Covering Installation Guide / Defects and malfunctions in wall and floor tilings / Detachments in wall tilings
Detachments in Wall Tilings
In the presentation, the negative consequences for the quality of ceramic tilings have already been remarked, brought about by the changes in the tile installation scenario. A change that began in the 1960s with the disappearance of professions and trades in the construction sector, and that was aggravated at the end of the twentieth century by the introduction of solutions and processes that in some cases ran counter to traditional tile installation with cement mortar and lime, and in others made this incompatible.
The stability of the substrates and surfaces on which ceramic tilings are installed greatly affects tiling durability and is the origin of most malfunctions in wall and floor tilings.
On the other hand, the adoption of the thin-bed tile installation technique, while solving some of the problems related to stability, has introduced new variables that also have had a negative effect on tile installation, especially when it is attempted to use this technique to compensate departures from planarity of the surfaces provided, or when materials are handled and applied without following the manufacturer’s instructions.
However, there is now a new scenario that will allow assurance of the quality of ceramic tiling finishes, based on the professional qualification of the tile fixers. This scenario has materialised with the specialisation of the adhesives and grouting materials for thin-bed fixing, now referenced in European standards (EN 12004 for adhesives, EN 13888 for grouts, and EN 12002 for the evaluation of the deformability of cementitious adhesives and grouts), as well as a better understanding of the tile installation technology of modular rigid coverings, adapted both to current construction processes and to functional requirements (waterproofing, insulation, etc.), in addition to new materials, including prefabricated components, compatible with ceramic coverings.
Adhesion failures in wall and floor tilings may be divided into two large groups, according to whether the surface involved in the defect or malfunction is small or affects a large area. This division is motivated by the fact that localised failures obey temporary changes in the characteristics of the materials, environmental conditions, or in the tile installation process (human failure); however, in large areas, a widespread malfunction or defect is a consequence of unforeseen behaviour in the fixing substrate or surface, an erroneous choice of bonding materials or tile installation technique, or, eventually, of a faulty tiling system design in regard to its inappropriateness for the environmental conditions and the conditions of use (performance) of the wall or floor tiling in its useful life.
However, it should be immediately clarified that this division of localised and general defects is valid only within a certain timeframe, because it is obvious that a localised detachment involving a few tiles and a small surface area may constitute the first expression of a widespread malfunction when the process that generates this has not yet ended (settling of structures, complete hydration of the cement agglomerates, service start-up of radiant heating, etc.).
It should also be noted that detachments in wall tilings and arching in floor tilings may obey superposed causes that are sometimes difficult to assign or whose quantitative contribution may be impossible to evaluate. Only visual inspection, sampling, and laboratory tests will later allow an accurate diagnosis to be made.
A simple classification follows of the assignment of the defect or malfunction, in relation to the appearance of the back of the detached tile and the fixing surface that becomes visible.
The stability of the substrates and surfaces on which ceramic tilings are installed greatly affects tiling durability and is the origin of most malfunctions in wall and floor tilings.
On the other hand, the adoption of the thin-bed tile installation technique, while solving some of the problems related to stability, has introduced new variables that also have had a negative effect on tile installation, especially when it is attempted to use this technique to compensate departures from planarity of the surfaces provided, or when materials are handled and applied without following the manufacturer’s instructions.
However, there is now a new scenario that will allow assurance of the quality of ceramic tiling finishes, based on the professional qualification of the tile fixers. This scenario has materialised with the specialisation of the adhesives and grouting materials for thin-bed fixing, now referenced in European standards (EN 12004 for adhesives, EN 13888 for grouts, and EN 12002 for the evaluation of the deformability of cementitious adhesives and grouts), as well as a better understanding of the tile installation technology of modular rigid coverings, adapted both to current construction processes and to functional requirements (waterproofing, insulation, etc.), in addition to new materials, including prefabricated components, compatible with ceramic coverings.
Adhesion failures in wall and floor tilings may be divided into two large groups, according to whether the surface involved in the defect or malfunction is small or affects a large area. This division is motivated by the fact that localised failures obey temporary changes in the characteristics of the materials, environmental conditions, or in the tile installation process (human failure); however, in large areas, a widespread malfunction or defect is a consequence of unforeseen behaviour in the fixing substrate or surface, an erroneous choice of bonding materials or tile installation technique, or, eventually, of a faulty tiling system design in regard to its inappropriateness for the environmental conditions and the conditions of use (performance) of the wall or floor tiling in its useful life.
However, it should be immediately clarified that this division of localised and general defects is valid only within a certain timeframe, because it is obvious that a localised detachment involving a few tiles and a small surface area may constitute the first expression of a widespread malfunction when the process that generates this has not yet ended (settling of structures, complete hydration of the cement agglomerates, service start-up of radiant heating, etc.).
It should also be noted that detachments in wall tilings and arching in floor tilings may obey superposed causes that are sometimes difficult to assign or whose quantitative contribution may be impossible to evaluate. Only visual inspection, sampling, and laboratory tests will later allow an accurate diagnosis to be made.
A simple classification follows of the assignment of the defect or malfunction, in relation to the appearance of the back of the detached tile and the fixing surface that becomes visible.
[1] Temperatures below 5ºC or above 35ºC, ambient dryness (R.H.<50%) or wind (v>40 km/h)
[2] Especially if frost/thaw cycles occur with continual presence of water and humidity
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