Wall tiles cracking in a line

[Ben]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post but I'm hoping for some advice.

About 2 months ago we had our bathroom redone and all was fine until last night when a line of 4 tiles spontaneously cracked over a period of 20 minutes while my son was having a bath. The line runs from the shower controls down to the bath edge.

Our plumber did complain about the quality of tiles as he managed to crack a couple while installing the radiator but he wasn't very careful in other areas so I'm not sure how much to trust his opinion. Anyway it seems very odd for a line to crack like this with no impact or anything.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what might have caused this? A couple of pics below.

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!

Thanks,
Ben

 

[WetSaw]

What's beneath the tiles? Any pictures of the preparation? Looks like it's cracked along a board joint.

 

[Qwerty]

My guess too

 

[Boggs]

I think it would be best to take one of the cracked tiles off and see what’s behind.

 

[Ben]

Thanks for your replies.

This is the only photo I can find which shows what is behind. The line of cracked tiles run directly down from the taps visible in the middle.

I've just noticed that the shower tap unit was not actually siliconed in so I guess some water may have got behind it... could this have had an impact?

Thanks.

 

[Qwerty]

Looks like it could be from movement across the channel where the water supply pipes run up to the mixer

 

[Blunt Tool]

Doesn’t look like the Wedi board joints have been taped and filled with their fibre tape. Always going to move no strength

 

[One Day]

Looks like it could be from movement across the channel where the water supply pipes run up to the mixer

Yup. I'll bet there's a lovely void with pipes in behind that crack...

 

[Stu Lilley]

As above and if your going to use a wall board use all the components required don’t leave out the tape

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your input! I'm trying to get the guy who installed them to come back and sort it rather than attempt a DIY job.

 

[WetSaw]

After only 2 months he should come and fix it.

 

[Wayne Brown]

Look at the plumbing under the bath its says it all they have placed a shower pump under the bath which is wrong I would say corners have been cut here resulting in a failure only remedy is remove that section of tiling and investigate the cause also look at the shower pump manufacturers installation manual it will shower your instal is incorrect and will eventually end in pump failure. Kop

 

[Pauly tiler]

From your first picture it looks like the crack is very slightly to the left of the shower valve, also in your "in progress" picture, there does not appear to be a board joint there. I would think that the existing wall is plasterboard and that the pipes were installed where the crack now is and the fitter did nothing to mitigate the weakness that was made when chasing for the pipes. Based on what can now be seen.

 

[Ben]

Hi guys, just thought I'd post an update. We took off the tiles that were cracked and can't find any underlying problems (pic attached). The wedi board doesn't have a join there, there is no hole, all seems to be fine as far as I can see.
So obviously the tiler is still blaming the tiles, the tile company are "looking into it", the plumber thinks the weight of the bath when full of water might have pulled them down and snapped them because they are such poor quality. All a bit of a mess!
I guess all we can do is replace the tiles at our own cost and hope that it doesn't happen again.

 

[J Sid]

see this when the studs are either to far apart or just to weak and someone leans/ falls against the wall to support themselves getting in and out bath

 

[Tile Shop]

Hi guys, just thought I'd post an update. We took off the tiles that were cracked and can't find any underlying problems (pic attached). The wedi board doesn't have a join there, there is no hole, all seems to be fine as far as I can see.
So obviously the tiler is still blaming the tiles, the tile company are "looking into it", the plumber thinks the weight of the bath when full of water might have pulled them down and snapped them because they are such poor quality. All a bit of a mess!
I guess all we can do is replace the tiles at our own cost and hope that it doesn't happen again.

View attachment 107326

If the bath was pulling it down and if the tiles are of such poor quality, ask yourself, why haven't any more lines of cracks appeared? It's isolated to a single vertical position. But if that was the case, more tiles would have been affected. I guess the bath is not one tile's width?

Also why is the Wedi in such bad condition? we can see the foam, the mesh and adhesive appearing to have gone through and in between both. Did you have an issue before where tiles got pulled off and replaced or is that the state of the board after one round of fixing and removing?

And following on from @JulianSidney 's comment above, How thick are the Wedi panels, how far apart are the studs, and where are the nearest studs in conjunction to where the crack appeared?

 

[Ben]

Not sure about the stud positions but the cracks all happened while someone was sitting in the bath, so unless there had been a lot of pressure applied previously that I don't know about I'd be surprised if it's just a weak wall.

That's the state of the Wedi after a single round of removal, should it be tougher than that? It seemed like the guy who's doing it is being careful chipping away at the tiles to take them out without damaging others...

 

[Tile Shop]

Sorry, just gone back to your first image. This is a masonry wall? so no studs? But weirdly the crack is dead centre of the board as well as being in line with the outer cut for the shower valve. Back to the drawing board.

As for the Wedi, I have seen tiles taken off it before but not seen it that bad before. I highly doubt the board will be faulty.

 

[Ben]

Oh yeah, clearly my brain isn't working here! Yes it's not a stud wall, pipes had to be chased in in the first place. And as you say, the cracks were bang in the middle of the board. I'm now chasing the tile company, perhaps they really are stupidly weak. Has anyone had any experience with Walls and Floors? The shop is in Putney but mostly seems to be online.

 

[Tile Shop]

Experience? about 21 years and 2 months. I'm at the head office in Kettering. (ignore the Irish flag, I'm connected through a cloud). Although not currently aware of this issue. Let me speak to a few people including Putney and I will get your order details, tile code and dig a bit deeper.

It is very unlikely to be the tiles, not just saying that because I work for them, but tiles don't break for no reason and it will take a lot of force for a tile to crack in the way it has, whether they are ceramic or porcelain. Especially not in a perfectly straight line like that.

Leave it with me.

 

[Boggs]

Hot water feed to shower is running where the tiles have cracked, I wonder if this has something to do with the problem.

 

[Tile Shop]

Wedi boards are insulating so would be surprised, but it is very odd that it is over where the pipe has been chased in.

 

[CJ]

How big a silicon gap was left on the bath.......looks mahoosive

 

[Bill]

Is it just me or does that wedi board look a bit strange where the tiles have been removed?

In some places the adhesive is behind the mesh - how can that be?

 

[Boggs]

Do you have any photos of before the walls were over boarded but with the shower installed?

Did the installer screw the Wedi boards to the wall as he tiled up the wall or are they only fixed with adhesive?

 

[Tony_C]

I highly doubt its the quality of tiles or bath pulling them down, that would surely only break tiles below and not above. Unless there was zero expansion gap for the silicone and even at that it would be the first row of tiles It has to be what is going on behind that Wedi, can't be a condicende its where the wall has been chased

 

[Boggs]

I agree, there are 4 pipes behind there, 2 feeding the shower and 2 to the outlets.

Probably a good 100mm plus chase that has just been overboarded, probably with 6mm Wedi, wall has been leant on getting in the bath and tiles have cracked.

 

[Dumbo]

If the tiles have bonded properly to the wedi board it's going to look like rubbish when the tiles have come of , their is nothing wrong with the wedi other than possibly installation or thickness

 

[TileBoom!]

Just wondered if there was any progress in finding a cause to this line of cracks? ...
Hope it’s positive

 

[Tile Shop]

The wedi is 6mm, which is fine on a masonry wall. Not sure how much of an issue that would cause over the chased pipes though. Unless they are protruding and pressing onto the back of the board? The images are with Wedi at the moment being investigated. No response from them as yet. But may also be of benefit for a site visit.