caused by a lack of required movement joint placement. Countless times I have heard the architect say, “Movement joints are ugly” and “I don’t want the pattern interrupted.” Movement joints are required and necessary in tile work. Design professionals must do a better job in designing movement joint placement.

I fully understand manufacturers and distributors sell tiles. However, both must know that their products need to perform, especially in the applications they recommend.

If you look at the consumption of tile in the North American market, the total is falling, especially in the last two years. Granted there are other competing products, which explains some of the concern, but too many times I have heard an owner, after a ceramic tile installation failure, proclaim, “I am never using tile again.”

That is a tile crime for which the entire industry pays the price.

James Woelfel is principal at J.G. Woelfel & Associates, a tile and stone installation consulting firm in Mesa, Ariz. An experienced tile consultant, James performs tile inspections, installation oversight, and pre-construction consultation and review throughout North America after nearly four decades in the tile installation business. He can be reached at [email protected].