Tile popping on slab after 8 months, contractor blames the tub

We redid our master bath in March, spent close to $4,800 on porcelain tile and Schluter membrane over the concrete slab. By last Tuesday, three tiles right near the doorway started lifting, one cracked when I stepped on it. I pulled up the cracked piece and the thinset underneath looks dry and powdery, not stuck to the slab at all. The installer said it was my fault for using a heavy cast iron tub nearby, but that makes no sense to me. Has anyone else seen tile pop on a slab that soon, and did you get the contractor to come back without a fight?

1 comments

1 Comment

abby_morgan185d ago

Honestly I used to side with contractors on stuff like this, but your thinset being dry and powdery is a dead giveaway they messed up the mix or the slab prep. A cast iron tub doesn't turn good thinset into dust, that's just physics. You paid for Schluter and porcelain, so I'd push back hard and ask for their warranty in writing.