Recently, a resident complained that part of his floor tiles have cracked and pop up. It's frightening when the tiles started to pop up suddenly and the loud cracking sound it made. In the tile business, this is called "tenting." It's called so because two rows of tiles pitched together to form a peak.
Tile specialist websites stated that there are several reasons but the main reason for tenting is the lack of 'movement accommodation'. All matters and substance expand or contract with the changes in temperature. And different material has different rate of expansion and contraction. In this case, the concrete floor have a higher degree of expansion (and contraction) than the ceramic tiles.
Tiles laid too closely together will, sooner or later, pop up. Skilled tile setters will leave a gap between tiles, enough to accommodate these movements to avoid tenting. Employing 'soft joints' at specific intervals for a larger area helps to divide-up the area and lessen the effects of the movement. If properly done, ceramic tile flooring can last forever.
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