Flooring
Tile Flooring in Charleston, SC
The floor that does not care about humidity.
The floor that does not care about humidity.
Quick answer: Tile does not swell, cup or gap with humidity, but it shows whatever the floor beneath it does: a subfloor that flexes cracks grout, and one that is not flat causes lippage. Over a crawl space, deflection is checked before ordering, especially for large-format tile. A Mount Pleasant showroom publishes porcelain or ceramic floor tile at $6–$14 per sq ft installed (cost guide; not our quote). Licensed SC general contractor CLG.127339. Call (843) 718-8177.
Related: Why Is My Floor Soft or Bouncy in One Spot? · Why Is My Toilet Rocking, and Is the Floor Under It Rotten?.
It does not swell, cup or gap with humidity. What it does do is transmit whatever the substrate does, so the preparation is the job: a floor that flexes cracks grout, and one that is not flat produces lippage between tiles that you feel before you see.
Over a crawl space, deflection is the thing to check before anything is ordered. Large format tile is less forgiving of movement than small, and the bigger the tile the flatter the floor has to be.
Grout is the maintenance item, not the tile. Sealing it and choosing a color that will not show every mark is a decision worth making deliberately rather than at the end of the job.
We take this work across greater Charleston, from Summerville and Goose Creek to Mount Pleasant, West Ashley and the sea islands, and on the York County side around Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. More on our flooring services.
Almost always movement underneath rather than bad grout. A floor that flexes — long spans over a crawl space, a subfloor that was not stiff enough for the tile size — will crack grout wherever it moves, and regrouting without addressing that just resets the clock.
Not inherently, but it is less forgiving. The larger the tile the flatter the substrate has to be, and older houses over crawl spaces are rarely flat to begin with.
It is a preparation cost, not a tile cost.
The grout usually does. Most tile itself does not, though natural stone is a different question and depends on the stone.