Tile coming off a few months after installation, plus some cracks

[Mander]

I had my bathroom tiled over the summer. A week before Christmas I noticed that one of the tiles by the bath is loose, and a couple of tiles have hairline cracks.

Of course the tiler did not respond to my attempts to contact him so I need to fix it myself.

The tiler grouted between the bath and the wall, and then put silicone over the grout. I'm assuming I will need to remove both and replace it with just silicone once I've fixed the loose tile. I'm not sure what to use to stick the tile back on with. I don't really want to buy a big bag of adhesive for such a small job. Last time I had to fix some tiles I used a tub of "fix n grout" from Poundland, which actually seemed to work ok, but I used it on tiles that weren't getting wet. I have part of a bag of the original grout left which is hopefully still good.

And then there are the two hairline cracks on tiles behind the shower screen and the shower tap. I'm assuming the only real way to fix those is to take the screen and shower down which I'm not in the mood to do right now. How concerned should I be about water seeping in? Can I put something on it to protect it (like the tube of clear silicone I happen to have open...)?

 

[foxhole]

The hairline cracks are unlikely to cause any problems ( just indicate a poor tiling job).Grout cannot be used at bath to tile junction. My main concern would be the level tiles at the end of the bath , these will fail, an upstand should have been created at least one tile high to allow a good seal to bath which looks unsupported at that end.

 

[Mander]

There is a frame attached to the floor underneath those tiles and I added another support under the outside corner myself. That end has been sealed with silicone now.

The whole bath is a bit of a cock up to be honest. I measured up before all the old tiles came off not realising how much extra space I would gain in going back to brick. I should have ordered a larger bath. I also originally wanted a built in look so I had the vanity installed too close to the bath. Ideally I'd like to replace the bath and move the vanity but unless it actually starts leaking I'm not going to change it.

 

[opps]

The hairline cracks are unlikely to cause any problems

Erm, other than allowing water ingress when people shower. Granted the ingress won't be much, but that depends on the number of people using the shower.

I suspect that the tiler may have dot and dabbed the tiles.

 

[foxhole]

Erm, other than allowing water ingress when people shower. Granted the ingress won't be much, but that depends on the number of people using the shower.

I suspect that the tiler may have dot and dabbed the tiles.

Water won’t penetrate hairline cracks.Much bigger problems with that fit out .

 

[Mander]

So what do I need to do to fix it? I'm not sure what I need to buy.

 

[DAZB]

Water won’t penetrate hairline cracks.Much bigger problems with that fit out .

Water will penetrate ANY crack and ideally you need to change the tiles that have them. It is overall a poor job and, for me, it should start with a full tile above the bath to make it visually right but all depends on the height of room etc. There is a surplus of grout in the corners too and ideally should have cut into the corners with 2 halves not an unequal length tile but, again, depends on the room available. You could use a multitool type machine to remove the grout around the tiles and break them to remove them if you have to although given the standard of the work they may not be that secure either and could come out easily. You can cut tiles to fit up to either side of the shower screen and sealant will cover the join up to it either side.

 

[Mander]

I finally got around to taking the loose tile off and it appears it was dot and dabbed as predicted. So that no doubt explains why the other two cracked.

Should I try to squeeze some adhesive behind the adjoining tiles or will it make any difference? Should I apply some kind of sealant to the grout after the repair is all dry?