Help!: Why's this tile got damp?

[jmp78]

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]

I couldnt see which one it was in the pic?

[jmp78]

Hi,

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

[Dave]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Daz]

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.

[frogeye]

H Jmp78

I posted a thread on this very same problem some months ago, so I can speak with some experience.
My tiles were from the Laura Ashley collection (wife's selection). I had tanked walls etc and used Bal adhesive and grout. I left it the full 2 weeks + before using the shower and all the tiles were of the same colour and shade - they only did white and cream.
The bottom 5 tiles (all cut into the bath) , plus another full tile half way up the wall gradually turned a darker colour - now almost blue. I tried what has been suggested - let it dry re grout and seal - it doesn't work!
I feel that the only alternative is to cut the tiles out and replace. I agree with the comment that it must be because the glaze is either defective or more possibly the glaze doesn't fully cover the edges that are left after grouting.
So don't waste your time letting it dry to re grout and seal ( I used a popular spray advertised on this site and it didn't work. Bite the bullet and replace, that's what I will be doing soon.

I was considering treating the biscuit of the new tiles with sealer to try to give me some protection against it happening again - anyone have thoughts on this?

frogeye ex tiler

[DEtileD]

Is most probably a glaze problem as people have already said. The Products used are all great, Dunlop not my favorite tanking system but will do the job when installed. I have had experience with that tile and know that in every 40-50 boxes you do get a few naff ones.
I'd cut out and start again. Hopefully your tanking system will hold up.

[fitzer]

tile looks a different shade - your grout joints look very well sealed - hard to see how water can get in there - especially if the shower head is not pointing directly on that wall - this happened to me before - when the tile shop had made up a box of tiles - after someone had previously taken samples out of box - only noticed the difference when tiling was finished and polished up - I know its only one tile but its happened to me with 3 before in a bathroom - nice bit of tiling tho

[jmp78]

Thanks to all that have replied to this problem. On reflection and seeing the experiences of others through this thread, perhaps it probably is a darker shade tile, there doesn't seem to be any alteration in its appearance over the past 4-5 days and looking at it closely it does seem to differ from those around it. If fact looking back through some photos taken whilst I was doing it, it can been seen although not so apparent whilst covered in haze, without the grout lines and shading in that area of the wall. (see attached, first row second tile up)

I guess I should be thankful its not water getting in! So do I replace it or leave it. That's my dilema now......... I assume the best way to replace would be rake out the grout around that tile, dril a hole in the center and break from there? My only worry is getting a good finish like it has now and no doubt I'll have to patch up the tanking if I do.

Or just leave it and forget about it over time..... I'm going to seal the grout with some of that Aquamix grout sealer for good measure!

[Dave]

YEP!! you are right ..looking at that pic........deffo a rogue shade tile.........if it annoys you that much change it..if not then leave it be...........