Help Me Why's this tile got damp? - TilersForums.co.uk | Tile Forums

jmp78 · 03-08-2008

Hi,

Hoping to get a bit of feed back from those who may have seen this problem before. Just completed tiling my bath/shower area and after this first shower noticed that one tile has got damp (see photo attached). Now then, just one entire tile has darkened down, so I know water has got in, but my question is why and how?

If the grout was not good/failed, why haven't the other tiles around it darkened or show any sign if the water getting in to them? If it was a bad batch of tiles, why hasn't it happened to others? My guess at the moment is that this one tile has a bad glaze on the front and this is how water has got in? Has anyone seen happen to just one tile before?

Specs of the install are as follows:

Tanked with a Dunlop tanking system. Allowed one week to dry.
BAL GRIP adhesive, flat bedded. Allowed one week to dry.
Tile is a ceramic, Piamonte Beige from Topps. 3mm spacings between.
Grout is a BAL microflex. Allowed two weeks to dry.

So where do I go next, allow to dry out and seal the grout/tile or remove the tile and replace?

Thanks in advance.

**365drills** · 03-08-2008

I couldnt see which one it was in the pic?

jmp78 · 03-08-2008

Hi,

It's the full tile in the the center of the photo, doesn't show too well to be honest.

**Dave** · 03-08-2008

It's unusual that just one tile has wet up....this can happen when water soaks into the tiles biscuit after prolonged wetting/showering.....some tiles have little or no glaze at the edges and thats where water can soak in if the edge is slightly exposed...by this i mean grout isn't flush to the face.

jmp78 · 03-08-2008

Thanks,

There's no exposed edges, I've checked it all over. Any suggestions on how to resolve this one? Really disappointing that its jus one, I think I'd feel better if it had happened to several, at least I could blame something for it. Like you say its very unusual that just one has gone like this and all the other around it are fine.

**Dave** · 03-08-2008

you could try removing the tile and see how much wetting has happened.....but you might have to re-do some tanking if it damages it...re-tile and try again.....

Or you could leave it to dry and use a grout sealer......

Does the tile it's self have any different feel to the face of it from the others..?..it might well be a faulty tile but it's hard to say by just looking at that photo...

jmp78 · 03-08-2008

Doesn't feel or look any different, but then again it could microscopic and beyond sight or touch. I think my best course of action here might be to allow it to dry out, which could be a fair while being as its tanked, seal the grout (any recommended products?) and then take another shower to see if it happens again. A least that would give me an answer as to where the fault lies?

**grumpygrouter** · 03-08-2008

To be honest, it doesn't look like a damp tile to me. It appears just to have a darker shade to the rest. I would have thought if it was damp, the appearance would not look so consistant.

Can you wait for a few days to see if it "dries out" and then take another photo?

woodie · 03-08-2008

Are you sure it wasn't like that before you used the shower, it could well be a tile with a slightly different shade which was not noticed previously i've seen similar in the past

jmp78 · 03-08-2008

I'm 100% sure it wasn't that shade before, definitely darkened down after getting water on it. The photo doesn't show it too well, I've tried to take a couple of photos but it doesn't seem to do it just it justice. I'll see if it drys out / lightens up over the next few days... That's all I can do, but really annoying as its the thing I focus on every time a walk in the bathroom now!

Grace'sDad · 03-08-2008

Almost certainly a dodgy glaze on the tile. (IMO!)

Captain Slow · 03-08-2008

Weird, does the tile feel damp or soft at all?
If it dries out as per your prediction you could try sealing with sealguard. This will provide a water resistant coating that does not change the appearance of the tile surface. IMO it's great for ceramics, porcelain and grout but rubbish for natural stone.

Make sure that the tile is securely fixed beforehand though, there's no point in sealing a tile that can potentially fall off the wall.