Movement joints relieve stress between tile and its substrate
Tile is a facade. The Tile Council says movement joints are there to relieve stress when the substrate and the tile expand and contract by different amounts. Every installation needs room for that movement.
Where they go
In a small room a gap at the perimeter, often hidden by base or shoe, can be enough. In a larger area the joints are visible. The FAQ will not name an exact spacing for every job. Handbook detail EJ171 is the guideline. Interior joints are placed more often where moisture or direct sun is expected. Exterior joints have to consider the swing from summer heat to winter cold.
What fills them
The materials FAQ says floor joints in traffic areas are most often urethane, neoprene, or polysulfide, and the sealant needs a Shore hardness of 35 or greater. Silicone is mentioned where traffic is not the concern. A closer-spacing note on the sunlight FAQ says only the warmer zone needs the tighter grid, not the whole floor, if the rest of the floor stays an even temperature.
Source
Fetched 2026-10-11 from Tile Council movement-joint placement FAQ. Also fetched 2026-10-11: Tile Council movement-joint spacing FAQ. Also fetched 2026-10-11: Tile Council movement-joint materials FAQ. The sentences above follow those pages. They are not a contractor promise.
Related notes
- Tile notes index
- A mortar bed is a packed layer, bonded or floating
- Grout joint width is a choice, not one required size
- Floor photos
Send photos if you want another person to look at the area. This note does not set a response time.