Do I Need a Grout Line at the Wall or Do I Need to Put Tile All the Way Against It?

Seasonal Movement

• Seasonal movement is the swelling and shrinking of various elements in a house due to the hot and cold cycles of the weather. During the summer months, concrete and wood swell with the heat, while in the winter months the cold weather causes shrinkage. While this movement is slight, it can cause tile floors to buckle if sufficient space is not provided at the edges to allow for the floor to expand.

Foot Traffic

• Similar to how seasonal growth can cause floors to move, so can foot traffic over time. The natural vibration from feet walking across the floor sends ripples of movement throughout the tile, similar to the ripples in a pond when a pebble is thrown in. The extra room left around the edges of a floor where the tile meets the wall allows these ripples of movement to vibrate off into empty space rather than grinding against a wall and causing tiles to pop or crack.

Deflection

• Deflection is any type of movement that can cause the floor to buckle. While most deflection is the result of foot traffic or seasonal movement, deflection can also occur from the house settling over time or from natural movement in the earth, such as tremors. This up and down movement sends shock waves through a tile floor, and the grout line at the wall allows this deflection movement to harmlessly fade away rather than impacting the wall and causing tiles to pop up.

Importance of Expansion Joints

• Expansion joints are required on any tile project to allow for movement. Some expansion joints run through the center of a floor, depending on its size. Termination joints are another type of expansion joint. If the joint is filled with grout, the floor does not have room to expand properly, so all termination points must be either left empty or filled with caulking to allow for movement.