As the quality of life improves with economic development, the aesthetic functions of a bathroom are being strengthened by the changes in the consciousness of the residents who want to uplift their living standard, and the shape and size of the bathro...
As the quality of life improves with economic development, the aesthetic functions of a bathroom are being strengthened by the changes in the consciousness of the residents who want to uplift their living standard, and the shape and size of the bathroom tiles are changing in a variety of ways. In accordance with this trend, a construction method that depends on the size of the tiles, different from the existing construction method, should be applied, but the construction guidelines and specifications (standard specifications for building works, etc.) related to the tiles still do not differ much from the existing standards. Due to these reasons, the cases of bathroom tile defects in apartment houses have increased in recent years.
In this regard, this study sought to analyze the types and causes of bathroom tile defects through an actual survey of bathrooms in apartment houses, propose countermeasures to prevent such defects, and contribute to the efforts to increase the convenience of the residents and users and to improve their living environment, thereby laying the foundation for the revision of the domestic specifications and standards related to tiles as well as for the establishment of measures to prevent bathroom tile defects in apartment houses.
Towards this end, the actual conditions of the bathroom tiles from 26 households in two complexes (11 households in complex A, 15 households in complex B) whose construction was completed in 2013 were investigated.
The analysis of the survey results revealed that the main tile defects were vertical cracks in the corner tiles, cracks in the upper part of the door frame, cracks in the cross walls, and horizontal cracks.
Experiments were conducted in the bathroom to analyze the causes of tile cracks more objectively. The measurement results of the internal and external temperature changes in the bathroom tiles confirmed that the temperature of the back (inside) of each tile was transferred from the lower part to the upper part with time, after being sprayed with hot water (40℃), and that the temperature through the pores of the adhesive mortar on the back of each tile remained longer in the upper part than in the lower part. The results of the simulation analysis through numerical analysis using ABAQUS/Standard v.13, a general-purpose finite-element analysis program, also confirmed that because the thermal energy was not sufficiently dissipated, and the heat was retained or rose as the area of the adhesive mortar decreased, the temperature of the bathroom tiles increased as a smaller amount of mortar was installed.
As the high temperatures of the tiles in the upper part of the wall, however, may accelerate the cracking of the tiles due to the thermal expansion, it is desirable to apply more than 80% adhesive mortar to the back of the tiles.
It was also found that the largest causes of tile defects include failures in the ① tile installation management, ② backfilling management, ③ curing period compliance, and ④ defect prevention design. Therefore, improvements in the installation process and management supervision are most urgently needed.
Up to now, the South Korean tile industry has repeatedly applied the old standards without supplementing the detailed specification standards and guidelines in response to the changes in tiles. Accordingly, it is necessary to devise related guidelines such as improvement plans for tile installation and for the method of securing high quality after installation so that the workers and supervisors can carry out and manage the installation according to clear standards that reflect the realities of the installation work.
The disputes resulting from the occurrence of defects should be urgently resolved considering the huge mental and economic damages that the tenants, construction companies, and clients may incur on account of such disputes. For the future research work, more professional and detailed studies for ensuring the long-term quality of tiles in the design, material, and construction stages need to be conducted to reduce the occurrence of tile defects.