"John Hill" wrote in message
ups.com...
Over the past week my wife and I noticed a creaky floor tile in the
kitchen. Our tile is 12" porcelain installed by the previous owner.
Wasn't a huge issue, just an annoyance, so I didn't think much about
it. I came home today and noticed a distict bow in the floor where the
creak had been. At the highest point, the floor tiles had popped up,
raised a half inch
(almost like the tiles were being pushed together and therefore must
flex upwards), and were mobile.
snipped a bit here......
John

No direct experience here, but as an armchair speculation, if the slab
settled into a very shallow "V" shape, it might result in what you are
seeing. Such a crack may have its fulcrum at or near the floor level, and
stay "closed" looking at the surface, widening with depth. Such a
deformation would tend to crowd the tiles, put them under compression, then
pop the mortar off the back, leaving some tiles in a little hump. Such a
settlement would not indicate a poor tile job, but rather reflect the fact
that all tile and mortar are practically inelastic, and pop off or break
under stress. The continuing line of hollow sounding tiles is worrisome.
The age of your house is a factor. If new, it would suggest slab settling
due to recent moisture changes or incorrect foundation structure. If older,
the tile work may have been applied to conceal a pre-existing crack, for
purposes of sale. For your sake I, too, hope it is a bad tile job, or at
least solvable without spending a huge amount. Best of Luck.