Water Damage Restoration: Can Water Come Up Through Tile Flooring?

Tile styles this year are trending toward traditional, subtle and neutral. Classic white floor tile in a traditional brick pattern started in hospitals as a hygienic, easy-to-clean surface. This season’s floor tiles are available in a range of sizes, colors, wood looks and more. Designers are laying them in classic patterns like herringbone for a more modern look that will be stylish for decades. 

Fortunately, the hard tiles used in moisture-prone areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements are already waterproof. However, when water gets under the tile or grout, it can start loosening the tile from its subsurface and cause real damage. Wet conditions can allow water to detach the tile, leadin to more breakable and damage.

Then, since the subsurface or subflooring is not waterproof, more hidden problems can creep up. Water causes the subsurface to swell and warp, becoming unstable. When the tile is no longer level, it can crack under even normal use.

Water Damage Restoration In Charleston 

What Could The Water Mean?

A water leak usually results in water sitting on the surface of the floor. If the water is there long enough, it can erode the grout. But water seeping up through your tile grout joints could be an indication that water is being directed towards your house. It might be a sign that the propght the groerty is over a high water table. If you don’t have a vapor retardant seal under the concrete slab to prevent water from migrating through the concrete, the pressure can force water up throu.

Grout Doesn’t Last Forever

Grout is generally a mixture of water, cement, and sand. This simple combination can be colored to match or contrast with the tiles. Plus:

• It helps keep dirt and debris from getting in between and under your tile. 
• It gives your floor or wall a crisp finished appearance. 
• It adds rigidity and strength to the tile installation. 

Tiles are waterproof; they don’t allow moisture to penetrate to its subsurface. However,  grout is prone to water damage. As the grout deteriorates, moisture penetrates to the tile subsurface.   When water is left standing on the surface, it can start to seep into the seal, loosening the tile and the grout and causing water to leak to its subsurface. Cracks don’t need to be big to create considerable damage to your flooring. Even tiny gaps can allow water to penetrate and seep underneath or behind your subflooring.

You can expect a lifespan between eight and sixteen years. Its lifespan will vary depending on materials, use and maintenance. Sealing grout regularly, for about every six months, can help in repelling water. If not, the grout will start absorbing water causing severe water damage to your tile flooring.

What If The Damage Is Old?

If you inherited a problem such as rotting subfloor, it’s an indication of severe damage. Call our water damage restoration to thoroughly inspect the surrounding areas. Chances are that the damage might have travelled along any porous materials including baseboards, sheetrock and support structures. Plus, there might be hidden mold. The sooner you get a water damage restoration team out there to start, the sooner your home will be clean, safe, and solid again. 

Your restoration process will be determined by the type and severity of the water damage plus the specific materials in your home. In general, the water damage restoration experts at Restoration 1 team will:

• Carefully Remove the Tiles. 
• Cut out the Damaged Drywall. 
• Clean and Dry Wood Studs. 
• Clean the tiles.  
• Install a New Cement Board Patch.  
• Tape and Mud the Wall Joints. 
• Reinstall the Clean Tiles.

For Any Water Damage In Charleston

Ceramic floor tiles are not harmed by standing water, but it can damage the grout between the tiles, and detach the adhesive. The particle board or plywood in your flooring can soak up water from the leak, causing mold or dark staining of the tile. Eventually, the individual tiles will become loose and crack. 

Contact Restoration 1 of Low Country for restoration help after any water damage in your home.