Unless the design is specifically meant to look rugged, uneven, or is a mosaic pattern, then crooked tiles are the first sign of a bad tiling job. Crooked tiles occur for several reasons – for example, grouting may be uneven or the installer may have neglected the use of tile spacers when allowing the grout to set.
Tiles that have been installed properly should not have any visible damage such as cracks, depressions, holes, specks, spots, and cavities, as they could lead to water damage over time.
Poor tile installments can be fixed. If the issue lies in lippage, poorly fitting tiles or excess grout, then the job can be fixed yourself. However, if the problem is serious and potentially hazardous, professional help will be needed. Tile jobs are capable of being fixed.
Broken tiles or cracked expansion joints
Sometimes accidents happen, and we drop things on the floor – not exactly ideal when your flooring is tiled. Heavy items can cause floor tiles to break, or at the very least, cause damage to the grout, and another common issue is cracked expansion joints.
Tile. Tile floors have an incredibly long life expectancy – if they're taken care of. Ceramic tile can easily last 75 to 100 years, while natural stone (like marble or granite) can last well over 100.
Although from a a standard of care point of view, good quality tile installations should not exceed about 1/16" of lippage and should be less if possible. If the tile is irregular in thickness and in its surface cleft, then the allowable lippage can be much greater.
As noted in the first answer above, the surface to be tiled, in your case the floor, must be flat within 1/8” in 10' when measured from the high points of the floor. To achieve this, be sure to use the appropriate patch or self-leveling compound (with the same manufacturer's primer), but never thin set mortar.
Tiles are laid in an even pattern. Wall boards are properly recessed (anchored prior to being placed) Transitions between hardwood, granite and other materials are seamless and clean. Underlayments and subfloors are evenly buffed and polished before laying grout.
Levels between the tiles should be equal; Tile joint spacing should be equal. Tile joints has to be filled with suitable grouts. Check the grout for proper filling, i.e., without gaps, undulations & colour variation. Tile damages & chip offs has to be checked; Colour variation has to be checked.
A trowel is chosen to place just the proper amount of adhesive where it is needed. If the notches are too large, they place too much adhesive which can lead to trowel-mark showthrough and bleeding with tile and excessive indentations with sheet goods. Too much adhesive may cause swelling and buckling of the flooring.
Lippage is a situation referring to the difference in elevation between two adjacent tiles that are installed on the floor or wall¹. The larger the size of the tiles (length is more than 450mm), the higher possibility that they are not completely flat.
There are tolerances for tile lippage. The ANSI A108. 02 standards say that acceptable lippage for floor tiles with a grout joint width of 1/16" to less than 1/4" is 1/32" plus the allowable inherent warpage of the tile.
Again, the wider the grout joint, the more one can minimize tile irregularities and minimize lippage. On the other hand, the more narrow the grout joint, the less one can compensate for irregularities within the tile or its substrate.
Lippage is what you get when adjacent tiles aren't at the same level, with one tile slightly higher, creating a “lip” you can see—and feel (or trip over). Lippage can be caused by a variety of problems, including shoddy workmanship, warped tiles, or an uneven substrate.
In order to fix tile lippage, you have to tear out and replace the tiles.
The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) states “Lippage is a condition where one edge of a tile is higher than an adjacent tile, giving the finished surface an uneven appearance. This condition is inherent in all installation methods and may also be unavoidable due to tile tolerances, in accordance with ANSI A137.
An uneven floor is not only noticeable, but it's also dangerous. Children and adults of all ages are more likely to trip and fall due to an uneven floor. Uneven floors also allow dirt and moisture to enter below the tiles, causing damage and mold buildup.
You can get 40 years out of a ceramic tile floor compared to an average of 10 with luxury vinyl bathroom tiles. All things considered, ceramic edges out LVT for the win as far as durability goes. Now onto proper care and maintenance to extend their lifespans as long as possible.