Ceramic Tile Warping

It is important to realise that a certain amount of warping across a tile is acceptable under the standards.

Ceramic tile warping.

It is important not to bend your slabs while they are wet. Make sure clay wetness is very uniform. Any warping in a ceramic tile will happen in the factory during manufacture. Make sure your tiles are thick enough.

Buckled tiles defect might appear in all types of tiles i e. Ceramic tiles vitrified tiles and porcelain tiles etc. Preventing warping in previous tips on making tiles i talked about warping. Uneven drying is the most common reason for tiles warping as one area of the clay shrinks more quickly than another area.

Tiles plates and platters dry all pieces slowly and evenly. Like joanne jakab interior design mentioned porcelain tiles tend to have bump in the middle and cornes going slightly down that is why when you go brick joint or random pattern it will always shows it no matter how perfectly flat even is the sub floor. Inherent tile warpage ansi a137 1 is the american national standard specification for the manufacturing process of ceramic tile in the united states. Paper fibers act as wicks thus they will wick air into and throughout the.

Some natural stones and some quartz stones and some concrete tiles are known to sometimes warp after the installation under various conditions although it is not common. First of all tiles may be the issue. Sculpture clays or raku clays are also a good type of clay to use as they have slightly less chance of warping or cracking cracking and warping can occur if a ceramic piece has dried either too quickly or unevenly. If tiles are too thin they will tend to warp.

Warpage and lippage when the specification for ceramic tile american national standard was first revised in 1988 large format tiles were 8 in by 8 in and 12 in by 12 in. That is why manufacturers put a notice on the boxes that you shouldnt go with 50 50 offset but for example 25 75. This defect is also known as pop up tiles or tile tenting. The perfectly flat tiled floor may buckle up in the different seasons due to temperature variations improper installation of tiles and various other factors.

If proper care is not taken while laying the same. Answer all tiles have some inherent warpage from the manufacturing process and the ansi a137 1 is the standard that states what is allowable. This is thicker than commercial tiles you buy but those are made with a special dry pressing process that allows them to be thinner. Make sure drafts aren t causing uneven drying.

The calculation for acceptable warpage is related to the size of the tile and the degree of warp across the length of the tile. An 8 square tile should be at least one half inch thick. Tile manufactured in accordance with this standard meets minimum and maximum criteria in many areas including warpage measured along the edge of the tile and diagonally from corner to corner. This tile defect is known as buckled tiles.