What to do if the floor tiles are not laid firmly? How to solve the problem of hollows in the middle of the floor tiles?

We all know that when decorating a home, floor tiles are usually needed. There are many details and techniques to lay floor tiles, and there are many precautions. Many people will encounter various problems when laying floor tiles, so what is the problem with hollow floor tiles? Let's take a closer look!

What is the reason for the hollowing of floor tiles?

1. The floor tiles are not soaked in water for enough time

Different types of floor tiles have different requirements for laying. For example, large floor tiles of 800*800 do not need to be soaked in water and can be laid directly. However, ordinary clay tiles of 300*300 need to be soaked in water for a sufficient time before laying, and then taken out to dry to ensure the moisture content of the floor tiles before laying. If they are not soaked in water or the soaking time is not enough, hollows are likely to appear before laying.

2. The cement grade is not enough

Everyone knows that floor tiles need cement mortar, and the ratio of cement to sand is required to be 1:2.5. This ratio can guarantee the adhesion of cement mortar to the greatest extent. However, during the construction process, some people cut corners and reduce this ratio, reduce the cement content, and increase the amount of sand, which can cause large areas of floor tiles to hollow due to unqualified cement mortar quality.

3. The ground is not sprinkled with water

Before laying the floor tiles, you must sprinkle water on the ground to ensure the moisture content of the original ground, allow the new cement mortar to fully match the moisture content of the original ground, and allow the cement mortar for laying the floor tiles to firmly bond with the original ground. If you lay the tiles directly without sprinkling water, it will easily cause hollowing in the entire floor tiles.

4. Floor tiles are laid without leaving gaps

When laying floor tiles, a gap of 1.5-3 mm must be reserved to prevent the cement from expanding during the drying process, causing the tiles to deform and thus cause hollowing. However, some people often think that the floor tiles they bought are of good quality, so they do not need to reserve gaps when laying them, and do not want gaps, so they do the so-called seamless construction. As a result, the floor tiles expand due to natural phenomena, and large areas of hollowing appear.

5. Floor tiles are not dry yet

After the floor tile construction is completed, the cement mortar needs 2-5 days to ventilate and dry, but some people are impatient and lay them on the first day and step on them casually on the second day, or put heavy objects on the floor tiles, causing the adhesion between the floor tiles and the cement mortar to decrease, and some areas will become loose, which will naturally lead to hollowing.

Remedies for hollow floor tiles

1. Hollow corners

When hollows appear at the corners of floor tiles, the remedy is relatively simple. Use the reserved gaps to pour water into the hollows at the corners of the floor tiles, break the gaps between the tiles with a small shovel, and then pour cement mixed with water into the gaps. Then use a rubber hammer to gently tap the hollows. The cement mortar will automatically flow through the gaps to the hollows until they are filled. Then let it dry naturally, which can avoid the trouble of replacing the entire tile.

2. Large area hollowing

If there are large areas of hollows in the floor tiles, then remove the original tiles, clean the ground surface, and then re-lay them using the corresponding paving method according to the type of floor tiles. Then allow them to dry and finally check again for hollows. Only in this way can the construction quality be guaranteed.

3. Partial hollowing

Due to the different flatness of the floor tiles themselves, there may occasionally be a small hollow in the middle of the floor tiles. In fact, this small hollow does not affect the normal use of the floor tiles and can be ignored.

To sum up the above, I believe you have already understood how to check for hollowing in floor tiles and how to remedy the hollowing phenomenon in the corners of floor tiles.

How to check for hollow floor tiles

For the floor tiles that have been laid, they should be checked, and then they can be easily checked with the help of professional tools. The specific steps are as follows:

1. After the floor tiles are laid, the cement mortar needs to dry for a period of time before you can step on it for inspection. The drying period is 2 days in summer and 2-4 days in winter;

2. After the floor tiles have dried, use a professional tile inspection tool, the "hollow drum hammer", to gently tap the four corners and the middle of the floor tiles, commonly known as the five-point tapping method. If there is no crisp "dangdang" sound when tapping, but a hollow "dongdong" sound, it can be judged as a hollow drum.

3. Mark the locations of the hollow parts that have been inspected, and then contact the decoration construction personnel for re-inspection. After confirming the hollow parts, rework them according to the requirements of relevant regulations.