The “Hollow Tile” Problem in Nocatee
Why builder-grade installations are failing in Coastal Oaks and Twenty Mile, and how to fix the slab correctly.
Many Nocatee homeowners are noticing a disturbing trend: tiles that sound hollow when walked on. As the premier provider of flooring removal in St. Johns County, we see these failures specifically in homes built between 2015-2020.
The Cause: “Spot Bonding”
In the rush to build thousands of homes, some installers used “spot bonding”—applying blobs of mortar instead of full coverage. In our humid Florida climate, this causes tiles to pop loose (delaminate) from the slab.
The Fix: Surgical Removal
You cannot simply patch these tiles. The underlying thinset must be ground off to expose the bare concrete. We use National 5700 ride-on scrapers to remove the failed flooring without damaging your slab’s integrity.
- ✓ Dust-Free Grinding (Protects HVAC)
- ✓ Crack Isolation Membrane Prep
- ✓ Ready for Large Format Porcelain