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Expert Answers
Why is my Tile Floor Squeaking?
QUESTION
My father just got a full bathroom renovation. Ceramic tiles were installed. During floor preparation of my father asked the contractor if he needed extra underlay. The contractor said no and bounced all over the bathroom floor to show that the floor was firm. There were no squeaks coming from the floor. The contractor proceeded to tile.Upon completion of job my father noticed a squeak under one of the tiles. The contractor insists its not this fault. The particular tile butts up to the tub/wall and the grout that is in between appears to have a crack in it already. This job is one week old. Can you tell me if the contractor did something wrong to cause this squeak? I would really appreciate your thoughts.
ANSWER
ANSWER - The fact that there is a squeak under the tile suggests that the wood underlayment subfloor is moving to some degree. I doubt that it is the tile assembly itself moving independent of the floor, but that would have to be verified. Normally this is avoided if when the wood subfloor underlayment is installed it is glued and screwed so there isn’t any movement or chance for there to be movement later if the floor is subjected to some degree of moisture.If the tile installer did not install the wood subfloor components, then he has no control in how it was installed. Apparently he did check the subfloor to some degree for deflection and squeaks. If the squeaky floor was present before the tile was installed, the installer could have put nails or screws in those spots to stabilize it. But if the squeak didn’t develop until after the tile was installed then it couldn’t have been avoided.
The floor is obviously moving to some degree as indicated by the cracked grout in the joints between the tub/wall and the tile. That joint should not have been filled with grout. There should be at least a 1/8” wide movement joint properly filled with an ASTM C920 silicone sealant, as we expect there to be movement and you don’t want to constrain the tile as it may move from temperature or moisture fluctuations. There should be movement joints at all restraining surfaces and other transitions, and every 20 to 25 feet within the field of tile.
28 thoughts on “Why is my Tile Floor Squeaking?”
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thank you for taking the time to respond to my query.
Just a clarification needed. You say “But if the squeak didn’t develop until after the tile was installed then it couldn’t have been avoided.”
Can you tell me how the squeak can develop right after the tile is installed? Is there something in the tiling process itself that can cause a squeak? Why couldn’t the squeak be avoided?
I am a little confused.
The only way to come up with a definitive answer on what caused the squeak, and whether it could have been avoided, is to perform a forensic inspection to look for the evidence that will support a conclusion.
I don’t know what installation methods or materials that were used or what is the configuration of this tile assembly. Although theoretically if the wood subfloor is subjected to moisture during or after the tile installation, wherever the wood subfloor isn’t fully restrained can warp. The warped section could create a condition that could cause that portion of the floor to squeak.
Dear Mr. Donato:
We recently had some porcelin tile installed in our kitchen. Looks beautiful but now there are very annoying creaks that didn’t exist beforehand. When you step on certain parts of the floor, there’s this squeaking noise (louder at some times than others) that seems to echo in the cabinet under the sink. We had the tile installers come back and they assured us that they had nailed in the wood underlay every 6″. Short of taking out the tile to try to fix this — which I really don’t want to have done — do you have any suggestions? I keep hoping we can fix the squeaking by doing something to the cabinet or possibly, going to the crawl space below and inserting those wooden thingees by the joists. Thank you for your consideration.
Chances are it is a creaking noise coming from the plywood sub-floor, and there isn’t much you can do about it. You could try to screw into the sub-floor from the bottom side in the crawl space, but you would have to be careful not to screw too long of screws that would affect the tile assembly.
The creaking noise could be coming from the tile itself. If the tile isn’t well bonded and is moving then it could make sounds. Tile floors that tent up will make a sound when you walk over the tiles. Although if this were the case I would expect to see cracked grout.
Hello All- That’s almost exactly what I was looking for; thanks Donato for some great insight. I’m in a similar situation but I don’t know for how long we had squeaky issue as I don’t use that bathroom that much and no one in the house complained about it before. It came up after a recent water leak caused by the overflowing bathtub. I got some professional help to dry everything out but they told me there’s still some moisture on the tile; not as bad as the day of water accident but it can’t be dried out any further.
Can you please tell us if we need to get that squeaky noise fixed ? i can live with that noise as long as it it doesn’t become worst overtime or cause a bigger damage down the road like development of mold etc. If you think we need to get it checked out then is there a cost efficient waynof doing it without ripping and replacing all tiles and moving bathroom vanity and toilet seat as it all adds up to the cost?
BJ, If the squeaky noise wasn’t there before the bathtub overflowed water onto the floor, and if the floor was flooded for a significant amount of time, and if the underlying substrate is a wood substrate, then the wood might have gotten wet that caused it to warp that caused the squeaky sound. If the tile is well bonded and there is no tile or grout cracking, then you probably don’t need to try to fix the squeaky floor. To fix the squeaky floor you would need to remove tiles where the squeak occurs to determine the underlying conditions, so you can determine how to stop the squeaky sound.
Thanks Mr. Pompo, that helps a lot.
Flood lasted for about 30 minutes.
I can see a crack about 6 inches long on the grout between bathtub & floor, however, I do not see any cracks on the tile or the grout between the tiles.
It’s definitely a wood subfloor but we got professional help to dry the floor; they cut the ceiling under the bathroom and dried it using big fans and dehumidifiers for 72 hours.
Is there a chance that the subfloor still might be wet after all the drying regimen?
Can you please also shed some light on any issues that may arise as a result of warped subfloor if we leave it unaddressed?
Thank You!
I would not expect the subfloor to be wet or warped if the tile floor was only subjected to 30 minutes of flooding considering the drying out that they performed.
If the wood subfloor warped it could cause tile grout cracking and could cause a squeaky condition.
I’m about to lay down a new floor on a 2nd floor apartment, and wondering whether a wood or tile floor would be better to combat the squeaks. There will be a new subfloor put over the current wood floor, and my contractor says he’ll make sure it’s nailed firmly in to prevent movement. I have some doubts since the squeaks are really loud, and wondering if tile or wood is recommended with such products, or whether it really just depends on how firmly the subfloor is installed? Thanks.
The key to preventing a squeaky floor is to make sure the wood sub-floor is firmly attached. Any sheets of plywood that are badly deteriorated should be replaced. Otherwise they can be screwed down wherever it may be making a squeaky sound.
When they put down the new wood -sub-floor it should be installed perpendicular to the existing sub-floor and each sheet should be staggered from each other. The sheets of plywood are suppose to have a 1/8″ gap for expansion and to prevent sheets from rubbing on each other. I would glue and screw the new plywood to the old.
Ceramic tile is less likely to have squeaks since it is a rigid material that will help stabilize the floor. But as long as the sub-floor is repaired and installed correctly either material should work.
I just had my bathroom renovated by a contractor. He installed the toilet and the tile on the floor with spacers (no grout before leaving for the day). The toilet leaked enough to soak up 6 big towels. I expressed concern that tile is probably wet. He didn’t seem concerned and had the tile grouted. Days later the floor is squeaking. Is it likely the squeaking is occurring because the tiles were wet underneath and he grouted them anyway? This is a 2nd floor bathroom. Should the tiling in that area be redone?
Normally water will not harm the tile or the underlying substrate if it is installed correctly. Water could have gotten to the plywood or OSB wood subfloor, but they are water resistant.
Normally when floors squeak it is because the underlying plywood floor is not attached properly or as well as it should be. Or if the plywood is old and has some deterioration it could cause a squeaky sound. The plywood sub-floor should have been checked prior to installing the tile to make sure it was stable and screwed tight.
My kitchen ceramic tile floor recently started making a squeaky noise. The tile has been there for years. Are then any quick fixes & if not what can we do to mend this before it becomes a big issue?
The squeaky floor may be annoying, but it might not lead to any damages to the tile. If the squeaky sound is coming from the wood sub-floor there isn’t anything you can do about it other than remove the tile and stabilize the wood sub floor.
If you get a clicking sound on your tile floor it could be due to the waterproof or crack isolation membrane allowing the tile to slightly move.
Hi. We had a porcelain floor installed three years ago. The hallway portion started to squeak about two years ago -worse in the winter. The grout in this area (5 feet x 4 feet) keeps cracking. I have access to the joists and sub floor from the basement. (Contractor was/is useless…many problems with him from the get-go). Help! Thank you.
Squeaky floors can be due to the plywood subfloor not being stable. Because your grout keeps cracking suggests there is excessive deflection on the floor that could be the cause or a contributing factor to the squeaky floor.
Since you can access the floor joists, I would install some bracing between the floor joist to stabilize it and see if that solves the problem.
We’ve recently moved into a new house, there is an extension on the property with an extension to the upstairs bathroom, the whole floor squeeks in places and is not level and has been tiled. Whats the best thing to do to stop the squeeks. Do we take up the tiles and see what’s going on, or can we put lino or something over the top?
The only way to come up with a definitive answer on what is causing the floor to squeak and to determine how to fix it, is to perform a forensic inspection to look for the evidence that will support a conclusion.
I don’t know what installation methods or materials that were used or what is the configuration of this tile assembly. Although theoretically if the wood subfloor is subjected to moisture during or after the tile installation, wherever the wood subfloor isn’t fully restrained can warp. The warped section could create a condition that could cause that portion of the floor to squeak.
If you can access under the floor, wood shims with glue will stabilize.
If the problem is where the subfloor attaches to the floor joists this could help, but if the problem is in the wood subfloor between the joist it won’t help.
Hello. Is a squeaking tile in danger of cracking? Is it an indication that the tiles are bubbling up?
Thank you for your insight.
If the tile is moving or the subfloor is moving, it is possible that eventually the tile could crack if it is subjected to excessive movement. Tiles don’t bubble up. If there is expansion within the tile and there are no movement joints at the perimeters constraining the tile and the tile isn’t bonded as well as it could be, then you could have tiles come loose and tent up.
Hello Donato – We recently had 12×24 porcelain tile installed in our kitchen and the contractor put 1/4″ Durock over a 1937 oak tongue-and-groove floor with a pine or hickory subfloor after tearing out a failed tile installation that came with the house. He used no thin set under the Durock and when he removed the tiles I asked him to fix, they came up easily and it looked like he only achieved around 40-60% adhesion and collapsed channels. The whole job is a mess, so I had a “Rock Star” NTCA-certified installer come and see if he could salvage the job and he suggested tearing it out because the underlayment is not adequate and actually suggested we go back to wood because it would be less expensive and quicker.
We’re following his advice and building a case against the contractor and we noticed that the floor squeaks in one area where it never squeaked before. We thought it was most likely an indication that the floor was not properly prepared so searched and found this informative thread. We’re having the floor torn up starting next week and wonder if there’s something in the squeak area we should look for or do you think it’s not related to the installation? Luckily, it hasn’t been grouted yet.
Thank you – Kevin
The tile installation should have had thinset under the Durock, not so much because it needs the added bond strength, but more because it helps level or flatten the floor.
The thinset contact should have been at least 80% with full contact at corners and edges of the tile.
The squeaky floor could be from the subfloor that wasn’t properly screwed in place prior to the Durock being installed. Or maybe because the Durock wasn’t properly screwed in place every 8 inches with the correct type of screws.
When you remove the existing tile just make sure the underlying subfloor is tightly attached without any movement.
Hi Donato,
My bathroom remodel just wrapped up today and I am making inspections when I found LOUD creaking from the tile floor between the toilet and tub. I am 90% certain that it is from the wood subfloor, because I needed part of the original subfloor to be replaced due to old water damage. The new subfloor was installed in three pieces, and before tile installation it was already found that one seam was so wide that the two adjacent pieces bounced up and down. That was fixed with metal plates prior to the tiles being set. The other seam seemed solid enough and did not move so no reinforcements were made. Today the plumbers came and installed the toilet and after installation, the tile floor next to it is creaking loudly, right where the seam of the subfloor that is not reinfoced sits. In fact, this seam directly bisects the base of the toilet…. This is an upstairs bathroom, and our kitchen is beneath. The project manager is coming to check this issue out, and I would like to ask what solution would be in my best interest?? I want to make sure that this is a job well done, and don’t want to be blown off by any quick fixes that would create a bigger damages down the line. Since I don’t know anything about construction, could you suggest me solutions that I should agree to should my contractor propose them? Thank you so much!
The wood subfloor should have been a tongue and groove so they interlock. It is suppose to maintain about a 1/8 gap at the board joints. The boards should be nailed and glued to the floor joists. The wood subfloor boards should have been staggered from each other to reduce potential movement. The subfloor can’t have more than L/360 deflection for ceramic tile and not more than L/720 for natural stone. This applies to both along the floor joists as well as between floor joints.
The squeaky floor is likely due to the unstable wood subfloor for one or more reasons. You can remove tiles if you have more of the same batch to do repairs, but it depends on what is the overall assembly. I don’t think adding bracing to the floor joists would help if you had access from the ceiling below.
Hi Donato,
We had a new shower installed in our bathroom and now there is squeaking under the floor tiles near the bathroom entrance in particular. A tile saw was used in the bathroom during the shower bathroom (lots of vibration). Could this be the cause of the creaking/squeaking, which did not exist before? Or is it because of drier air, and less humidity, in the bathroom during the shower Reno?
Normally if a tile assembly is installed over a plywood subfloor and at some point it squeaks this suggests that the wood underlayment subfloor is moving to some degree. If when the last floor tile was installed there could have been degraded plywood that wasn’t stabilized. Or if this was an original installation maybe the installer did not fasten the plywood properly to the floor joists. Or maybe if there was a leak at one time in the bathroom floor the plywood has degraded causing the leak.
Or maybe the floor has too much deflection and maybe the tile isn’t bonded as well as it should be.
It is unlikely that the vibration of the saw or less humidity has caused it. The only way to know for sure is to remove some tiles in that area and forensically evaluate the underlying conditions to look for the source of the squeak and what may have caused it. Once you know that, then you can determine how best to remediate the problem.