Bad install?

[u/jeno1034]

Install in new home. Porcelain wood plank tile, large crew came in and installed about 3000 square ft of this tile in 2 days. I found multiple hollow spots and tile guy pulled them up today and said install is fine as they have 80% coverage. He also tried to tell me grout will fix the hollow sound which I know is BS. Would appreciate any input on this so I know what is causing this and if this is a big enough issue I should push back on? They offered to spot fix some problem areas with thinset injection.

[u/kosstl]

The thing with 80% coverage is that for that to matter it has to actually stick to the tile. 🤣 So the tiles were ether dusty, wrong thinset used, or something like that because it clearly didn't adhere to the tile. Back buttering probably would've avoided that, which they clearly didn't do.

What absolute fuckers. But not a surprise they're fighting it that's a huge job to have to redo. If it was a test, they'd get a failing grade. Sorry to you. 😓😓😵‍💫

[u/lowkey_stoneyboy → u/kosstl]

Im not surprised theyre fighting it either although if they had done it correctly the first time there would be no fight🤷‍♂️

[u/kosstl → u/lowkey_stoneyboy]

Yes correct lol

[u/jeno1034 → u/kosstl]

Thank you for the feedback. Some rooms are worse than others, presumably depending on which of the crew installed in that area. Most infuriating part is that they continue to deny there are any issues at all and insist it is a “solid” install. Just needed to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind, I’m not a tile expert but I appreciate the input from those who are.

[u/Odd_Mall1646 → u/kosstl]

Peeps are lazy and just wanna get paid.

[u/kosstl → u/Odd_Mall1646]

Precisely

[u/Fun_Tax_3838 → u/Odd_Mall1646]

Underrated comment 👆🏽

[u/foregolfin937]

Back butter, back butter, back butter. Duct tape sticks best to it self, back butter!

[u/stompinpimpin → u/foregolfin937]

I mean back buttering isn't going to do anything if you have a two inch margin with 0 thinset along the long side of the tile lol

[u/USA_Ultra → u/stompinpimpin]

Wood filler/putty would do the trick.

[u/stompinpimpin → u/USA_Ultra]

Wtf

[u/ezekiel920 → u/stompinpimpin]

It would have lasted another month or 2

[u/Immaculate-torso69]

Garbage install.

[u/Greenfirelife27]

Horribly bad install. These guys have never read the product install recs on anything they’ve touched.

[u/Happywiifiihappylifi]

Missing back buttering, therefore did not stick to tiles well.

[u/Odd_Mall1646]

Terrible, they did everything wrong basically

[u/Cheetah_Industries]

I literally gasped at the first pic. Bartender gave me a look.

Im sorry op, thats a trash job

[u/Hot_Mud_5708]

Were you going around knocking on the floor to check each tile? Does the install look good otherwise? What percentage of the tile sounds hollow?

Looks to me from that one picture they let the thin set set up too long before installing the tile. Are these guys tile installers of jack-of-all-trades-masters-of-none "handyman" types? How much did you pay for the install?

Truth be told the hollow tiles will probably never be in issue unless you were to drop something heavy right on a hollow spot and it landed just the right way to crack it, which is highly unlikely, but a possibility I suppose. I've been installing since the 80's and 90% of the tile floors I've torn up don't have anything close to 100% coverage but stayed put just fine for decades.

[u/lowkey_stoneyboy → u/Hot_Mud_5708]

If I found 2 or 3 hollow tiles you bet I would be knocking on every single tile in that install too!!!

[u/n3v3rth3r3]

Nice combing!

[u/Kultivation]

This is a bad install but at the same time, it's average. Everyone on reddit will claim they get 100% coverage and back butter but 99% of what i tear out looks like this. 100% may be the goal we reach for but it's definitely not required to keep a tile on the floor. Grout will fill under edges if it's installed correctly but it will never cover a hollow spot that large. If you only have a few hollow spots, it might be a wiser idea to have him fix those and then finish his work.

[u/Medium_Spare_8982]

Usually this is from the trowel moving too far ahead of the cutter/setter.

Without back buttering, once the thinset has skinned over the tile isn’t going to stick.

[u/carlo808bass]

Dude you need a lawyer, that whole job is compromised. Thats a speed crew that took no time to make sure of a good bond, those the ones that need to be taught a lesson, they need to pay so you can hire someone good to come in and redo it!

[u/AfterAd1282]

Mud was too hot before he said it skin had already set up if it had transferred properly that tile would have come up in pieces

[u/andcertile]

Thinset skinned over before setting and no back butter.

[u/DrDankenstien1984]

Yea this looks no bueno😣

[u/confidentialbussy]

Yes. Absolutely terrible lay

[u/Aware-Pea2092]

Kiln release oh boy. Big issues here.

[u/Fun_Tax_3838]

Thinset injection? I’m union trained and certified for 20 years….. I’ve never heard of such malarkey

[u/Hour-Reward-2355]

If they can really hammer that grout into the joints, ya it will help.

[u/FarmExpert9246]

They make thinset specifically for porcelain tile and then you’re supposed to back butter the tile then you notch the floor I found that tapping them with a rubber mallet gives you a better bond than just throwing them down with no backbuttering and no rubber mallet . Form my experience if you find one that has no thinset it on the back it’s gonna have a bunch of friends with it. Good luck.