we build new home last year and now want to lay ceramic floor tiles. but the problem is our floor have cracks (one vertical crack line abiut 8 feet long). how we remove/repair these cracks so that after laying ceramic tiles no danger of these cracks coming again
Floor cracks suggest a problem with the underlying floor/foundation structure. If it's a new home you should get your builders back to sort out the problem before you tile, otherwise I'm pretty sure the problem will return.
Cracks in a cement floor and you want to do ceramic over them you need to use what is called an ECB membrane, treat the crack with a paintable membrane that will let the ceramic float over the membrane but still be adhered down. Or one other system is called a Detra floor. A thin mat is put over the whole floor and the ceramic is adhered to that, allowing the slab to move freely. Any questions you can e mail me through my avatar and check my qualifications there. GL
If you are talking about ground floor.Underneath your floor below PCC whatever material your contractor used has loosen.No matter how many time you fix the floor.The problem will return.It will be like curved floor.Get hold of the contractor and tell him to fix the problem.
The general problem with concrete is that it is a material that will be subjected to cracks. This is due to the tensile properties of the material, being that it is good in compression but not tension. Proper slab construction should include control joints, (groves in the floor which create a weak spot so that when the concrete does crack there is a control point as to where it will crack), there should also be expansion joints around boarders of the slab. With that being said here is what you can do in your situation. You can create expansion joints out of the current cracks by using silicone calk to fill them (though this is more of a improper form of expansion joint it is a valid quick fix) You want to make sure all parts of the floor are level, and if not use a self leveling mortar or concrete to achieve this. My advice for the tiling is to construct a floating tile floor, this will ensure that when the floor does crack again that the tiles are not effected by it. There are different products and ways to go about this, such as buying a product that incorporates a floating floor design such as snapstone, or create a floor system using something such as sand and fiberglass mat as a sub-floor. The second option may be a bit more painful and possibly not as cost effective in the long run. It is worth doing some research on different methods to see what will be most cost efficient and fits your needs.
