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The Top 5 Reasons Why Floor Tiles Crack and How to Prevent It

Written by Warmup Inc on January 15th, 2025 | Uncategorized
Tile floor with radiant heating.

Floor tiles are a popular choice for bathrooms and kitchens and ideal to use with underfloor heating. While floor tiling offers an easy to clean, low maintenance floor finish, there are some things to be aware of to ensure your tiles stay in their best condition. In this guide, we’ll explain how tiles can become cracked and damaged over time and show you the simplest way to prevent this from happening. You’ll find out:

· The main reasons why floor tiles may crack
· How uncoupling membranes work to prevent fractured flooring
· Which UFH system is best to protect tiled flooring
· How to install an anti-fracture membrane in your home
· How to buy a floor heating system for your tiled floors

What causes tiled floor finishes to break or crack?

Whether you’ve chosen large or small tiles, those made from stone, ceramic or porcelain, there is a natural fragility to floor tiles that can cause them to become damaged through fine cracks to splits to fractures if improperly cared for. Let’s look at the main ways that this kind of damage can occur and how to both prevent this damage from happening in the first place and fix common problems with ease.

1. Improper tiling installation
Making sure you install your new tiles correctly on a well laid subfloor or layer of insulation is critical in preventing potential damage to floor tiles. If you’re laying tiles on a concrete subfloor, make sure the concrete screed is level, well cured and laid with the correct control joints in place to avoid any areas of vulnerability. Tiles can also crack and break due to improper use of expansion joints – the areas between the tiles which are grouted over to assist in the natural expanding and contracting of the flooring. If you’re using tiles in a bathroom, a waterproof membrane is a great idea to stop any possible water penetration which may also affect the substrate and damage the tiling. You should always have your tiles installed by an experienced tiler.

2. Improper tiling installation
There are a variety of materials which can be used to make tiles, such as ceramic, natural stone, and porcelain. Lower quality tiles are prone to cracking so when choosing your new tiles, make sure they are of good quality and can withstand heavy loads and frequent usage.

3. Breakages caused by accidental impact
The most common cause of a broken floor tile in the home is an accidently dropped object onto the floor, resulting in cracks or small breaks. The simplest solution to fixing cracked tiles caused by these kinds of accidental impacts is to replace the single tile. It’s a good idea to always keep multiple tiles spare in case of such incidents.

4. Heavy objects sitting on floor tiles
Heavy loads on tiled floors can result in hairline cracks or larger breaks. If you’re installing floor tiling in a kitchen, make sure you don’t lay the tiles directly under your cabinets or appliances such as the fridge or oven.

5. Lateral subfloor movement
Lateral subfloor movement is one of the biggest reasons why your floor tiles may crack. This describes the event when the subfloor and floor finish expand and contract at different rates; typically, this is caused by environmental factors such as temperature and pressure changes, construction ‘settling’ or moisture penetration to the subfloor. If your tiled floors are adhered directly to your subfloor, this movement can easily cause tiles to crack.

A bath with a cutaway showing radiant heat under the floor tiles.

How can I prevent my floor tiles from being damaged by lateral subfloor movement?

Installing an uncoupling membrane with your tiles is recommended to help absorb lateral subfloor movement and protect the floor finish. An uncoupling membrane is a layer of material that sits between your subfloor and floor covering which contracts and expands with such movement. This disconnection between the subfloor and flooring means as your house settles, any lateral subfloor movement will not result in movement of your floor tiles, thereby protecting them from potential damage.

Which underfloor heating system can help to protect my floor tiling?

Floor tiles are perfect to use with electric floor heating due to their strong thermal properties. If you’re looking for the best system to use with tiles in your home refurbishment project, the DCM-PRO Uncoupling System is a great choice. DCM-PRO has been specifically designed for tiled floors as it features an innovative anti-fracture uncoupling membrane which, as we’ve explored, can protect floor tiles from damage caused by lateral subfloor movement.

At just 5.5mm, the low-profile DCM-PRO has little impact on floor heights and provides a bespoke, modular approach to underfloor heating: allowing you to personalize exactly where you wish to heat through use of its heating cable and membrane combination.

Installation of the DCM-PRO Uncoupling System.

How do I install an anti-fracture membrane?

DCM-PRO is available with two decoupling membrane options: the Peel-and-Stick Membrane and the Fleeced-Backed Membrane. Both membranes offer a simple installation method and can be easily cut-to-size for rooms of any size and shape.

The DCM-PRO Peel-and-Stick Membrane is perfect for clean and even subfloors. It features a self-adhesive backing for a slimmer build-up and 40% faster installation times than standard floor heating membranes. It can be tiled directly onto, or if you’re using other floor finishes that are certified for use with underfloor heating, the system can be covered with a layer of self-levelling compound.

The DCM-PRO Fleece-backed Membrane features a standard fleece backing which can be used with a separate adhesive to bond the system to your subfloor or insulation material. It is especially recommended for use in damp or colder spaces or rooms with uneven subfloors and as the membrane doesn’t require a smooth and level surface for installation, it can also reduce project preparation time. The Fleece-backed Membrane can also be tiled directly onto or used with levelling compound – the rigid bond offered by the fleece backing also allows for a wider selection of levellers to be used.

Looking for more information about installing an uncoupling system in your home? Read our expert article on the benefits of these systems in wet rooms.

How do I buy DCM-PRO?

Thinking about installing the DCM-PRO Uncoupling System with your new floor tiles? You can find out exactly how much the system will cost for your home by using our innovative online quoting tool. Simply enter the details of your project and we’ll provide you with accurate pricing for a complete system and show you the location of your nearest Warmup retail partner where you can purchase it in person.

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