Expert Answers in failures

ANSWER - Normally when grout is soft and flakes it is because the grout was mixed with too much water and/or they used too much water during the the cleanup stage when grouting.  The excess…

ANSWER - There are many potential reasons why a tile would debond.  Generally speaking the failure is never due to a single deficiency, but rather due to several compounding deficiencies. When you say a Portland…

ANSWER - Indent fracturing in natural stone is due to some sort of shrinkage.  It could be excessively thick thin-set and/or too wet and rich mortar.  Also it could be due to the kind of underlying…

ANSWER - It is possible to install tile over tile if the existing tile is in good condition.  If the existing tile is cracked then the new tile installed over it will crack.   In order…

ANSWER - Grout can crack for a varied of reasons, and it might be because of a combination of different deficiencies. First of all, not manufacturer of grout would recommend mixing non-sanded grout with sanded…

ANSWER - Normally it isn't the cold that leads to a tile tenting, it is the higher temperatures or moisture that causes expansion in tiles that can lead to tile tenting if the tile wasn't…

ANSWER - We have seen this condition in marble before.  They are referred to as indent fracturing or stress fracturing veins.

You said that the veins went all the way through the stone, the…

ANSWER - If water from your shower is leaking into a crawl space the problem is not the cementitious grout joints.  There has to be an underlying problem with the shower pan's waterproof membrane.  It…

ANSWER - The first question is why did the tiles come loose?  If installed correctly tiles should not come loose.  Once you remove the tiles to repair you can evaluate the conditions underneath to help…

ANSWER - First of all if it was installed correctly you wouldn’t have a problem.  To fully figure it out I would have to perform a forensic intrusive inspection, which probably isn’t practical for a…