Checking Tiles With a Building Inspection

‘Drummy’ or hollow tiles are a common defect found during Building Inspections

This type of defect could cost thousands of dollars to repair and can really blow out the budget, so it is important that these are identified during purchase negotiations by requesting a Building Inspection prior to settlement when buying a home.

Sometimes tiles will make a hollow or ‘drummy’ sound when being checked by the building inspector. What this indicates is that the adhesive below does not have a good bond between the tiles and the substrate. Or that there are hollow voids of missing adhesive under the tiles.

If tiles are laid correctly and there is 100% adhesive coverage, and the bond is sound, then the tiles basically become one with the substrate making for a solid floor, and a solid sound when checked.

As floors are used and subjected to foot traffic, tiles that are not correctly laid will most likely break, crack, chip, or fail in some way.  In some circumstances, the loose floor tiles will actually lift off the floor.

Tiling issues are a common problem found in Pre Purchase Building and Pest Inspections on the Gold Coast.

The good news is that this defect can sometimes be easily and economically reparable if the tiles aren’t in a wet area. However, if the drummy tiles are installed over waterproofing, a more costly repair will be required, as you will likely have to remove all tiles, re waterproof the entire wet area and then replace the tiles.

The pain of having to fix issues like these can be easily avoided by engaging Gold Coast Inspections for a pre-purchase building inspection when considering buying your new property!

If you have any questions about Building Inspections please contact us or visit our Frequently Asked Questions!