Have an old house with ceramic tile on floor of main living room. Just bought house few mths ago and just now noticed some cracks in floor. What's concerning me is that it seems to run through center of room ie. its all on the same line of tiles. Not every tile in the center line is cracked although the crack does run through a few tiles at points whereas in other areas only one single tile is cracked. Anything to worry about? Appreciate everyones input.
2007-09-01 11:46:27 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Best case scenario is that it is jst from an impact made on the floor from previous tenants, worst case is your foundation has shifted and may have cracked the foundation. try looking on the outside of the house, in the same area as these tiles. See if youn notice any hairline cracks on the sides of the house in that area, may need to actually dig a little dirt our from around the foundation to see. If you have a crack anywhere on the exterior of the house, then it's problably just that you house has settled. This generally is not a terrible thing, but can get worse if the house moves anymore. I would suggest you talk to a contractor you trust regarding this issue, as it does vary in issue depending upon where you live, and the ground in which you house is on. Hope this helps.
2007-09-01 11:57:04 · answer #1 · answered by Kevin G 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hard to say without seeing it but it sounds like a possible sub-floor or structural problem.
I'd guess that your sub-floor (or slab, if you're on a slab) is buckling or shifting under some sort of pressure. Could be caused by framing members shifting, foundation problems, rotting framing members, tree roots, a settling or cracked foundation etc. I've never seen a bunch of tiles all crack along the same joint without there being a problem below.
If you're not on a slab, go into the basement or crawl space and get under the problem area. See if the wood framing is twisting or lifting or sagging. If it is, that's where your problem lies. Not a five-minute fix but nothing you can't learn to do yourself.
Use a sharp, pointed tool to probe the wood framing. If it's easy to push it into the wood, you might have rot or termite problems. Nothing you can't fix but you WILL have to fix it, the sooner, the better. NOTHING that goes wrong in a house ever gets better on its own and things can go from bad to worse fairly quickly.
While you're there, see if the sub-floor (usually plywood, but in an older house might be wooden boards) between the floor framing and the tile is soundly secured to the floor framing. If the sub-floor lifts off the framing, which is not uncommon, it will cause all kinds trouble with the tiles. If it's only a loose sub-floor, it's a relatively easy fix.
If you're on a slab, ask a pro to take a look, foundation work is beyond my realm of experience.
2007-09-01 12:23:36 · answer #2 · answered by marianddoc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did the previous owner replace the tiles in order to sell the house? It could be that the job was done incorrectly. That crack could be running down the same underlayment board/plank, whatever is under there. If it wasn't leveled properly before the tile was laid, it could be a stress point. I'm not an expert, but that was my first thought. Good luck! Hope it's nothing serious!
2007-09-01 12:00:38 · answer #3 · answered by GeeQT 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I assume the sub-floor is wood, not concrete.
Likely that the tile was laid over the orginal stripwood
sub-floor.
If so, expansion and contraction has caused the tile to shift and crack.
The only solution is to remove it. If the floor is as stated, a suitable underlayment must be installed over the wood, to avoid expansion and avoid the problem for a new installation.
If it is a concrete sub-floor, I suspicion a cracked slab.
2007-09-01 12:01:08 · answer #4 · answered by ed 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
your probably ok
the house may be settling or the floor wasn't completely level to begin with
my parents had a similar problem with tile cracking and their house was only 4 years old
2007-09-01 15:09:26 · answer #5 · answered by TnA Inc. 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
walk outside and slowly walk and look at your walls see any cracks in the foundation or the walls in could be settling or the thin set is lifting off of your floor underneath your tiles
2007-09-01 15:03:21 · answer #6 · answered by tarpontime2006 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you might check and see if there,s a crawl space,
[or basement] most old houses weren't braced as good as the ones now days, you may have to put some bracing in the center of the room,
its called settling, mine was over 90 yrs old and it creaked some times,
2007-09-01 11:57:36 · answer #7 · answered by William B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be something to worry about or it may be a poor instalation job.
You need to find the cause3 to tell for sure.
2007-09-01 16:57:16 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋