BCT Ceramic Wall Tiles in Shower Cracking After 12 Weeks - Tile Advice

[chris4275]

Crack that we think is along a seam

• chris4275
• Mar 25, 2018

Hi everyone:

I'm new here and was hoping you'd be able to help.

We recently redid our bathroom and (unfortunately) chose BCT. The tile in question is 10x16 Herson Cararrara, as seen here: Herston Ceramic Collection by British Ceramic » Otto Tile - http://www.ottotile.com/porcelain-collection/herston-ceramic-collection-british-ceramic/. (Note: we did not buy from this place, this is the only place I could find that shows the tile.)

We hired a licensed, insured, experienced GC (has 40+ yrs 0f exp). He has done many other apartments in our building, and is known and liked by everyone.

We completed the renovation in December 2017. Six weeks later, in Feb 2018, I started noticing small cracks in the wall tiles (both inside the shower and out). There was one that first showed up that went across two tiles, but another one that just appeared in the middle of a tile and looked like a crescent moon.

We spoke to the GC and agreed to keep an eye on things to see how bad the situation was. Now it's been 2 months and it's definitely getting worse. More cracks are appearing everywhere and the existing cracks are getting larger.

Some of the cracks appear 30" - 36" from the floor, some 40", some 60". The worst cracks seem to travel in almost a horizontal straight line, but not quite. But to be honest, there really are cracks all over: some go horizontal, some vertical, and no real pattern. The bathroom is small, 5x7'.

The GC is blaming faulty tile. The entire bathroom was ripped down to the studs, and green backer board on the wet wall and (I believe) tiles fixed straight to the non wet walls (no backer board). All four walls are tiled floor to ceiling. Because I am stupid, I do not have pictures of the work in progress (lesson learned).

Other relevant info:

• tiles are large format ceramic 10" x 16"
• tiling was done in the winter, and it's still cold here (March)
• GC has lots of experience, claims he's never seen this
• tile supplier says possibly faulty tile or install problem
• don't know the type of adhesive used to fix the tiles or the method
• some of the cracks seem to be where there is a underneath seam, some not
• building is a large brick building, built in 1960. We do have other settlement cracks in our living room wall.
• high floor (18)
• this is in NYC

Any advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Assuming this will all need to be redone and I will lose my mind.

Pictures attached below.

 

[Dumbo]

What do you mean by green backer board can you be more specific . Ie is it a purpose made tile backer board or is it green mdf ( medium density fibre board ) or green plaster board or something else .

 

[Bathfix Bob]

Are British Ceramic shipping overseas?
Sorry about that! The tiles are really poor quality and more or less not fit for purpose, using them has caused damage to my good reputation too.

 

[Simon Dale]

Cant be MDF

 

[Time's Ran Out]

There is a thread related to BCT tiles but in this instance I’d suspect fixer error in most places . The boards should have been taped jointed and movement in the substrate is causing the cracks.
These tiles are a very soft white clay biscuit and not really fit for purpose as suggested by others.

 

[jobdone]

How deep was the bed depth? Cheap/poor ceramics can be pulled apart by drying adhesive if the bed is over permitted depth especially if rapid set was used. I have seen it on a couple of occasions. Cracks all look like crazing to the glaze. Were any of the tiles applied over existing paint?

 

[chris4275]

Thanks for the responses so far. I really appreciate it. It helps me have a difficult conversation with the GC later this week.

Green backer board - new picture attached below. Not totally sure what it is or what it is called.

The tiles were all applied to different wall types, if that makes sense. One wall had that green board, another wall had drywall that had no paint or wallpaper, but was sanded/patched after the removal of the old tile, etc. All the walls, regardless of the type, are cracking.

No idea about the bed depth. Sorry.

 

[ttt tiling]

Bct tiles will crack with even the slightest movement , I always tape joints now , regardless of tiles due to having similar problems

 

[macten]

Definitely need to tape joints but I bet it's just from adhesive curing and shrinking, pulling on the tile and that's the result. In my opinion and experience BCT tiles are not fit for purpose and I refuse to install them.

 

[chris4275]

Few more details that I found out today. They were attached using a latex modified thinset that takes a couple of days to dry.

Considering we have to rip it all out and start over, who should pay for this? GC? Tile supplier? Not us?

Also, for the future, how do we know what a good tile is? Will using smaller tiles be easier/less likely to crack? Is porcelain better?

And thanks again to everyone who has answered.

 

[Bathfix Bob]

GC ..General contractor?

Unlikely his fault as its happened so many times before, the tile shop needs to know first and take it from there, everyone tries to blame the tiler.

 

[Time's Ran Out]

If he hasn’t taped the joints in any board then it is the tilers fault, but the tiles are rubbish quality if they can’t take this minimum stress.

 

[Bathfix Bob]

He will have taped the joins, where does it say he hasn't?
There tiles still crack over board joins even if solid and double tape/filled. As i said not fit for purpose.

 

[Tilergal]

I have to say that if the GC was experienced he wouldn't touch BCT tiles with a bargepole, I haven't had any truck with them since my rookie days. There would be movement if he hasn't taped the joints, but that much cracking in such a small amount of time points more to tiles unfit for use than lack of competence. I'd try to get the tile suppliers to refund or give you a better quality replacement.

 

[chris4275]

Thanks. But in his defense, this is in NYC and no one here has ever heard of BCT. I chose them thinking British made tiles would be top quality.