Expansion joints - Tiles

Kag13 · Apr 21, 2020 9:08 pm

Hi,

Looking for some insight into expansion / movement joints which have been installed in our living area (shared kitchen/dining/small lounge) and hallway.

We understand their necessity just trying to understand if our tiler has gone a bit too heavy handed with the silicone gun!

Tiles are 600 ceramics.

There are 2x 4m stretches of silicone which create a cross in the living area, and 4x 1m stretches from the entry and down the hall leading into the living area. Every 3rd tile seems to be an expansion joint that spreads from wall to wall. The perimeter is also silicone.

The colour match isn’t great as the silicone is a darker grey than the grout and in a gloss which reflects all the light, they are very obvious unfortunately.

Is this normal for the expansion joint to be 4m long?

Thanks!

StructuralBIMGuy · Apr 21, 2020 9:32 pm

Hey kag13 Welcome to the forum
It depends on your slab, Type, thickness, amount of reinforcement,length, shape,etc,etc...was your slab under designed??
OT if your tiler is making up for poor concrete work and lack of reinforcement, then you will have major issues with larger Tiles
BTW, Also photos help others.
What you have described is not normal and unsightly
Cheers
Chris

Kag13 · Apr 21, 2020 9:37 pm

StructuralBIMGuy

Hey kag13 Welcome to the forum
It depends on your slab, Type, amount of reinforcement,length, shape,etc,etc...was your slab under designed??
OT if your tiler is making up for poor concrete work and lack of reinforcement, then you will have major issues with larger Tiles
BTW, Also photos help others.
What you have described is not normal and unsightly
Cheers
Chris

Thank you for your reply - you are correct it is unsightly and not subtle at all. I only have one photo of the colour difference. We are leaning towards there has to be slab issues but don’t know how we would go about exploring that issue further. We’ve looked into the ceramic standards and QBCC defects / tolerances, but just cannot find what the length a standard expansion joint is, have never noticed one in a new build before, definitely not in all the display homes we visited either! Thanks again

StructuralBIMGuy · Apr 21, 2020 9:43 pm

Yep it sounds like a ( silicon) cover up ...
AS 3600 Concrete structures deals with crack control
Did you have your slab and reinforcement properly inspected and did you take photos during the construction stages.
Normally additional reinforcement is placed to minimise cracking..This option should have been given to you for large porcelain tiled area?
Check you engineering drawings and notes and post back
Cheers
Chris

Kag13 · Apr 21, 2020 10:14 pm

StructuralBIMGuy

Yep it sounds like a ( silicon) cover up ...
AS 3600 Concrete structures deals with crack control
Did you have your slab and reinforcement properly inspected and did you take photos during the construction stages.
Normally additional reinforcement is placed to minimise cracking..This option should have been given to you for large porcelain tiled area?
Check you engineering drawings and notes and post back
Cheers
Chris

I believe we did have it independently inspected through our build broker but will confirm, you’ve given us the right direction to look further into, thank you.

There was definitely no consultation regarding the extent of silicone join, can see nothing within the plans.

StructuralBIMGuy · Apr 22, 2020 10:13 am

During construction site visits did you notice cracking of your slab?
If you didn't take photos that may be of concern, as slab /reinforcement examination may now require x-rays which is expensive.
It should be mentioned on the engineering plans/notes, method and extend of crack control?
OT....keep looking, defective builds also shows up throughout your house over time... more useful info here
brickwork Mortar Cracks
Cheers
Chris