QUESTION

I had my ceramic tile floor installed about 12 years ago. Unfortunately, I had cracks on 4 tiles due to my dropping things on the floor. The handyman that I used went with me to Home Depot to buy the necessary supplies. He chose VersaBond-LFT which clearly Professional Large Tile Format Tile Mortar. My tiles measure 12" x 24" and my subfloor is plywood. After installing the tiles we noticed that when you walked on those tiles only the tiles made a squishy noise.

My question is was the installation done properly? - the original tiles were all removed and no debris remained underneath!

Will this squissy noise disappear in time? The tiles do not feel like they are moving or shifting!

This handyman is like a friend to our family and I don't want to make a big deal of this!

I would greatly appreciate your opinion and recommendations if any.

ANSWER

ANSWER - I am assuming that the tile was adhered directly to the plywood subfloor.

he VersaBond LFT thin-set does meet ANSI A118.11 for bonding to exterior grade plywood substrates.

If the tile feels solid, and the grout around it isn't cracked, and tile tile doesn't move when you walk on it, then we will assume it is adequately bonded to the plywood subfloor.

Chances are the plywood where the tile was installed may be unstable or internally loose.  Maybe when the cracked tiles were removed it caused the plywood to become unstable for one reason or another.  Thus when you walk on the tile it will make what we call a squeaky sound.

Normally in new tile installations the installer will add extra nails or screws in the plywood wherever it might appear to move or be unstable in order to prevent a squeaky floor.   If that in fact is your problem, then you need to remove the tile and inspect the plywood.  If it looks unstable then you have to add some appropriate screws or nails to stabilize it.