Why is my Tile Floor Squeaking?

QUESTION

I just had my floors re-tiled after there was a leak between my tub and plastic lining. My tub had to be replaced and the water was coming up through the tiles, so I replaced the floor. I saw the new wooden sub-floor and it was screwed down every 6 inches. But there were squeaks when you walked on it. They said it must be problems in my original construction of the joints. The tile is down and it squeaks in many places. Was this their fault ? Will this floor crack over time due to movement?

I wanted to add they grouted between the floor tile and the acrylic tub. It could be the tub making the loud creaks when I walk by. Should it have been caulked not grouted. The tub doesn’t creak when I step in.

ANSWER

Answer:   If I understand you correctly, the wood sub-floor was squeaking before you installed the tile over it.   That means that the plywood sheets were not solid and there were weak spots on them.  Screwing the floor down every 6 inches should have been good enough, but if the plywood has bad spots, then the plywood should have been removed and replaced with new plywood.

Or perhaps they did not leave the 1/8" gap between the sheets of the plywood as the standards require.  That could cause the edges of the sheets to bind up and squeak as the wood expands from absorbing moisture from humidity or whatever.

Typically squeaky floors are annoying, but the tile would not crack due to the squeaky floor.

The transition joint between the perimeter tile edge and the tub should be filled with an ASTM  C920 silicone or urethane sealant over a foam backer rod or tap; not a latex or acrylic sealant.  I doubt that this has anything to do with what is causing the squeak.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *