What is 'Tile Tenting'?

What causes tiles to 'tent' and how can you rectify the issue?

What is Tile Tenting?

Tile tenting is when your floor tiles lift from their originally installed position and begin to push against one another, creating a ‘tent-like’ bump in the middle of your floor. Not only is this an unattractive addition to your tiled floor, it is also quite dangerous as tiles may shatter underfoot causing considerable harm.

What causes tiles to tent?

Tile tenting is caused by changes in the environment in which the tiles are laid. If proper precautions aren't taken to protect against these shifts in environment, pressure will build underneath your tiles.

The pressure built up on the tile and grout will eventually cause the tile to protrude upwards to absorb that pressure. You will often hear a loud ‘crack’ somewhere in the house which is a tell-tale sign of a tile that is tenting.

Often tile tenting is not a single occurrence and can quickly affect large areas, rendering your entire floor unusable.

How can I prevent tile tenting?

Often tenting occurs in areas exposed to high levels of sunlight or moisture and without the proper installation of expansion/movement joints these areas can quickly fall victim to tenting.

Install Expansion Joints- An expansion (or movement) joint is designed to eliminate stress on tiles due to foundational movement or changes by allowing ‘breathing space’ for the tiles to move and adapt should the foundation alter in any way.

Use smaller, lighter tiles- Large, dark coloured tiles absorb a lot of heat and in areas exposed to sunlight these can quickly heat up, which can accelerate the tenting process. Smaller tiles with more grout lines will allow for more flexible movement to absorb the pressure of any structural changes much more effectively.

Tiles that are left under immense pressure can 'tent' and create an unsightly 'tent' in your floor.

What should I do if my tiles are ‘tenting’?

The good news is that all is not lost should you hear the dreaded ‘crack ‘in the middle of the night. If tiles are tented, often the solution is to remove all tiles in the affected area and re-tile with correct expansion joints added to ensure the issue does not arise again. However, a far cheaper and more effective method is at hand.

The expert team at Barefoot Floors can repair your tented tiles and restore them to their original condition using their tile restoration technology. Our team will restore the tiles to their former appearance and create new expansion joints to prevent further tenting or cracking.

All of our tile injection work is covered by a 7 year guarantee, meaning you can rest easy knowing your floor tiles are stuck solid.

So how do we fix tenting tiles?

When tented tiles are present, Barefoot Floors' first priority is to remove the pressure that has caused the tile to 'pop'. Once the pressure has been released, we place the tented tiles back into place and begin injecting.

Within 2-4 hours, your tiles will be ready to walk on again! No mess and minimal disruption to your daily life.

Before & After- Tenting Tiles fixed with Barefoot Floors' Tile Injection