Hi guys/gals
Can anyone advise me on whether crema marfil tiles would be expected to crack along the veins, is this a well known problem?
the tiler reported tiles breaking as he removed them from the packaging? is this normal or a poor quality product?
any comments advice greatly appreciated.
Jason

It sounds like a defect. Ceramic tiles will craze, most ceramic things will, but when the craze becomes a crack I'd say that's a defect. I certainly wouldn't fit them untill the supplier has been informed.

Depending on how many came out of the box cracked would really tell you if it's damaged in transit or if it appears to be doing it on all the tiles no matter which box or where in the box they're breaking.

The veins are a natural flaw in the tiles and can break at this point...all depending upon the quality and grading of the tiles.....so you can expect the odd breakage but this has to be allowed into the measurement....

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi guys/gals
Can anyone advise me on whether crema marfil tiles would be expected to crack along the veins, is this a well known problem?
the tiler reported tiles breaking as he removed them from the packaging? is this normal or a poor quality product?
any comments advice greatly appreciated.
Jason

Which Crema Marfil tiles are they? Are they genuine Marble Crema Marfil or Ceramic Copies?

Kev

Hi,
Crema marfil tiles are quarried about 100K from Alicante in Spain. When first discovered these tiles were extremely strong. The mountains have been over quarried and the factories are now hessian backing the marble to give it some rigidity,The mountains that bare this marble are an ecological calamity and the Spanish authorities are banning further quarrying. The tiles are so soft that the natural veining that runs nearly completely through the tile now opens easily. In essence anything less than 15 or 20mm thick be very weary. If the tiles crack upon inspection they should be returned as unfit for purpose under the sales of goods act. Iran have produced a similar colour and veining in a marble that a reputable stone merchant (if you can find one) will show you. The tile factories are now producing such good look alikes to crema Marfil I would consider buying porcelain. Harder, no maintenance and generally cheaper.
The above is based on 30 years of selling marble and recently visiting the quarries where Rojo Alicante that comes from the same region is still a sellable product.
Hope this is helpfull.

Excellent post.