Hey everyone, so I recently had a tile floor installed upstairs right before my baby was born. The floor looked good initially, but now I’m facing what seems like a major installation disaster. I made the mistake of hiring an unlicensed installer, and it’s coming back to haunt me big time. The grout is cracking, some tiles are loose, and there are hollow sounds when I walk on the floor. It turns out, the installer probably skipped a crucial step – applying thinset underneath the cement board. This oversight is causing the cement board to move, leading to the failure of the tiles and grout.
I’ve done some research and talked to professionals, and it seems like the installer just screwed the cement board onto the OSB subfloor without properly bonding it with thinset. This lack of proper adhesion is causing the issues I’m experiencing. The installer has come back three times already, but his solution of replacing tiles and regrouting isn’t really fixing the root problem. He offered a partial refund if the tiles continue to come up in two weeks, but I don’t have much faith in his willingness to take full responsibility and do a proper job.
I’m at a point where I think the entire job might need to be ripped out and redone – from the cement board to the thinset to the tiles. It’s a daunting prospect, especially with a newborn at home, considering the mess and inconvenience of demolition. I’m feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, and I’m not sure if there’s a way to fix this without starting from scratch. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I’m open to any insights or advice on how to handle this mess. Thanks for listening.