Cracked tiles
 

Has anyone had any issues with cracked tiles in their flooring. We recently moved into the Villages and after closing, after home inspection, we discovered 5 cracked tiles along the sliding glass doors leading out to our Lanai. We called our home inspector and asked why they did not catch this during the inspection. His response was it was overlooked and quite possible could be a result of the underlayment separating from the slab. He did come over and inspected the tiles along with the other tiles in the floor and discovered a hollow sound on most of the tiles in the home. He thought a small amount of thinset was used, which is the reason for the hollow sound. I called the warranty department (our home is beyond the one year warranty period) to see if the slab could have settled to cause the tiles to crack. I was told, unless the slab has settled beyond a certain amount, no, slab would not be covered. I then asked which flooring company had completed the tile installation and called them for their opinion. I was told it was not due to their install, but could be as a result of the unerlayment separating. I finally found a tile installer/repairer to come out and inspect the tiles and determine a solution for replacement/repair. He removed the five tiles and we discovered the underlayment did not go all the way to the sliding glass doors threshold, but stopped about 3 inches short. The tile guy says this is the reason for the tile cracking. Over time, settling, movement and stress on the ceramic tiles resulted in the cracks. Also, the tile guy said the hollow sound is a result of the underlayment separating from the slab, either due to moisture or adhesive issue. He installed the necessary underlayment and replaced the 5 tiles at a cost of $225.00. I am sure our home is not the only home in the Villages with this type of problem and offer up this post as a solution for anyone with the same issues. I have photographs of the issue if anyone cares to receive them. I tried uploading them for this post, but the upload failed.

Thank you for a very complete post on the issue, follow-up, and solution. Glad this was not a foundation issue.

Can you resize the photos before uploading them? It would be helpful to see them. Thanks for reporting this issue.

Photos of floor with underlayment gap.
 

Attachment 65987

Attachment 65988

Could you please give us the name of the repairer/installer you used?

His name is Brian Huttels, Huttels Homeworks. 352-497-9255. Quality work at a reasonable price.

Who did your home inspection?

Who installed the tile originally? A sloppy job, obviously.

It was not me...in case anyone is wondering.

pinchme54, I am sorry you had this experience. In defense of the inspector, (and I do not know who it was of course) if 5 tile were cracked it seems that should have been found during the inspection.

However, If they were not yet cracked, there would not be a way this probably could have been found. Hollow sounding tile in itself is not an issue that the warranty department will do anything about. Only if a tile moves or cracks within the year will they address it.

I really did not want to get involved here, other than say that this was NOT one of my inspections, since someone specifically asked.

Respectfully, Frank D.

Additional info as requested
 

The floor installer as provided by the Home Warranty Department was Floor Shoppe Warehouse. Our home inspector was Ken Boyer. As you can imagine, finding this kind of issue is rather disturbing, since the cracks in the tile are not noticeable unless you are specifically looking for them. We hope this alerts other buyers and home inspectors of the potential issue and can resolve prior to home purchase.

We used DangeloInspections, VERY thorough.....a little off of your post, but wanted to let others know that are reading this.

Your new home guardian angel was looking out for you. No major issue and a very inexpensive repair with happy results. I will take note of your home inspector's name for future reference if needed. The Floor Shoppe installed ceramic slate tile throughout my home 11 years ago and I am happy to say no issues have ever surfaced. I also do not have a lanai. We chose a continuous from the dining room sunroom with no separator instead and an open patio. If you have a lanai that has not been enclosed, it is possible moisture from rain or smog could be a culprit if the sliding glass door or French door was left ajar. Just a thought you might consider as you enjoy your new home. Welcome to the Villages and enjoy!