Kitchen and Bathroom Grout Cracking?
Question:I laid tile in the entryway, kitchen and bathroom of my house recently and the grout is cracking and staining bad. I can fix the staining, I forgot to put the resistant on it afterwards, but how can I prevent the cracking when I regrout? My floorboards are solid and level and I believe I used the correct mixture of water and grout. Is there an additive that I can apply afterwards to prevent cracking?
Answers:
Floor tiles?
On Floorboards?
If you didn't put down a screed or some form of level base on top of your floorboards then they will carry on cracking. The wood will expand/contract on a daily basis as the temperature of your home changes. You can buy flexible grout, but it isn't meant for the movements your floor will be making.
If the spaces are too large it might crack. If this is the case, mix sand in with the grout.
did you put mortar underneath the concrete boards? if no then that's why. the wood underneath is expanding and contracting, and so is the concrete boards, just the tile wants to expand and contract but is too strong so it gives at the weakest point(the grout lines)..9 times out of 10 (in humid areas) that's the main reason grout lines crack w/houses on a crawlspace. You have to cover the wood with the mortar(thinset) underneath the concrete boards just like you did underneath the ceramic tile.
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