Hairline Cracks in Marble Floor Tile

by Susanne Church
(Birmingham, AL)

QUESTION:

I just had Crema Marfil 12x12 marble floor tiles installed in my bathroom.


A few tiles already have tiny hairline cracks on the surface.

The tiles are full of veins running throughout, but the cracks are not in the veins. Is this normal? Should these tiles be replaced?

What has caused this, and if it is normal, will it continue to happen? I'm worried I've made a mistake in flooring choice?

ANSWER:

No you haven't made a bad choice installing Crema Marfil marble floor tile. Marble is an excellent choice for flooring and very durable.

The cracks likely were present prior to installation or caused during installation. Since this is on a floor and the cracked tiles will be repeatedly stepped on they could deteriorate.

So, yes... have the cracked marble floor tiles replaced.

The installer may argue that the tiles cracked after install and so it's not his fault and replacement will cost more, but it's highly unlikely the tiles cracked after the installation unless the thinset/glue under the tiles was not applied evenly. But it would have to be really uneven, which is not too likely.

Far more likely they were already cracked and the installer did not notice or cracked during install and still the installer did not notice, which he should have. The tile setter needs to inspect every tile laid down.