Hollow tiles are quite a common issue that you’d find in most new homes out there. The hollowness of a tile can be defined as a hollow sound that is produced when the same tile is tapped with the help of a specialised mallet. Such a problem showcases that instability of that tile, i.e. that specific tile is not laid correctly, and there’s a void space under that tile.
To help you understand more about hollow tiles, including its causes and effects, we are going to discuss the same in this article – with the help of a home inspector in Houma LA.
The Reasons Why Home Inspectors Find Hollow Tiles Inside New Houses
- Due to the application of inferior quality materials during the construction procedure, such as low-quality adhesive or mortar. The issue can also be caused when using low-quality tiles during the installation process.
- The quality of workmanship during the installation process was low, and there was a lack of supervision for the job as well. It should be realised that if the tile is not laid correctly by hand or the adhesive/mortar is not applied correctly; then, hollow tiles could occur.
- The sub-floor hasn’t been cleaned in the correct manner before the installation procedure for the tiles took place. The reason is that uniform adhesive bonding is highly necessary to ensure that the tiles stay in their place without moving around. If there is no uniformity in-between the tiling placement, then there will be void space underneath the tiles, which will ultimately lead to hollow tiles.
- When installing oversized or large tiles, extra caution should always be exercised. This is because if large tiles are not installed correctly, then chances are there will be hollow sound coming from underneath those tiles. Moreover, large tiles tend to move around quite a bit as well – the reason why using the ideal amount of adhesive or mortar is required. Sometimes, wooden inserts are also used to stabilise the large tiles.
- In case the flooring is directly exposed to the sunlight, then there could be possibilities that the adhesive or mortar has dried up. There could also be a plausibility that the tiles have expanded, and as a result, tiles are not settled correctly.
The After Effects Of Having A Hollow Tile Inside Your House
- The typical effect of such a hollow tile is that the tile could break easily over time. Even if the tile doesn’t break, it can still get cracked and thereby later onwards break.
- When a hollow tile breaks or cracks, then you’ll have no other option than to replace the same. In that case, you’ll end up with a tile that has a different pattern or shade compared to the earlier one.
