Tile, concrete, framing, and building materials expand, contract, shrink, and move because of temperature, moisture, loading, and structural conditions. Movement joints divide the tilework into controlled sections and are normally filled with an appropriate flexible sealant or manufactured profile rather than rigid grout. They may be required at perimeters, changes of plane, structural joints, transitions, large floor areas, and locations exposed to sunlight or temperature variation. The size, spacing, and location of movement joints depend on applicable standards, project design, exposure, and substrate conditions. Omitting or filling them rigidly can contribute to cracked grout, cracked tile, debonding, or tenting.
Key considerations
- commercial tile movement joints, expansion joints tile floor, flexible joints in tile
- tile movement joints, commercial tile, flexible sealant
- crack resistance, movement accommodation, installation durability
- flexible joints, perimeter relief, segmented tile fields