Bathroom Tile Saga Meets Tragic End

Bald1 said:
If the floor tiles are cracking and separating it could be because of a leak. Lots of diy guys install toilets without using a thick enough wax seal so the toilet leaks. Or they don't properly secure it. Check to see if the toilet moves. If it does then chances are pretty good it's leaking underneath.
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It's a brand new toilet, he used the wax ring that came with it.
 
deadshot138 said:
It's a brand new toilet, he used the wax ring that came with it.
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That doesn't matter. Toilet flanges aren't all set at the same height so require different thickness of gaskets.

Try to figure out where the highest concentration of cracked tiles are. If the floor is uniformly fucked then chances are the guy used the wrong products or doesn't know wtf he's doing. If the cracks seem to be radiating, for lack of a better term, from around the WC then pull the toilet. If the grout lines are a different colour then that can indicate a leak as well.

It's much easier to figure this out if on site, but the above might point you in the right direction. Hopefully he just screwed up the tile work, but if there's a leak get that fixed before you need to replace sub flooring or before stuff starts rotting out or you get mould.
 
Bald1 said:
That doesn't matter. Toilet flanges aren't all set at the same height so require different thickness of gaskets.

Try to figure out where the highest concentration of cracked tiles are. If the floor is uniformly fucked then chances are the guy used the wrong products or doesn't know wtf he's doing. If the cracks seem to be radiating, for lack of a better term, from around the WC then pull the toilet. If the grout lines are a different colour then that can indicate a leak as well.

It's much easier to figure this out if on site, but the above might point you in the right direction. Hopefully he just screwed up the tile work, but if there's a leak get that fixed before you need to replace sub flooring or before stuff starts rotting out or you get mould.
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Last time we had a leak the toilet ran constantly. This time it's not. Doesn't rule out a leak tho eh?
 
deadshot138 said:
Last time we had a leak the toilet ran constantly. This time it's not. Doesn't rule out a leak tho eh?
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What you're describing is a faulty flapper that lets water through from the tank into the bowl. That triggers the float to open the fill valve which tries to refill the tank, so there's a constant flow into the tank.

I'm suggesting that when the toilet flushes not all the water goes down the drain due to a faulty seal between the flange and bowl.

Like I said, I'd see if the cracks are concentrated around the toilet or not. That should provide clues as to the problem. A leak from around the flange tends to be absorbed by the sub floor which acts as a sponge soaking up the water. That leads to the subfloor swelling and pushing up against the tile.

Floor tiles don't tend to crack due to improper installation, but definitely do so if there's a leak.
 
Bald1 said:
What you're describing is a faulty flapper that lets water through from the tank into the bowl. That triggers the float to open the fill valve which tries to refill the tank, so there's a constant flow into the tank.

I'm suggesting that when the toilet flushes not all the water goes down the drain due to a faulty seal between the flange and bowl.

Like I said, I'd see if the cracks are concentrated around the toilet or not. That should provide clues as to the problem. A leak from around the flange tends to be absorbed by the sub floor which acts as a sponge soaking up the water. That leads to the subfloor swelling and pushing up against the tile.

Floor tiles don't tend to crack due to improper installation, but definitely do so if there's a leak.
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Google said tiles crack from bad installation but I believe you over google. so far there's two cracks and they're under the toilet. I checked how tight the wing nuts were on either side of the toilet and they were very loose. I tightened them.
 
AristotleAmadopolis said:
Sorry sherbro’

how did u find the bum that worked on ur tiles?
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Cousins husband. He's a piece of shit but figured I was helping the family out by having him do the work. Rebath wanted $20k to redo the bathroom and it was literally a tub surround and linoleum sheet for the floor.
 
Bornstarch said:
2k is nothing

Do the demo and hauling yourself to cut a lot of the cost out

Do everything you can, buy the tiles, and just pay a tile guy who has been doing it for a very long time to tile and grout
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Solid advice. Completely remodeled 3 bathrooms this year and by doing all the demo myself and shopping for all the materials and fixtures myself so the craftsman only had to show up and complete the labor, I was able to do it it for what friends who did none of the leg paid for one bathroom remodel.
 
deadshot138 said:
Google said tiles crack from bad installation but I believe you over google. so far there's two cracks and they're under the toilet. I checked how tight the wing nuts were on either side of the toilet and they were very loose. I tightened them.
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Well yeah. Floor tiles crack if there are voids underneath. If a toilet leaks then the subfloor swells up and crates uneven pressure.

I'd pull the toilet to see if there's any signs of moisture outside the flange. If so reinstall using a new wax gasket or gaskets. Make sure that there's resistance when setting the toilet as that indicates the gasket is getting squished meaning it's creating a positive seal. A leaking toilet should be fixed ASAP otherwise you'll be needing to fix the subfloor as well if left long enough. Just tightening the bolts won't fix a compromised seal.

No exaggeration but I've been in thousands of bathrooms and the telltale signs never lie. Sucks that you've paid someone to do shit work, but I see it all the time.

Good luck!
 
Bald1 said:
Well yeah. Floor tiles crack if there are voids underneath. If a toilet leaks then the subfloor swells up and crates uneven pressure.

I'd pull the toilet to see if there's any signs of moisture outside the flange. If so reinstall using a new wax gasket or gaskets. Make sure that there's resistance when setting the toilet as that indicates the gasket is getting squished meaning it's creating a positive seal. A leaking toilet should be fixed ASAP otherwise you'll be needing to fix the subfloor as well if left long enough. Just tightening the bolts won't fix a compromised seal.

No exaggeration but I've been in thousands of bathrooms and the telltale signs never lie. Sucks that you've paid someone to do shit work, but I see it all the time.

Good luck!
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It's bad dude. He use MDF baseboards near the shower and they're swelling and splitting from moisture. Every bead of caulk he laid is shot a year later. When I saw him tile directly onto the subfloor with no concrete board or waterproofing membrane, I knew he was a piece of shit.
 
Yikes.
Can you post some pics?
What kind of shower pan is it? Prefab made of composite/fiberglass? Or custom construction from mortar? Did hackman tile over your old tiles?

deadshot138 said:
It's bad dude. He use MDF baseboards near the shower and they're swelling and splitting from moisture. Every bead of caulk he laid is shot a year later. When I saw him tile directly onto the subfloor with no concrete board or waterproofing membrane, I knew he was a piece of shit.
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DragRacer said:
Yikes.
Can you post some pics?
What kind of shower pan is it? Prefab made of composite/fiberglass? Or custom construction from mortar? Did hackman tile over your old tiles?
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No he didn't tile over the old tile, but he didn't prep the wall either. Just slapped mortar onto the drywall. It's just a bathtub/shower.
 
So did he rip down the old backer board that your old tiles were fixed to, and install new boards?

deadshot138 said:
No he didn't tile over the old tile, but he didn't prep the wall either. Just slapped mortar onto the drywall. It's just a bathtub/shower.
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DragRacer said:
Then he must have chiseled your old tiles off the walls, and just floated the high/low spots with mortar and stuck new tiles to the wall?

Is it upstairs or ground floor?
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He didn't even do that. There's lots of lippage. Nothing is level. He in no way was qualified to do the job.
 
Gotcha.
Maybe it’s fucked, leaking water through cracks in the grout/caulking, or maybe it’s fine and is just ugly.

If it’s upstairs and leaking water into the subfloor, maybe you want to redo it immediately to circumvent imminent disaster, or maybe you want to use the hell out of that leaky shower as much as possible, then let your homeowners insurance handle the rebuild when it leaks through the downstairs ceiling.

Good luck with it bro

deadshot138 said:
He didn't even do that. There's lots of high and low spots. Nothing is level. He in no way was qualified to do the job.
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DragRacer said:
Gotcha.
Maybe it’s fucked, leaking water through cracks in the grout/caulking, or maybe it’s fine and is just ugly.

If it’s upstairs and leaking water into the subfloor, maybe you want to redo it immediately to circumvent imminent disaster, or maybe you want to use the hell out of that leaky shower as much as possible, then let your homeowners insurance handle the rebuild when it leaks through the downstairs ceiling.
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The shower isn't the issue, the floor by the toilet is where I have a couple cracked tiles.
 
"Hire an actual tile person for tile jobs or do it yourself if you have the patience and know-how."
good advice. I was going to have the guy who changes tites at Walmart redo my kitchen. Now I know.
 
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