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Gluehstrumpf210 Aug 2025 11:30Hello everyone, I joined this forum because I am facing a puzzle. Maybe someone here knows what it could be?
A few days ago, I heard a loud cracking and rattling noise, similar to a large wooden fire. The cause was the tiles, which had warped up to 3cm (1.2 inches) due to high compressive stresses. The installation was done 36 years ago, there is no water, and the cement screed is completely dry and still perfectly level. What could be the cause?
Wishing you all a nice summer weekend.
Gluehstrumpf2
A few days ago, I heard a loud cracking and rattling noise, similar to a large wooden fire. The cause was the tiles, which had warped up to 3cm (1.2 inches) due to high compressive stresses. The installation was done 36 years ago, there is no water, and the cement screed is completely dry and still perfectly level. What could be the cause?
Wishing you all a nice summer weekend.
Gluehstrumpf2
Gluehstrumpf2 schrieb:
What could be the cause? You just said it yourself: the compressive stresses. How much pressure do you currently have in the tile-free shower cabin? Please show a photo of the wall including the extent of the damage.Hi Gluehstrumpf,
from your description, it stands out that the screed reportedly remained level. Tiles rarely crack like this without external influence. Sometimes, years-old coverings simply become overloaded due to gradual material fatigue, but also because of omitted movement joints or thermal stresses. It would be interesting to know if similar issues appear in other adjacent rooms with less natural light.
Good luck!
from your description, it stands out that the screed reportedly remained level. Tiles rarely crack like this without external influence. Sometimes, years-old coverings simply become overloaded due to gradual material fatigue, but also because of omitted movement joints or thermal stresses. It would be interesting to know if similar issues appear in other adjacent rooms with less natural light.
Good luck!
This strongly suggests so-called tenting in the tiles, caused by stresses that have built up over years. Common causes include missing or hardened expansion joints, tiles fully confined between baseboards/walls, or grout that does not allow movement. With temperature and humidity fluctuations, the surface expands slightly but cannot relax; eventually, this tension is suddenly released, causing the tiles to warp. Adhesives and grout can also lose their elasticity over time, which amplifies the effect.
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wiltshire11 Aug 2025 11:15Gluehstrumpf2 schrieb:
What could be the cause?Without claiming to be complete:Possibility 1: Moisture has penetrated behind the tiles, the substrate is absorbent and swells (e.g., drywall). Moisture in the wall could also lead to corrosion (e.g., metal studs / reinforced concrete). Something like this can be caused by a leaking joint.
Possibility 2: The tile adhesive and expansion joints can no longer compensate for movements in the building (substrate, thermal movement of materials expanding differently). Eventually, like in an earthquake, a small difference leads to a release of stress. Then it cracks.
In any case, I would take a closer look at the wall behind and consider removing the tiles.
The cause of the detachment, after many years of use, is most likely due to the drying out of the substrate.
By the way, we observe the same phenomenon not only with screeds but also with concrete floor slabs that were installed in commercial areas.
I am familiar with this type of damage from my professional experience.
The substrate contracts, even if only a few millimeters per meter, and the tensile stresses are initially absorbed by the bonding layer (the tile adhesive), but eventually, this becomes insufficient.
Due to the shortening of the substrate at the back, the tiles that detach push against or overlap each other.
This type of damage has nothing to do with moisture or similar causes.
In fact, moisture causes swelling and therefore expansion, even in mineral-based building materials.
If the damage were caused by moisture, as some suggest, the substrate would slightly lengthen, but the tiles could not push over one another.
This is a clear indication that the substrate has contracted due to drying!
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Best regards to all: KlaRa
By the way, we observe the same phenomenon not only with screeds but also with concrete floor slabs that were installed in commercial areas.
I am familiar with this type of damage from my professional experience.
The substrate contracts, even if only a few millimeters per meter, and the tensile stresses are initially absorbed by the bonding layer (the tile adhesive), but eventually, this becomes insufficient.
Due to the shortening of the substrate at the back, the tiles that detach push against or overlap each other.
This type of damage has nothing to do with moisture or similar causes.
In fact, moisture causes swelling and therefore expansion, even in mineral-based building materials.
If the damage were caused by moisture, as some suggest, the substrate would slightly lengthen, but the tiles could not push over one another.
This is a clear indication that the substrate has contracted due to drying!
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Best regards to all: KlaRa
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