How it starts
Every night your kitchen floor gets mopped, hosed, or squeegeed toward the drains. When the grout joints are full, that water runs across the surface and into the drain. When grout is cracked, eroded, or missing, the water drops straight into the joint and down to the setting bed under the tile.
Why the damage spreads
Water under tile does not stay in one spot. It travels along the setting bed and under the tiles next to it. Over time it weakens the bond holding those tiles down. One loose tile becomes three, then a whole section. The longer it goes, the more tile has to come up, and the bigger the repair bill.
Two signs water is already under your tile
- Water squirts up from the grout joints when you step. If you walk across a wet floor and water pumps up out of the joints, there is water sitting under the tile.
- The tile sounds hollow when you tap it. Tap the tile with a tool handle. A solid tile sounds dull and firm. A hollow, clicking sound means the tile has lost its bond to the floor underneath.
How to stop it
Keep the grout joints full. Full joints seal the floor so water stays on top where it belongs. When joints are already failing, the old grout has to be cut out, not covered over, so new grout can bond to clean tile edges. Loose and hollow tiles get pulled and reset in the same visit.
Catching it early is the cheapest fix there is. A re-grout now costs far less than replacing a whole section of floor later.
Need it repaired?
Send photos of the problem areas and the rough size of the kitchen. We will quote it and schedule the work overnight. See package pricing.