QUESTION

I installed 60x60 porcelain tiles floor and wall and started with floor first to line up with joints on wall tiles. When installing wall tiles the floor tiles were 59.5 so sent the wall tiles for water cuts to match the floor size. When receiving them back by the water cutting company the tiles were warped. Is there a reason this happened or is it just from the manufacturers?

ANSWER

ANSWER - I have heard others say that they think their porcelain tiles warped after they were manufactured and shipped from the manufacturer, but I have never seen any proof of it.

Some types of natural stone, some types of resin agglomerate stones, and some types of concrete tiles are known to be moisture sensitive and will warp when they are subjected to disproportionate wetting or drying.  Its kind of like a wet sponge on kitchen counter that curls up when it dries because the top side dried faster than the bottom side.

Porcelain tiles or other clay tiles are not known to be moisture sensitive.   I have never seen one warp after it was manufactured.  These tiles always are warped to some degree from manufacturing.  Our ANSI A137.1 standards allows all ceramic tiles to be warped to specific tolerances from their manufacturing process.

So if the porcelain tiles were warped when you got them back from the water jet cutting, then I would assume they were already warped when you gave them the tiles.