Amtico
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Amtico failure.
Amtico floor tiles with stripping was purchased from John Lewis and on 13 June 2019 laid by one of ‘their’ fitters described in the job estimate as: “Your new flooring will be fitted by one of our approved flooring fitters. They are carefully selected to ensure they deliver the high standards our customers expect”. It was fitted in my utility room at a cost of £1,1361.91 - now all down the drain! The utility room remained empty and unused until late 2021 when a design for the units and fittings was finalized. The floor was never cleaned because it never needed it. Upon finally just wiping the floor with a damp cloth I noticed gaps between the stripping ends, and also between the stripping and the tiles, which were wide enough to allow me to insert a flat bladed spatula. I was easily able to lift the stripping at the joins and pull it completely away from the floor - so not stuck down very well. This was possible in many places and not just an isolated area. I was also able to lift a whole square tile. The 2-year warranty from John Lewis ended in June 2021. I advised them of my problem in December 2021 and they curtly evaded any responsibility or interest on the grounds of being out of the warranty period. I have contacted Amtico and as of 27Dec21 awaiting a reply. I have looked on the Internet for similar issues and found I am not the first to have experienced this. In essence I think these tiles are often a problem waiting to happen. Although tough but flexible they will change shape with temperature. If warmed they will expand and if cooled they will shrink. It would therefore appear to be rather important for the tiles to be fitted when their temperature is very close to the temperature of the room floor when it will be in use. Some floor temperatures can vary quite a bit and hence it is possible for tiles to change shape and so size. Gaps could then appear. Cold or heat can come up from the floor substrata or equally from above when the room temperature changes with central heating, fires or sunlight through a window - that sort of effect. If there is under floor heating the variation in temperature will most likely be very little and you stand the chance of having tile shape/size stability and so less possibility of gaps appearing. The tiles might have been fitted incorrectly. Perhaps the wrong glue was used or the tiles not fitted closely/tightly enough. You need to check this at the fitting stage. Either way, in my case the gaps pose a problem because if water gets into them [normal mopping etc.] the board on which the tiles are laid will most certainly expand, start to lift and the floor need to be replaced. My conclusion and advice is as follows. You take a chance on fitting this kind of tile. You could be unlucky and have my experience, which is a big disappointment and waste of almost £1,200 for a floor area of only 9 square metres! What’s an alternative? Ceramic tiles have a ‘cold’ feeling and can be slippery. They are also hard and not sound absorbing. I would suggest looking for a good quality hardwearing ‘lino’ sort of product. I have just started to look into this option and am quite impressed so far. A continuous roll could be the answer as it doesn’t have all the joins as a ‘tiled’ floor. Search for “linoleum flooring” and you might see what you would rather have.