cracked grout

**py rookie** · 20-09-2011

my boss told me to go to a job today,when i got there she had a crack in the grout line in the bathroom floor,the floor has been down for bout 1 year,can some 1 tell me why the crack has appeared

thanks

**borgie** · 20-09-2011

hello, it could be a number of things. some more info would be good , like type of tile, adhesive, grout, what the tiles have been fixed to and most of all some photos. the more info you can give us the more chance we have of giving you a reason for the grout cracking

**Dontiler** · 20-09-2011

hello
most common problem is not suitable sub floor for tiling, but as above more info and picks would be appreciated.
Thank you

**timeless john** · 20-09-2011

So when you got there - what did you do?
Did you have any involvement with the original tiling and what did your boss say was the object of the visit when he sent you there.
Is it a installation on a wooden substrate?
The more details the better the intrigue.

**py rookie** · 21-09-2011

hi,i had no involvement with the original tiling,my boss told me to mix up little grout and go over the crack,i think it is a woodern substrate as i have took up one of the bathroom floors before on the same site.he used setaflex rapid and bal supaflex grey grout

**Rich** · 21-09-2011

Timber floor, lots of things that could have caused it most likely are:

- Tiled onto chipboard
- The timber boards have not been fixed down correctly

Is the crack just in the grout or does it run into the tiles as well. Either way, just filling the joint with grout will do nothing. The cracking will be a sure sign that the tiles are coming loose and the only way of sorting that is to take up the tiles, fix the floor and re tile.

**timeless john** · 21-09-2011

It sounds as though your boss has been involved in the original work on this site and is patching up to cover the unsuitable substrate preparation but then again he could be just repairing someone else's work.

doug boardley · 21-09-2011

sounds like a deflection issue imo. will just crack again unless it gets sorted.

**kilty55** · 21-09-2011

hi py rookie,is this anew build

if so no doubt tiled directly onto chipboard.....ripped so many of these out they only last 1 to 2 years and tiles start cracking