Ok...love Ditra...but this cracking around the perimeter of the tile thing is starting to PMO. Anybody else getting a hairline crack around the tiles? First one was over plywood...now...I have one over concrete over heating cables. Grrrrh!

Are you saying the grout is cracking or the thinset between the tiles on the surface of the Ditra ?

Have you changed your installation materials IE: thinset type ?

Can you post any pics?

Hi Randall

This unfortunatly is happening years later. Every tile has a a hairline crack surrounded each tile. I will post pics if I can find my camera. No tile is loose. I will pull one up and take pics. Thanks

Bri, Yes I have seen this happen more so when installing porcelain tiles. I think its caused from foot traffic to soon on the floor. I like to give my floors installed on Ditra a full day to set before grouting. this is not allways the case in new home construction.

Hi Guys,

I just met with a guy I know that works for a very large remodeling company around here in the DC area. To put things in perspective, they gross something like $50 million a year, and all of it is for people that are spending stupid amounts of money on multi-million dollar remodels.

Anyway, virtually no expense is spared on these jobs and now he tells me that they are having some real problems with Ditra. They just tore out several very large floors (~1000 sq ft each) set over Ditra. They are starting to get worried and I think they haven't been getting good answers from the Schluter people. I'm going to try and get more info from him the next time we talk.

Hello Bri & RC,

Did either of you have any more on this issue?

Haven't heard anything more about this problem.

I personally have never had any issues with Ditra.

I've got an installation that I installed a couple of months ago that has hairline cracks. Since they're running generally in a straight line across the room, I suspect they're caused by a high wall in the basement. Just the grout is cracking, not the tile.

You're probably right Kevin ... the wall under the floor might be swelling and expanding different times of the year pushing up on the floor.
Seems like Ditra is over sold by some retailers as a Fix-All product when it is simply only an isolation membrane.

Like I said...I love the stuff...but it won't do miracles I guess. What is really PMO these days, is the amount of tile going down on single layer plywood and wire and scratch coat....and there are no failures. I mean really...it's like the Tilegods hate us.