Issue with tiles

chalicetree

I don't want this to be a long post so trying to give bullet points: 

• Got my bathroom done in late 2020 by a bathroom company. I thought this would be easier than trying to arrange all the individual people myself. 
• A few issues after which they came back to fix in Mid-2021 (delayed due to restrictions in early 2021). A gap appeared between shower tray and tiles (said it was settling) and grouting cracked in all corners of the room and around window (they said this should have been siliconed at the time) and on the floor (again, they said settling). 
• When they came to fix the issues above, I mentioned that the tile above the door was showing tiny cracks on the surface in a tree branch-like pattern. You could only see them when the tile had condensation after a shower or if you wiped it with a damp cloth. They said this could have been from the door banging and this can happen. 
• Last night I see the same cracks on a different tile high up the wall. This is the wall with the toilet, sink and no door. 

Basically, my heart just sank, I've spent so much money on this bathroom and want it to last and look good for at least 10 years - I don't think that's crazy for a bathroom. Does anyone have any idea what might have gone wrong? I'm afraid they will try to fob me off again. 

Would this be an issue with the tiles or with the tiler. Not sure if this is relevant but he was all over the place at the time. He was very erratic and stressed and he wasn't their usual guy as his parent had passed away. 

I'd be very grateful for advice before I pluck up the courage to ring them!!

awec

What construction are your walls? Block or plasterboard?

It could be any number of things. Bad tiles. Bad adhesive. Bad install. Wall movement.

chalicetree

The walls with the cracks are plasterboard. The existing bathroom had been tiled for at least 15 years, probably more and were perfect. Just got them redone as they were outdated and needed to put shower in instead of bath. Could having the bathroom redone have caused the walls to move maybe?

If that is the cause, I'm guessing that the bathroom company will say this is my own issue and not theirs so.

10-10-20

Can you photograph these tree-like cracks and also show another photo of the location of the specific tiles? That might help in understanding upon what substrate the defect is originating.

the_pen_turner

Who supplied the tiles

Who spec ed the tiles

Did they remove the old tiles

Did they remove the old plasterboard and reboard

chalicetree

I really appreciate this advice. It’s just so disheartening to see this happen after just a year. At the moment, it’s very slight – I’m not bothered by it other than being afraid it will get worse. The cracks are very hard to photograph but I've tried to show them and the locations. The tiles are white so it’s nearly a translucent grey colour. They really only show up when the tiles are wet or damp. Locations I've spotted:

• Above door
• At edge of shower tray
• Over the mirror

The bathroom company did also remove the old tiles and toilet etc.

In relation to where I got the tiles, I went to a showroom which is a well-known one and I picked out the wall and floor tiles from them using the coverage estimated by the bathroom company after their quote. All payment was to the bathroom company, not the tile showroom.  

chalicetree

"Did they remove the old plasterboard and reboard"

I know that the put new board on the floor but don't think they did with the walls. This is a picture of it while it was being done if that sheds any light.

10-10-20

They are hard to see in the images alright.

Just to comment on that tile on the entrance to the shower unit, that location is always going to have a high level of stress over time and the slightest bit of movement in the bed or on the knee-wall (I presume that's a wooden stud and not solid block?) is going to carry through the tile and crack it.

Was the same wall-tile was used at that location and not a floor-tile? If it was a wall-tile, then that might been one thing which I would have personally done differently - to have a thicker tile at that location.

Also, are you seeing any cracking on external walls at all or are only internal partition walls affected?

Other than that, I'm not seeing incriminating evidence here of an installer's failure. It might just be that this tile projects cracking much better than your previous tiles and this is then made more visible by the moisture which then changes the translucency under the glaze, and white colour of the tiles & lighting is then making the marks more noticeable.

the_pen_turner

i wouldnt worry about the internal corners. that just a bit of epansion and contraction. those corners should be siliconed to allow for the movement.

if you run your nail over the marks can you feel any cracks or lips. is there a line in the middle and a faded edge to it. if the surface has cracked moisture can get in behind and change the colour of the back part of the tile.

chalicetree

That makes sense. To be honest I'm just happy as long as they did everything they should have and it's not some major problem I should have spotted sooner. Thanks for the advice.