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Clicking Sound from Tile Wall
Several months ago, I installed a tile wall. I screwed 1/2" Hardiebacker to the studs using 2 1/4" Backer-on screws (long because some of the studs needed furring strips, and I wanted to be sure the screws were into the studs at least an inch) at least every 8 inches, 6 inches on edges, taped and thinset the seams, installed 6x3 ceramic tile with Ardex X77 thinset using a 1/4" x 3/16" V-notch trowel and back buttering every tile. I generally trowel enough mortar on the wall to do 6 to 8 tiles, and coverage on removed tiles looks to be near 100%. And I only mix enough mortar to be used within about 2 hours.
I also sponge down the wall before spreading mortar, and mix the mortar slightly wet (but still within the manufacturer's suggested mixing ratio) due to the Hardie.
When pressed (such as when pressing a tile into place) the wall made clicking sounds - the sort of thing you hear in a wall as a house settles.
I grouted the wall after waiting 2 days, and after grouting the clicking sounds increased considerably (after pushing the grout into the joints), but stopped after a few minutes.
A month or two later, pressing the wall did not cause and noises.
Several months later, for obscure reasons, the wall needed to be taken down and redone. I initially hoped I could salvage the Hardie, but when I tried to remove tiles, either the tiles shattered or they pulled a bug hunk of Hardie off. None of them seemed loose and in no case was I able to cleanly remove a tile, and it seemed as if the mortar was the strongest part of the install.
So now for the question - I have finally gotten around to reinstalling the wall, and I am having the same clicking and popping noises. Is this normal? Is it something to worry about, and if so, is there something in my methodology that seems incorrect?
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Clifton
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