Ceramic tile not adhering.....HELP

katluvsbaskets · 06-05-2006, 07:31 AM

My husband and I decided to remodel the whole house. Hired a guy to lay ceramic tiles in the kitchen and bathroom. The tile grout started to fall out like it never hardened. Took the grout out and the tiles popped up and came out in whole pieces and it is like the tile never bonded with the thin set. The underlayment is cement board with thin set layed directly over the floor joist. Got told that we needed plywood under the cement board in order to stop movement. Well, goody to know NOW! What can be done to salvage my floor? The cement board in the bathroom shifted and nails are popping up. Is there any way to salvage my flooring? We have so much invested in it and I just get sick over having to start all over again. PLEASE help!

Remodeling · 06-05-2006, 09:08 AM

If I read this correctly, you have put CBU directly on the joists with no subfloor. If that is correct it has to come out, no way that will fly.

What is the joist material and spacing, also what is the un supported span of the joists?

What are you using for thinset and grout?

Rich

J187 · 06-05-2006, 01:56 PM

I'm afraid to ask you to elaborate on "hired a guy". I hope it wasn't one of those "fix-it Joe" contractors-in-a-van" type guys who don't really know what they are doing. Sounds like it though. You should really get in touch w/ "the Guy" and ask him what gives, he really should rectify the problem.

redline · 06-05-2006, 01:59 PM

Take pictures.
You may have to take the "hired" person to small claims court if he refuses to correct HIS error.

redline · 06-05-2006, 02:01 PM

Did the hired guy put down the cement board?

Travis77 · 06-05-2006, 10:52 PM

The guy you hired should have known better than that. I lay tile for a living,,,, and in all honesty,, I have never heard of anything like this ever happening. My suggestion is to take the guy you hired for a loop through the system and get your problem fixed. There needs to be
3/4 plywood glued down to the floor joist, then thinset on the plywood, backerboard, thinset on the backerboard, then the tile and grout. No offense to anybody, but i think it's pathetic that this is the kinda compitition that the "Experienced" has to compete with.

katluvsbaskets · 06-16-2006, 11:42 AM

Just an update. We ended up ripping up the kitchen floor

and hired a new contractor to install it. We got the 3/4 inch plywood and cement board. This contractor had never seen such terrible work. He even confronted the other guy who did our floor the first time. The first guy walked out and said "sorry". He said that he didn't understand what went wrong. Duh! Oh well, can't change what happened only fix it. The good thing was the first floor was easy to take up. Nothing stuck. We got the all purpose thin set and so far so good. Thanks for all the advice.