Many people want a tile floor for their kitchen, but there is always a chance of damage due to many reasons.
Kitchen floor tiles vary in shape and color, but you have to select the perfect ceramic material that will embellish your flooring.
The damaged floor looks unattractive and decreases the value of your home if you go to sell it or offer it for rent.
Why Do Kitchen Floor Tiles Crack? Kitchen floor tiles can crack due to poor quality tiles, wear and tear, extreme temperature variations, problematic joists, and absence of expansion joints. A non-professional constructor does not install the tiles with care as there remain some gaps and crevices in for binding agent that does not allow complete fixing. In addition, any harsh blow by the drop of abject and heavy appliances present in the kitchen can create cracks on the surface of the tiles. The concrete and plywood substrates are the most affected subfloors because the already cracked subfloors automatically bring the cracking to the layer.
Whenever you see any crack line in the flooring, try to find its reason immediately and make sure to fix it appropriately.
My friend had to face a similar situation in different places, in his home, but his kitchen was greatly affected by this problem.
There are many causes of the damaged flooring, but few are more likely the reasons behind this issue.
Poor quality tiles
Many hot selling brands offer inferior quality products in the market that can create a drastic situation at your place.
You should select good quality products for your kitchen because it reflects your taste, choice, and your whole personality.
Ceramic kitchen floor tiles are most suitable because they have a range of colors and shapes, so a person finds them easy to install.
Rectangular shape large floor tiles are perfect for flooring, but you can also use bathroom tiles if you have them in excess.
The poor quality products can cause a problem for yourself as you have to replace them with new ones demanding more money.
There is a chance of complete displacement from its position, but cracks are more significant.
You have to make sure to use durable and long-lasting material requiring less maintenance.
Be aware of the so-called brands and make a proper visit to check the quality of the products you want to have at your place.
Porcelain and ceramic tiles are perfect for your kitchen but demand proper installation to work.
Faulty installation
The proper installation of the kitchen floor tiles is necessary for optimal performance, and otherwise, there may be a lot of issues that are not easy to handle.
The adhesive material is suitable for sufficient fixing with the floor, and this material should cover the whole base of the product.
Any gap and cavity can lead to the faulty adjustment of the tile with the surface, bringing an uneven flooring.
These gaps create weak places that eventually affect the integrity of the tiles, and cracks start to appear on the surface.
The adhesive material should have flexibility in working that can permit it to move between the lower surface and the above kitchen tiles.
Do not use grout and cement for this adjustment because this material makes the settings rigid and vulnerable to cracks.
You have to use a perfect adhesive material with the flexibility to move and apply it to the whole surface for sufficient adhesion.
Keep an eye on the workers during the installation process because sometimes they are reluctant to work appropriately.
Make sure that you are using a durable product significantly because you cannot go with less in this situation.
Damage due to impact
Sometimes, there are situations when a crack appears on the title by just a simple fall of the cooker on the floor.
The intensity and the angle with which the object falls can create an awful situation.
This type of damage is most often in the homes where children are there as they frequently fall the items while visiting the kitchen.
The sliding of chairs and tables, again and again, can bring the hairline cracks on the surface, making it non-attractive.
There are many other heavy items whose fall may be problematic for the floor and yourself because repairing may require more money.
The ceramic kitchen tiles are strong enough to bear these falls, but any harsh blow by the heavy object can affect them.
Cracks are also visible by harsh blows if the tiles are of inferior quality and there is an improper installation process due to the negligence of the constructors.
You have to be careful in performing the cooking tasks and restrict the children to outside the kitchen.
Heavy kitchen appliances
Many electronic appliances in the kitchen help perform routine tasks and keep the food.
Some tiles are more prone to crack by heavy-weighted objects, while few can easily bear the home appliances.
Some people go with the same tiles for flooring and walls, and they are not aware that wall tiles are not suitable to bear the weight.
The better quality products easily withstand the 240 pounds per square inch, but there are fewer chances of damage by the fridge exerting 80 pounds per square inch pressure.
The damage by the appliances is less frequent, but you can have the worst situation if the floor tiles are not of good material.
Slide heavy appliances off with care, and you can lift them from one place to another to change their positions.
Issues related to subfloor
The subfloor provides a surface to install the tiles, and you must know that you cannot install them directly without any substrate below.
As a result of the control joints in the subfloor, the material can expand and move during extreme weather conditions.
These joints help allow the straight line cracking in the concrete surface but do not install the tiles on these joints.
A non-professional constructor is a reason behind the damage because his not knowing about these joints is the root of the problem.
You can notice this if the damage is in more than one place because the issue is with the foundation lining.
A professional builder can help you with this problem by adjusting to the presence of control joints.
Problematic installment of Joists
These are beam-like rods that are present below the ground, and it is the last layer supporting the concrete, tiles, appliances, and people above.
If these joists are present at a distance from each other, then the tiles do not have any support to withstand the weight.
This non-supporting condition allows the ceramic material to bend, and eventually, cracks start to appear on the surface.
You have to make sure that these joists are at proper distance so that a tile floor can come above them, and for this purpose, contact the contractor.
Give him the instructions for evenly spaced joists for the subfloor and especially for the wooden floors.
Moisture and extreme temperatures
The tiles are porous material with the ability to absorb moisture and undergo some structural changes due to the environment.
The kitchen is one of the damp places in the home involving frequent use of water for cooking and washing.
Because of the non-appropriate filling between the tiles, water can enter and break the bond with the bottom surface, causing these to move from their original position.
Extreme temperatures such as too cold and too hot can expand and contract the sub-layers, leading to cracks in the kitchen tiles.
The usual weather changes are not harmful to the flooring.
Cracked substrate
The most suitable subfloor consists of concrete and wood because they provide a strong enough foundation for your home.
The concrete is more prone to expansion, and therefore control joints are left in it for movement in a regular manner.
Still, there are visible cracks on the surface, and the installation of kitchen floor tiles over this damaged surface will automatically harm this other tile layering.
You have to inspect for the even and strong substrate offering nothing to damage the above flooring.
The defective substrate is responsible for the cracks located at multiple positions.
You can install a flexible membrane between these two layers of two different materials.
Absence of expansion joints
These are the left-out space between the successive tiles allowing them to move during shifting.
These spaces help absorb the pressure during the movement during the expansion and contraction of tiles.
These joints have the adhesive material for sufficient adhesion, but thin joints are not appropriate to absorb the pressure leading to the cracks.
How can you repair cracked floor tiles in the kitchen?
It is not a difficult task to repair the damaged kitchen floor tiles as by knowing the cause and nature of the cracks, you can easily find the solution.
It is easier to handle minor cracks because most of the hairlines are not visible.
Apply a dirt cleaning material to make it clean, and then treat it with binding glue like an epoxy by allowing it to enter the gaps and crevices.
After drying, remove the extra glue and apply a coat of paint that should be the same color as the tile.
The big cracks are difficult to handle, and there seems not an easy solution to repair them without replacing the whole tile.
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