Help!: Advice please.....ceramic tiles, chipboard floor, cracked grout

[Here to learn!]

Really appreciate your time.....

I completed a 22sqm kitchen floor a few months ago, ceramic tiles on approx 1.5 inch thick chipboard. I used 2 part flexi adhesive and Bal super flex grout.

The grout in a couple of areas has cracked along several tiles and 2/3 of the tiles do have a bit of movement in the corners which i presume has caused the grout to crack. One of the tiles makes an occasional click sound when trood on.

I'm guessing the tiles with a bit of movement in the corners may not have had enough adhesive behind them...and after a bit of traffic has started moving.... causing the grout to progressively crack

I'm planning on lifting prob 2sqm of the tiles up, removing all adhesive, making sure the chipboard is sufficiently screwed down and carefully re-applying........

a) does this sound like where I went wrong

AND

b) has any one got any advice or recommendations.

Admittedly in hindsight a ply lining would of been beneficial but the chip board is thick. AND reading the back of the Bal Superflex it says suitable for low traffic areas...this is only a domestic kitchen - would i of needed something suitable for higher traffic? or a grout additive?

The chipboard has been down along time, is in good condition and previously had tiles on with no cracks.

Once again any advice or comments are very much appreciated. Thanks alot, Danny

[easyt]

Is it 2 thirds of the tiles have movement or is it 2 or 3 tiles?

[Here to learn!]

Its 2 or 3 of the tiles, definately not 2 thirds!!

[Phil Hobson]

Hi Danny, sorry but imo chipboard is not a suitable substrate for tiles. 15mm wbp ply, to take out any deflection, after bracing the joists with noggins, then a tile backer board ie hardie board or the like, glued and screwed. I know its not what you wanted to hear.

[Here to learn!]

Honesty is the best policy!

Frustrated because the previous tiles were fine for years with no ply and the kitchen is fully fitted so if i was to add ply and backer boards, by the time its tiled none of the white goods would fit under the worktops even with the adjustable legs!?

[garretridge]

sorry to tell you but very likely it will all start to come up over time as chipboard is not mechanically sound enough to tile on if it gets wet it will be like tiling on wetabix . you should have glued and screwed no more ply or backerboards down on the chipboard then you would have a stable surface to tile on and you never would have problems your adhesive choice and grout is fine just not the surface below i would lift and redo properly sorry for the bad news but its the only way to do it right!

[Stewart]

As above......... Tiling directly onto chipboard is a big no-no, and the floor will continue to fail.


Sent using Tapatalk.....

[easyt]

Whilst none of theses tilers would choose to tile on chipboard it is thick and might have even been well sealed. If it survived before it should work again in my view. I know little about the adhesive choice but I would not class a kitchen as lightly trafficked in a domestic sense. I would have said the kitchen gets the most foot traffic of any room in a house.

I have tiled on chipboard, in a kitchen-diner some 30 years ago for a friend. He moved out when the tiles had been down about 14 years. No problems. I wasn't to happy abour doing it, but the units were in place, he had bought the tiles nearly 12 months earlier and with threshold levels there was little practical choice. I remember that we sounded out the flooring with a hammer and took up an area in the dining section - think we put some extra supports and noggins in that area. Fitted additional screws and gave the floor 3 coats of varnish from a local shop that was closing down and selling off stock really cheap.

The really worrying thing though, for you, is that any tiles should be showing signs of failing so early. I suppose that, under the circumstances, you only have one sensible option. Replace the failing area and then suck it and see.

[Here to learn!]

Thanks for info gents, all much appreciated.