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We walk on it all day, in every room of the apartment, wherever we go. Flooring is easily one of the most visible, most used elements in a home.
Flooring and cladding defects stem from a few main causes:
1. Damage to tiles from an external factor
Such as dampness under the flooring. Consequences: settling, staining, efflorescence (white marks on the grout), and damage to the floor's thermal insulation.
2. A faulty installation process
Such as missing adhesive on the back of a tile, or missing mortar to stabilize the sand base. Consequences: settling, cracked tiles. Read more on this failure mode: falling stone cladding
3. Faulty materials
Such as tiles that already have cracks or breaks.
4. Poor tile cutting
For example:
Poor cutting around door frames.
5. Acid damage
Contractors sometimes use acid for cleaning. When that goes against the manufacturer's instructions, it damages the tile.
For more on flooring, see: it's not you: the floor really is crooked
Drawing on our deep familiarity with flooring defects, our office put together a flooring quality control plan: feel free to use it, in full or in part. If you want to dig into other topics, see our construction defects articles.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company