Cracked floor tiles from washing machine

oligopoly

2nd thread today! We've just purchased a house STC. One thing that concerned me a little when viewing is that there was a crack going through at least 3 tiles in the floor of the kitchen under the washing machine. The crack was going through the middle of the tiles, not the grout.

According to the EA, the vendor has said it was caused by an old/uncalibrated washing machine. We'll soon have the survey done which may shine a light on any issues here but just thought I'd ask the collective wisdom on here.

I appreciate that cracks can mean a multitude of things, but should this set alarm bells? Is it easy to replace 3 or 4 tiles (assuming I can find the same ones!) Anything else I should be aware of/ask about?

Thanks in advance.

Drachenfach

It shouldn't indicate anything massively wrong with the fabric of the house, if that's what you're worried about.


Generally floor tiles crack either because they've been badly laid and the surface below is uneven, or they've had heavy things dropped on them.


Our new kitchen has both - a couple of diagonally cracked tiles under the washing machine, and various star shaped cracks and shatters where stuff has been knocked off the cabinets.


Unless the floor is brand spanking new you are seriously unlikely to be able to get a perfect match. You may find a few spare tiles lurking in a cupboard or garage, if not you have the choice of either living with it or replacing the lot.

oligopoly

Thanks for that, Drachenfach, that's a great response. You've set my mind at ease a little - will probably just put up with it then!

Silver-Surfer_2

What is the floor below the tiles?

Wooden floor could be movement or poor preparation before laying.

Concrete could be poor preparation or a crack in the concrete itself. Try tapping these tiles if they sound hollow is probably poor prep.