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Ceramic and Porcelain Tile Expert Answers installation Installation Products - Adhesives Showers Wet Areas
Can excessive Steam and Condensation in a Shower caused damage to the Ceramic tiles?
QUESTION
Last week my tenants forgot turn the hot shower tap off. The hot water lasted for seven hours. When we came back the bathroom is very hot and there is a lot of steam on the tiles and ceiling. I wonder if this will damage the tile, like make tiles loose. Thank you.ANSWER
ANSWER - If the ceramic tile was installed correctly over a suitable substrate for a shower application then it will not be harmed from being subjected to prolong hot water, steam, and condensation.Ceramic tile is often used in steam showers and underwater in swimming pools and fountains. As long as the tile was adhered to a substrate that is suitable for those conditions and that they used the appropriate adhesives and installation methods, then the tile should not be harmed.
2 thoughts on “Can excessive Steam and Condensation in a Shower caused damage to the Ceramic tiles?”
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i saw a beautiful tile for my shower floor. however, it’s porous and not rated for a shower floor. if i seal the tile, do you think i will be ok installing it????? The actual tile is Silver Crescent 12-in x 12-in Honed Natural Stone Travertine Versailles Stone Look Wall Tile (1-sq. ft/ Piece)
It depends on why they said the tile is not suitable for a shower floor?
It might be because a 12×12 inch tile might be too slippery for a shower floor even if it has a honed surface. Often a small mosaic tile is used on shower floors because the grout joints help make the floor more slip resistant.
Travertine tiles are low absorbing and often cut in to 2×2-inch pieces and used on shower floors.
Using the larger size stone might cause a problem for slip resistance depending on what it tests at. The standards say shower floor tiles should have a minimum Dynamic Coefficient of Friction of 0.42 per ANSI A326.3 test protocol.
Keep in mind that typically the more texture a tile has the more slip resistant it has, but the more maintenance is required for maintaining it. Too much texture can actually contribute to slipping. All natural stone will require more maintenance and should be sealed and resealed regularly.