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Expert Answers
QUESTION
Why is the marble floor in my shower keeps buckling up? I have a project that is 3 years old in Truckee Ca. The flooring in the showers is made of 2x2 Mable tiles. The tile continue to heave and buckle. I would like to understand why the tile in the showers continues to have this problem when the same tile in non wet areas is stable?ANSWER
ANSWER - Not all stone have the same physical properties, and they will behave differently under various conditions relative to their physical properties. Even a stone with the same geological classification (such as travertine or limestone or marble) will have different physical properties and appearances depending on which quarry it is extracted from or depending on which part of the same quarry it is extracted from.So we don't know what the physical properties are of your stone without testing it. You say it is a marble, but there are limestone that can take a polish that are sold as a marble. Generally marbles are very dense, but they still have some degree of absorption.
All stones have some degree of porosity or absorption and they will expand to some degree when subjected to moisture. Then it will contract as it dries. That is why it is important that the grout joints of the stone are at a minimum 1/16" wide and preferably 1/8" wide. Plus that is why you need to have movement joints at the perimeter of the floor and at all transition areas of the stone floor. A movement joint should be at least 1/8" wide and should be filled with an ASTM C920 sealant such as a pure silicone sealant or a urethane sealant. It should be designed and installed per Tile Council of North America (TCNA) Handbook detail EJ171. Latex or acrylic sealants don't meet the industry requirements and they don't work well or last long.
Buckling tile is normally due to lack of movement joints, too tight of grout joints, and the bond of the tile to the substrate might not be as strong as it should either due to how it was adhered or due to the condition of the substrate. I assume you might have one or more of these conditions that have caused the marble to buckle. Also if the weep holes of the drain are plugged that could contribute to the problem because it is resulting in the stone being subjected to a continuous moisture condition.
