Walk across the entrance hall and one spot answers back with a dull, hollow knock, as if there's nothing under the tile. That sound means the mortar beneath has lost its grip, or was never spread fully in the first place. Today it's only a noise. Later it becomes a crack, or a raised edge that catches your slipper. Good flooring starts with a sound base, which keeps this from happening at all. If it's already happening, a technician can find the hollow tiles by tapping and re-lay just those before the problem spreads.
Which flooring suits which room
- Ceramic: practical and made in endless designs, right for kitchens, bathrooms, and hallways. Where the floor gets wet, pick a matte or textured finish.
- Porcelain: denser than ceramic and far less absorbent, so it handles heavy foot traffic. Suits living areas, entrances, and open balconies if it's rated for outdoor use.
- Cement tiles: heavy and classic-looking, still common in older buildings. Grinding and polishing can revive them, or the damaged ones can be swapped for a close match.
- Parquet: warm and quiet underfoot, at home in bedrooms and living rooms. Keep it out of kitchens and bathrooms, where water makes it swell.
- Marble: grand and long-lasting when laid well, common in entrances and on stairs. It needs grinding and polishing now and then, and vinegar or lemon juice will etch it.
Laying a floor that won't sound hollow later
- 1Checking the floor levelThe technician checks the floor with a spirit level and a string line to see if it needs evening out first. Tiles laid on a sloping base show it in the joints from day one.
- 2Lifting the old floor and readying the baseOld tiles come up if they're hollow or cracked, and the base is scraped clean of old mortar. Dips and slopes get a leveling layer that's left to dry. In some cases new porcelain can go straight over old tiles that are firm and flat; the technician will say if yours qualify.
- 3Laying with full coverageTiles are set in mortar or adhesive with full coverage underneath and no voids, which is exactly what keeps them from sounding hollow later. Plastic spacers keep the joints even, and parquet gets a small gap at the walls so it has room to expand.
- 4Grout and baseboardsOnce the adhesive sets, the joints are filled with grout close to the tile's shade, and the excess is wiped off before it dries. Then the baseboards go on and leftover mortar is cleaned away.
- 5Letting it cureA new floor needs time before it can take heavy traffic and furniture. The technician will tell you, based on the adhesive used, when you can walk on it and when the sofa and wardrobes can go back. Rushing it is one way to hear that hollow knock again.
Floor problems worth catching early
- A tile that sounds hollow when you tap it with a screwdriver handle or a shoe heel.
- A cracked tile, especially if the crack carries on into the next one.
- Parquet that has swollen or creaks, or boards starting to lift at the edges.
- Joints that wander off line, or a tile edge sitting higher than its neighbor and catching your foot.
- Grout that comes away on the mop when you clean the floor.
- Marble that has lost its shine or shows dull rings where vinegar or juice was spilled.
Film the hollow spot or snap the crack, then attach it to a new request in the Aman Fix app.
Get the app
