Ceramic tile floor swelling, a large mound forming.

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Thimker

Thimker

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Ceramic tile floor appears to be swelling and lifting in an 8' x 8' area. One tile was removed and there's a 1.5' space between tiles and concrete foundation. No dampness, no smell, no damage to the rest of the floor, or walls, or ceiling. No damage upstairs. No apparent leaks in roof or plumbing. It's on the ground floor of a two-story building that houses 6 hotel rooms, about 50 years old, in the Bahamas. Ever heard of anything like this? We're not sure who should be called.

Staff is convinced a hellmouth is opening.

Thanks for any advice. IMG-20220104-WA0079.jpgIMG-20220104-WA0078.jpgIMG-20220104-WA0080.jpgIMG-20220104-WA0081.jpg
 
I’ve seen this where a drastic temp changes were happening.

High humidity and drastic temp changes. Not necessarily a leak.
 
There is really no way to confirm what next to do until you take a peak. If that is wood under the flooring, then I would suspect wetness. If it is just humidity/expansion, by just removing the baseboard, you will begin to really understand what is occurring.
 
Thimker said:
Ceramic tile floor appears to be swelling and lifting in an 8' x 8' area. One tile was removed and there's a 1.5' space between tiles and concrete foundation. No dampness, no smell, no damage to the rest of the floor, or walls, or ceiling. No damage upstairs. No apparent leaks in roof or plumbing. It's on the ground floor of a two-story building that houses 6 hotel rooms, about 50 years old, in the Bahamas. Ever heard of anything like this? We're not sure who should be called.

Staff is convinced a hellmouth is opening.

Thanks for any advice. View attachment 33030View attachment 33031View attachment 33032View attachment 33033
Click to expand...
Do you have OSB board under there instead of plywood? That stuff grows like a sponge when wetted, and never returns to its previous thickness when it dries out, so continual wettings will cause it to swell and swell. I've removed it from several kitchens, bathrooms (and roofs) where it has caused swelling.
 
Op says it’s a concrete foundation

OP also says there's a 1.5 inch space between the tiles and the concrete.
One wonders if they are antigravity tiles (which arouses my interest) or if the tiles are laid on something.
 
Mardo said:
Op says it’s a concrete foundation

OP also says there's a 1.5 inch space between the tiles and the concrete.
One wonders if they are antigravity tiles (which arouses my interest) or if the tiles are laid on something.
Click to expand...

They are buckling and rising off the floor causing a space as a result.

Yes, the tiles are laid on concrete......so you’re correct, they’re laid on something.
 
Yep, I've seen this happen quite a few times. Often happens in restaurant kitchens that are wet mopped and the water gets trapped beneath, expanding the tile.

I also saw a slew of them in Texas the other year when they had the cold snap and houses had to turn on their heat for the first time (thermal expansion/contraction).
 
Thank you all for replying. The floor is wetmopped frequently. It's a hotel room, so depending on occupancy, it could be every day. The housekeepers ask for those string mops, and they dip it in the water bucket and slap it onto the floor full of water. This hasn't happened in other rooms, but I don't think that rules it out.
If it's the tile, we could easily replace it. My worry was that it was the foundation. If so, a new floor might develop the same problem, or the problem might spread to adjacent rooms.
Here's another photo and video. That's a hair dryer in the photo. It looked wet, and they were going to attempt to dry a section, but it turned out that it wasn't wet or damp.
 

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I think it’s from an abrupt temp swing. That portion of the floor expanded faster than the rest of the floor.

Is that spot on the floor subject to direct sun at anytime of the day ?
 
I wouldn't be too worried about the foundation unless you probe the subfloor and it's super soft. The tile tenting is a function of swelling of the tile. Perhaps the grout joints in those tiles had deteriorate to the point it was letting the wet mop water get underneath. Perhaps there was no perimeter expansion joint in that corner to accept the swelling. I dont see any mechanism here related to foundation movement or temperature. I have seen dozens of these out of my thousands of building inspections.

Only other thought is whether or not you have a leaking plumbing line beneath that area of floor.....
 
Water trapped underneath the floor., it doesn't evaporate easily when it seeps thru the tiles
I'd bet the moisture (humidity) is high in that room
 
Thanks for all your advice!

The tile is now levitating in the adjacent unit,which is the middle unit. There are three units in a row. On the other end, the handyman dug up a pipe all the way across the room, parallel to the other units. Could the building be sliding towards the trench he dug? As if, to close it? Is that crazy?
 
It’s been over a year and a half and it still hasn’t been diagnosed and corrected? Yes, the place could be moving but it’s beyond my ability to know what to do. Are any of the door to frame gaps changing? Any doors jamming?
 
Yes, it's still unsolved. The first unit has recently had vinyl planks installed so they can be removed easily and the room can be rented.

I'll call to ask about the doors. I asked them to walk around the building and look for cracks, and they confirmed that there are cracks in the concrete walls.
And the roof was recently replaced, but new leaks develop. That may be a poor roofing job.

This is the building:

IMG_20230323_132607.jpg
 
Thimker said:
Yes, it's still unsolved. The first unit has recently had vinyl planks installed so they can be removed easily and the room can be rented.

I'll call to ask about the doors. I asked them to walk around the building and look for cracks, and they confirmed that there are cracks in the concrete walls.
And the roof was recently replaced, but new leaks develop. That may be a poor roofing job.

This is the building:

View attachment 42671
Click to expand...
As an aside, I like the color of the apartment complex as it reminds me of the "Pink House" we lived in New Mexico when I was a kid and the houses and buildings in Bermuda where I was stationed as a US sailor.

Good luck chasing your issues down!
 
Ceramic tiles will sometimes tent on humidity and temperature changes if there is no expansion space left between the tile and the wall and nothing to crush or compress is between the tile and the hard wall. The tile can't go sideways, so it pops up. If the mortar is good, the tile will crack instead.

Empty air or caulk are great, but grout will usually work. It can crush up a bit. That's why restaurant cove base tiles have a big grout line at the foot.

Maybe take a check around the perimeter to see if there's a gap.

There is a really good tiling forum at JohnBridge.com where people who tile for a living help others. Maybe it's worth t check there. Tap the "Forum" button at the top.

Paul
 
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