Tile falling off waterfall backsplash

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DiabeticRob

DiabeticRob

Member
Aug 11, 2023
20
Northwest Arkansas
Pool Size
33000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
966519d1-62de-4e3e-9ba7-197e455b2cc0-jpeg.572468

I recently purchased a home with a 15 year old pool. The waterfall tile started falling off this Winter. I was going to cement the tiles back on, but I noticed the surface behind the tile feels thin and hollow. My question is, is it common for the material behind the tiles to degrade? Should I just cement the tiles on or call an expert as it could be a bigger issue? Thanks!
 

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Welcome to TFP.

From the shape of the thinset left on the walls it looks like a shortcut tile job that did not use adequate surface prep and thinset.

What is the thickness of the thinset on the back of the tiles that fell off?

A good thinset job puts a layer on the wall and then butters the full back of the tile and presses the two together. A bad thinset job dabs some thinset on the tile and sticks it on the wall as though it was glue.
 
ajw22 said:
Welcome to TFP.

From the shape of the thinset left on the walls it looks like a shortcut tile job that did not use adequate surface prep and thinset.

What is the thickness of the thinset on the back of the tiles that fell off?

A good thinset job puts a layer on the wall and then butters the full back of the tile and presses the two together. A bad thinset job dabs some thinset on the tile and sticks it on the wall as though it was glue.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I’m not familiar with how this was build. It looks like there is cement or brick under the tile with come crust layer over the top. It is not smooth. I’ve attached a closeup. AF71467D-3509-4C41-BBCD-3B70E611EE7F.jpeg
 

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Looks like a cider block wall with thinset slapped on it. Cinder block is not a good surface for it.

The cinder block should have been preped with a layer of mortar.

This is more then what is needed for your wall but gives you an idea of what a good tile installation is...

img_1178-png.555220
 
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