CTaSC

There are likely compounding deficiencies in how the ceramic tile was installed that has led to your problem.  The concrete substrate may not have been properly prepared that has not allowed the tile to bond to the concrete surface.  The installer may not have installed the tiles correctly in how the adhesive was used and he may not have installed expansion joints into the tile work.

If all the tiles are coming loose then they all have to be replaced, but to avoid the same problem a second time then you have to make sure the substrate is properly prepared and the tile is properly installed. Good luck.

Although there is not a specific standard test for chip resistance of ceramic tile, there are tests that can be performed that would suggest whether the ceramic tile is chip resistance or not based on certain physical properties of the ceramic tile.

Chipping can also be the result of the tile having excessive lippage in how the ceramic tile was installed and due to what it might be subjected to during its use such as certain types of chairs, carts and equipment.

Some people will try to put a sealer on the grout joints, but that doesn't waterproof it. It doesn't work. It only makes it more water resistant.

The only thing you could try on, on an experimental basis and if you deem it practical, is to remove the grout joints by cutting them out with a dustless diamond cutting wheel on a grinder.  Clean the joints out thoroughly and fill them with an ASTM C920 sealant (caulking).  This type of caulking is either a full strength silicone or a urethane sealant.  Be sure to also caulk the perimeter of the tile where it runs into walls and tubs with this same sealant.  If the tile is impervious and all the joints are filled with this type of sealant, you might end up with it being waterproof, depending on how good of a job you do.  Good luck.
 

The humidity and moisture is likely contributing to the problem, but it is likely not the primary problem.  It is not likely that the chemicals are contributing to the problem, but it depends on what materials were used in the installation of the marble.  Oxidation of a cementitious thin-set mortar doesn't make sense.  Oxidation is the transfer of electrons from one atom or molecule to the other.  If there was metal or pyrite within the mortar the term might apply.  Size of grout lines should not matter unless the tiles are butted up to each other, but that would only be a contributing factor and not the problem.

If the marble tiles were bonded properly to the concrete block substrate then they should have resisted any movement and at most only cracked.  The fact that they are bulging suggests they have a weak bond attachment and that is more likely the primary problem. There are a variety of reasons of why the marble tiles are not bonded properly.  That type of application should have had a waterproof membrane and should have had expansion joints.  We would have to perform an intrusive inspection to determine how the walls were constructed and determine the causes of the failure. 

When there is a failure it generally is not due to one deficiency, but rather is due to many deficiencies compounding the situation and leading to the failure.

To determine the cause of the failure and to determine how to properly remediate the problem would require an intrusive forensic inspection.  We do have an inspector in the NY area and can perform that inspection for you if it is practical for your to investigate your problem.

When there is a failure it generally is not due to one deficiency, but rather is due to many deficiencies compounding the situation and leading to the failure.

The cold weather certainly could have contributed to the problem, but is not likely the primary factor to your marble failure.  Certainly the fact that your marble tiles were installed over a suspended concrete slab on the 14th floor and the concrete floor has post-tensioned cables within it are likely contributing to the failure.  There are special installation methods recommended over post-tensioned slabs.

The likely primary deficiency is that the marble tiles were not bonded well enough to the floor substrate for any number of reasons.  If the tiles were bonded well then their adhesive would have restrained the tiles from moving when subjected to the apparent stress and the marbles would have cracked rather than debonded.  Further likely compounding and contributing to the problem is you probably don't have adequate expansion joints (movement joints) within the tile installation and at its perimeters.

Stone being a nature made product can come in all sorts of conditions that may or may not be desirable.  Even though the geological classification of two different stone sources are the same, they can be significantly different in appearance and in their physical properties.  

Generally speaking creama marfil, which is actually a limestone, does not have dark spots. 

Because natural stone is expected to vary in color and other visual characteristics the industry standard of care is that samples should be shown to the buyer that represents the range of that particular supply of stone they are purchasing.  If the samples shown on display or that were approved prior to installation did not have the dark spots, then supplying the stone with dark spots would not be reasonable.   Good luck.
 

There could be excessive movement beyond the industry limit of L/360 deflection, but your subfloor description sounds substantial.

There are supposed to be properly designed and installed movement joints/expansion joints at the perimeters, all transitions, and within every 20' to 25' in the field for interior applications.  The lack of movement joints could be a contributing factor.

Sounds like you bonded the tile direct to a wood substrate.  This isn't the best method of installation, but if none correctly will meet industry standards.  There should be gaps between the sheets of plywood and they should be placed off-set from each other and the underlying subfloor.  A special EGP modified thin-set meeting ANSI A118.11 should have been used to bond to the wood.  There can be no contaminates on the wood surface. If the tile was a porcelain or very dense tile then it would take longer to cure particular at the lower temperatures you mentioned.

If the crack is a structural crack then the membrane will not work.  The structural crack would suggest the concrete slab is faulty and needs repaired. 

When tile is installed correctly it will not tent and should not sound hollow. Generally speaking when there is a failure it is not due to a single deficiency, but rather due to compounding deficiencies.  Generally speaking when a tile sounds hollow in some areas and not other areas it is an indication it has lost bond to its substrate.  When a tile tents (lifts up off floor in certain areas) it is an indication the tile was not properly bonded to its substrate for various potential reasons, which is the primarly problem. There may be a bond breaker contaminate on the substrate or on the back of the tile.  There could be a problem with the adhesive in that it was allowed to skin over and lose its ability to bond adequately.   Not having adequate movement joints (expansion joints) installed in the floor could be a contributing factor causing the failure.  There are probably other compounding factors contributing to the failure.  It is important to find out what is wrong before you repair or reinstall the tile to avoid another failure. 
 

Often people misunderstand the definition of or the condition of hydrostatic pressure and wrongly associate it to a moisture problem.  Hydrostatic pressure in effect is where the water table is higher than the point where the water is being forced up from.  Sometimes this could be a significant pressure and sometimes not.

The answer to the question of how to remediate a hydrostatic problem is it depends on what the condition is and what is the source of the hydrostatic condition.

Using vapor retarders under slabs and constructing French perimeter drains to control the flow of the water can work in some cases, but it depends on what are the conditions. 
 

It is not the homeowner's responsibility to know whether a stone is suitable for an application.  The supplier or fabricator of the stone is suppose to be the expert and  know whether a stone is suitable for the application.  If the stone gets damaged or breaks for any reason during the fabrication or installation it is not the home owners responsibility, but rather the fabricator's responsibility and risk, and they then need to replace the slab at their expense.

It is common for the home owner to approve the slab of stone for color and other visual characteristics before it is fabricated, but it is the responsibility of the fabricator to make sure the slab will withstand the fabrication process and the installation process and that it is installed in a manner where with normal use it will perform as intended. 

It is not reasonable to expect a home owner to know what the physical properties of the stone are or to be able to recognize any signs of defects within the stone. It is assumed that the seller of the granite is providing you with a standard grade granite that will meet the respective minimums and maximum physical properties per ASTM C615.    Good luck with resolving your situation.
 

If the grout is cracking it is likely due to the brick or floor moving excessively.  Either the brick is loose and when walked upon causes movement and the grout to crack, or the subfloor was not properly prepared and there is too much deflection within the floor causing the grout to crack.

We perform forensic investigations nationwide and have inspectors in most major markets, but if the area is just the size of a kitchen it may not be practical for you to retain our services to investigate the situation to determine what went wrong and how to remediate it.  Good Luck!
 

Chances are when the tile was installed it was not installed per industry standards and it has several compounding defects.  Generally speaking when there is a problem it is not due to one single factor, but due to compounding defects.  Keep in mind that most installers do not learn their trade from a college or trade school, but rather learn on the job, so quite often they are not familiar with industry standards or the complexity of high risk applications such as a water fountain that needs to be properly waterproofed.  When there are failures we commonly find the installers do not properly prepare their substrates.  The fountain has to be treated like a shower pan for waterproofing.  We generally find the membrane isn't properly installed.  We find that the installers don't back butter their tiles with the thin-set to ensure they get 95% to 100% attachment or/and that they don't properly key the thin-set into the back of the tile to ensure an adequate attachment.  Often there are not adequate expansion joints (movement joints) installed in the building and they may not be properly designed or installed correctly.  There are other factors too.  

The only way to determine the extent of the problem and how to remediate it is to perform an intrusive inspection (destructive).  It is important to determine if the problem is an anomally or is it wide spread.

Chances are when the tile was installed it was not installed per industry standards and it has several compounding defects.  Generally speaking when there is a problem it is not due to one single factor, but due to compounding defects.  Keep in mind that most installers do not learn their trade from a college or trade school, but rather learn on the job, so quite often they are not familiar with industry standards or the complexity of high risk applications such as swimming pools and spas that needs to be properly waterproofed.  When there are failures we commonly find the installers do not properly prepare their substrates.  The pool has to be treated like a shower pan for waterproofing.  We generally find the membrane isn't properly installed.  We find that the installers don't back butter their tiles with the thin-set to ensure they get 95% to 100% attachment or/and that they don't properly key the thin-set into the back of the tile to ensure an adequate attachment.  Often there are not adequate expansion joints (movement joints) installed in the building and they may not be properly designed or installed correctly.  There are other factors too.  

The only way to determine the extent of the problem and how to remediate it is to perform an intrusive inspection (destructive).  It is important to determine if the problem is an anomally or is it wide spread.

Chances are when the exterior veneer was installed it was not installed per industry standards and it has several compounding defects.  Generally speaking when there is a problem it is not due to one single factor, but due to compounding defects.  Keep in mind that most installers do not learn their trade from a college or trade school, but rather learn on the job, so quite often they are not familiar with industry standards or the complexity of high risk applications such as an exterior veneer.  When there are failures we commonly find the installers do not properly prepare their substrates to make sure they get an adequate attachment to it.  We find that the installers don't back butter their tiles with the thin-set to ensure they get 95% to 100% attachment or/and that they don't properly key the thin-set into the back of the tile to ensure an adequate attachment.  Often there are not adequate expansion joints (movement joints) installed in the building and they may not be properly designed or installed correctly.  There are other factors too.  

The only way to determine the extent of the problem and how to remediate it is to perform an intrusive inspection (destructive).  It is important to determine if the problem is an anomaly or is it wide spread where more tiles are likely to fall and create a major safety hazard.

Chances are when the tile was installed it was not installed per industry standards and it has several compounding defects.  Generally speaking when there is a problem it is not due to one single factor, but due to compounding defects.  Keep in mind that most installers do not learn their trade from a college or trade school, but rather learn on the job, so quite often they are not familiar with industry standards or the complexity of high risk applications such as an exterior deck that needs to be properly waterproofed.  When there are failures we commonly find the installers do not properly prepare their substrates.  The deck has to be treated like a shower pan for waterproofing.  We generally find they don't install a preslope over the waterproof membrane, or they don't have drains, or the membrane isn't properly installed, and the finish tile surface isn't sloped correctly.  We find that the installers don't back butter their tiles with the thin-set to ensure they get 95% to 100% attachment or/and that they don't properly key the thin-set into the back of the tile to ensure an adequate attachment.  Often there are not adequate expansion joints (movement joints) installed in the building and they may not be properly designed or installed correctly.  There are other factors too.  

The only way to determine the extent of the problem and how to remediate it is to perform an intrusive inspection (destructive).  It is important to determine if the problem is an anomally or is it wide spread.

Chances are when the shower was installed it was constructed incorrectly.  Generally speaking when there is a problem it is not due to one single factor, but due to compounding defects.  Keep in mind that most installers do not learn their trade from a college or trade school, but rather learn on the job, so quite often they are not familiar with industry standards or the complexity of waterproofing a shower.  We commonly find the installers do not provide a presloped surface under the waterproof membrane which will cause the water to not flow to the drain and sometimes it is negatively sloped away from the drain.  We find the installers don't always properly weld the shower pan waterproof membrane seams or they penetrate the membrane with nails and screws.  We often find the installer doesn't put a weep hole protector around the drain that results in the weep holes being plugged.  This then causes water to stay trapped on the shower pan liner and if there is a flaw in the membrane seams the water can leak out of the shower.  There are other factors too.  Often the collateral damages from the water leaking outside of the shower and damaging other materials is much more expensive than the damages to the shower itself.

To repair your leak will require intrusively (destructively) inspecting the shower pan at the critical points to see if the defect can be found and to determine if it can be repaired without removing the whole shower.

As far as the unprofessional work goes you need to verify if it just aesthetics or if it is functionally defective.  Then you need to verify if it meets industry standards and the standard-of-care for professional installers.  If the work is unsatisfactory then you should consider stopping the job, because it is much more expensive to have to replace an installation.  It may be necessary for you to retain an attorney.

We do have inspectors in Florida and we could evaluate your installation to determine if it appears to be within the standards and if there are any problems we can offer recommendations on how to remediate the problems.

As an expert witness and forensic investigator we do charge for our time during the whole process. Depending on the extent of your problem, it may or may not be practical for you to employ our full forensic and quality control services.

The cost for our services will vary more or less depending on how much material we have to review and how long it takes to review it, the inspector’s travel time, travel expenses, how much time is spent on the inspection, how many different issues, areas and locations we have to evaluate and document, how much testing is performed and evaluated, and how much time is spent preparing, researching and writing the report or preparing other correspondence.
 

Having water coming up through the grout is not normal and could suggest there is hydrostatic pressure from the water contributing to the problem. So moisture could be the primary cause of the problem or a contributing factor.

If it is ceramic tile and it has chipped you can't really repair it other than try to temporarily fix it by painting the chips with epoxy paint.

If it is a natural stone then cleaning it and then sealing it might help, but for there to be excessive moisture on the wall to cause it would suggest there may be some bigger problems under the tile that is allowing the moisture to collect there.  Good Luck.
 

If in fact the glaze is wearing then you can get some epoxy paint that matches the color and paint over it.  You can remove those tiles and reinstall some sort of an contrasting accent or decorative tile that will not look out of place.  Good luck.
 

Since your tile installation is over a concrete slab that is generally much more ridged then I would not expect movement to be contributing to the problem.  If you don't have any loose tiles or cracking within your tiles then I would not expect that your slab has any structural problems.  If your slab has excessive moisture vapor passing through you might get some efflorescence (white residue) staining problems, but it wouldn't hurt the cementitious grout and the added moisture could help your grout get harder. You might not have proper installed movement joints at the perimeters of the room and within every 20 to 25 feet throughout the tiled areas, but that might lead to grout cracking, but not making it become soft.  So I would have to guess that they either used a low quality grout with less cement and/or they used too much water in the grout and during the clean up the first time and then again the second time.

The only way to fully understand your situation would be to perform a forensic investigation to evaluate the tile assembly to determine the substrate conditions and how the tile was installed to determine if it was installed per the industry standards.  Your problem may be limited or there may be other problems that have not been noticed.  It may be necessary to evaluate the grout in a testing laboratory to understand its physical properties and what may have led to or contributed to its failure. 

If the hollow sounding spots are voids then if something heavy and pointed is dropped or rolled on those unsupported spots then they will be susceptible to cracking or crushing. Corners of floor tile are particular susceptible to breaking when not fully supported by the thin-set. The ANSIA A108 industry standards state that floor tile for residential use should have at least 80% thin-set (adhesive) contact, but all of the corners and edges of those tiles have to have 100% thin-set contact (support).  For interior wet areas (showers), exterior applications, and interior commercial applications the thin-set coverage should be 95% with full contact at edges and corners.  Voids in the back of tile will tend to collect moisture that then can lead to other problems such as efflorescence stains or freeze thaw damages.  Good Luck.
 

You could hire a qualified and experienced stone restoration company and refinish the floor.  They can grind up some of the travertine tile and add it to a resin or cementitious compound to fill the voids during their grinding and refinishing process.

Another approach is to thoroughly clean those divots and fill them with a polymer modified cementitious sanded tile grout that is close to or a complimentary color match to the stone.  The divots have to be deep enough for the grout to lodge itself in as well as bond to the stone.  Some people who buy the travertine unfilled will use the same grout to fill the tile joints to fill all of the voids within the tile surface.  You can use a matching color grout or contrasting depending on the look you want. Good Luck.
 

Some stones can be subjected to shrinkage during its installation causing the stone to compress that result in what we can indent fractures.  You normally can only see them at a certain angle as light shines on them and you can't feel them when you rub your finger over them.  These intent fractures can turn into actual cracks if there is excessive movement in the floor.  If there are cracks in the floor and you have moisture trapped in the shower pan because maybe the weep holes are plugged that would result in high vapor moisture passing through the cracks that could lead to a calcium type of build up in the cracks.

We would need to perform an intrusive inspection to determine what has caused those conditions.   Good Luck.
 

It is not uncommon for natural stone to have veins and areas of different mineral content that causes color differences, which is part of the nature of many stones.

Although, it is within the standard of care for the stone industry that the slab of stone is viewed and approved by the owner before it is fabricated and installed.  That is one of benefits of working with slab stone and fabricators, because you can actually pick out the slab of your choice.

If the sample you viewed for selecting your stone did not show the full range of various characteristics of this stone, then the supplier did not properly represent the material to you.  Good Luck.
 

Either the tile was not installed correctly in the first place and the flood caused the tile to expand  causing stress that then contributed to the tile debonding and then perhaps the cracking was caused from walking on loose tiles, or there are other factors that can only be determined by performing a forensic intrusive inspection.  Visit our Forensic Services section of this website for information on having your problem investigated, which may or may not be practical considering the cost for those services.

There could be other factors involved too that may contribute to the tile floor failure when subjected to flooding. Normally when there is a failure it is due to compounding factors.

If it was installed over a water sensitive substrate such as wood or a gypsum underlayment or with a water sensitive adhesive such as mastic the
water could have caused those products to react in a way to cause or contribute to the tile cracking and debonding.  Also if movement joints (expansion joints) were not properly installed it could have contributed to the problem.  Good Luck.

The industry standards and the normal response from manufacturers of thin-set mortars is that an epoxy thin-set should be used to install resin back stones. 

In some cases, some thin-set manufacturers will test specific resin back stones with their high performance polymer or latex modified thin-sets and if the results are good enough they will recommend the respective thin-set for the particular resin back stone.
 

Saltillo tiles are very absorbing tiles and some are made better than others in terms of their lasting performance.   The tiles should not debond because they were subjected to water, unless there was a hydrostatic condition.  That means when the water source level is higher than the tile surface and it comes up from under the tile causing a pressure that causes the tile to debond.  That is rare, but it can happen.  Normally in floods the water comes from above the tile.

The tiles may not have been installed properly or over the proper substrate and in that case if it were subjected to a flood it may have caused the tiles to debond, where if there hadn't been a flood they would have stayed attached.

The only way to determine why the tiles debonded is to intrusively remove tiles of various conditions and investigate the problem.  We do have inspectors located near most markets nationwide and can perform an investigation to to determine the problem and how to remediate it. 
 
As forensic investigators we do charge for our time during the whole process .  Depending on the extent of your problem, it may or may not be practical for you to employ our full forensic services.   Good Luck!

Sometimes the acid etching is done intentionally to tiles that are too slippery and the treatment makes the tile more textured and slip resistant.  The trade off is it makes the tile look different and it tends to get dirty and you have to clean it more frequently.

The grout was likely over watered when mixed and during the clean-up that can result in diminishing the cement content causing the grout to be weaker and possibly powder (turn to a grout dust).

There is a possible compounding issue that the floor has too much deflection and movement within it.  The movement maybe excessive due to the floor not being constructed to be as structurally sound as it should be, which could be caused by a number to different issues.

If the floor doesn't have expansion joints every 20 to 25 feet in each direction and along the perimeter of the floor at restraining surfaces this could further contribute to the problem.

The grout maybe the primary problem and the movement secondary, and maybe regrouting might solve the problem.  Or it maybe the other way around and regrouting won't help because the floor has too much movement.

There is an ASTM F-1869 Calcium Chloride Vapor Transmission test that can be performed by a qualified third party to determine how much moisture vapor is coming through your concrete slab floor.  There is also an ASTM F-2170 Relative Humidity (RH) test method that can be performed to determine how much moisture is in your slab.  This information will tell you if the level of moisture is acceptable relative to the installation products and methods you are using.

Moisture by itself normally does not harm ceramic tiles, particularly if it was installed per industry standards.  Depending on how the tile was installed and with what materials, the moisture can affect the components that can lead to problems.   When there is a tile failure, such as the tiles coming loose, it is normally due to multiple factors rather than one problem such as moisture.

You need to determine if the moisture is excessive or not.  Ceramic tile can take a lot more moisture than hardwood.  If the moisture is excessive then you need to know where it is coming from to minimize it. Maybe from the landscape adjacent to the house or? There are moisture barriers that can be installed to minimize moisture depending on what type of moisture condition you have.  The moisture problem can be fixed if the source of the moisture is found.

The only way to determine if your floor has sustained damages is to intrusively remove small sections of the floor and look for evidence of damages.

Porcelain tile is impervious so water would not migrate through it, but it could migrate to some degree through your cementitious grout joints.   The tile would not significantly expand from the water because it is impervious.   The ceramic tile itself would not be harmed by the water condition.

Tenting of floors is primarily caused by a deficient tile bond and lack of expansion joints or movement within the floor would secondarily contribute to the problem.

The legitimate cork sound control mats being sold are not affected by water because of its binders and the way it is made.  If it were not a legitimate cork product then it could retain moisture and lead to microbial growth if it didn't dry quickly.  

Because the water could only migrate through the grout joints, I am not sure if the underlying materials would be that damp or saturated or anything in between.  If there were voids under the tile within the thin-set adhesive then it might further perpetuate water migration into the underlayment.

I would be concerned about your non-tile walls that are likely a paper face gypsum product that is very prone to water damage.

Again, the only way to determine if your floor assembly has been damaged by the flooding is to perform an inspection.  We could only make the comments I have given you in a letter, since we don't have any evidence showing whether there is a problem or not. 

I can say that the stone will not crack unless it is subjected to some force or action.  Cracks can develop if the substrate below is cracked and it continues up through the stone.  It can also crack if there are voids under the stone and as it is traveled over the live loads cause it to crack.

Because you said the cracks seem to follow the veins and that it appears to you that resin is coming to the surface, then I would consider that you may have excessive moisture in the substrate and vapor transmission through the stone is leading to crystallization in those veins.  The expansive nature of crystallization may then be causing the cracking in those joints.

Ceramic tile should be able to withstand being submerged in hot water. What probably happened is that the floor tile was a more porous ceramic tile and as it absorbed water and was subjected to heat the tile expanded. Per industry standards there should be properly placed expansion joints at the perimeter of the room and throughout the installation to allow the tile to move. If the thin-set used was not high quality and if it didn't get as good of bond as it should have then it would further contribute to causing the tenting problem.

Keep in mind that flooding could cause the ceramic tile to stain, depending on what type of tile you have, and it can cause the grout to stain. It could also cause adjacent materials i.e. wood to expand and cause unreasonable pressure on the existing tile that would further contribute to the problem. Also if is has a wood sub floor that got wet then it could expand from the moisture and then warp when drying that could cause tenting problems.

Shrinkage cracks in the concrete slab can telegraph up through the tile.

Structural cracks normally have vertical displacement and is a concrete slab or ground problem.

Some cracks are the result of excessive voids under the tile that have been subjected to some point load that the tile couldn't resist.

Cracks don't repair themselves, so replacement would be the solution, however, analyzing what is below the travertine will let one know
why they have cracked and how to remedy the problem, so they don't happen again.

It is our experience that failures occur due to several compounding problems and not because of one issue.  Your situation would need to be fully evaluated to determine what lead to the problem and how best to remediate it.

Often these types of stones are very colorful with a lot of movement and desirable by the consumer.

Many of these stones are less stable than good quality granite so they are treated with a resin at the processing plant to provide more stability during transportation and fabricating.

Granite is an intrusive igneous rock composed of 25% to 35% quartz and over 50% potassium and sodium—rich feldspars, with about 20% minerals.

Granite and these other stones will vary in their physical properties depending on where it is mined relative to which part of the world, which quarry and which location within the quarry it was extracted.

There are physical properties standards for Granite per ASTM C615 for it to be considered standard grade granite.  The absorption of the granite must be between 0.02 and 0.40 percent, which makes it very stain resistant.  Granite is resistant to acidic material that will etch some stone surfaces leaving stains. Granite and other types of stone are very resistant to heat, but if it has been treated with a resin it may not be as resistant, but it is known to be resistant to heat with quality resins.

The resin coating on the slabs that have it can stain or smudge when subjected to certain materials or conditions.

If your stone slab is readily absorbing water and other liquids then it is high in absorption and likely not a true granite. 

The only way to know for sure what you have and its physical properties is to test it, which could cost several thousand dollars.

You can apply sealers that will help make the stone more stain resistant, but they only work if material does not sit on the surface too long and that it is reapplied about every 6 months.

Good Luck!

Unfortunately there isn’t any way to repair these spots if in fact they are etched spots. You will need to replace those tiles with new tiles. Good Luck!

Tile countertop installations should last the life of the home if they are installed correctly.  The fact that your grout has cracked and water has migrated to the wood base indicates it was not installed correctly.  The only way to fix it is to redo the counter top correctly.  Good Luck!

The ring shape spots of moisture suggest to me that you may have spot bonded the tiles, which isn't recommended.  The tiles should have full thin-set contact.  The spot bond areas are probably retaining moisture and the moisture is migrating into the stone at those locations, and until they dry out the spots will show.  Basalt is normally very dense, so I'm surprised that the stone is absorbing, but you implied that the stone does absorb.

If you said the adhesive was a mastic then I would think that the oils in the mastic might have migrated into the stone, but that would not dry out.

The only way to speed it up is to heat the tile at those spots and see what happens. Consider using an electrical heat gun with high heat intensity and see what happens. 

Good Luck!

If some of the tiles sound hollow, but others sound solid then it is likely that the tile was not bonded adequately to the substrate and it has come loose to some degree.
 
To qualify the condition of your floor would require performing a forensic investigation to determine the cause of the problems, to determine if the installations meet industry standards and the standard-of-care for professional installers, and to determine how best to remediate the problems.  
 
CTaSC does provide those investigation services throughout the country, but for a small bathroom it wouldn’t be financially practical because as consultants and investigators we charge for our time including travel time, inspection time, and time to research and write the report.  This service normally cost between $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the amount of time involved including the distance from our closest inspector.  I think we do have an inspector within a couple of hours of your location.
 
If you only have a small area then I think your best bet would be to try and find an installer who is knowledgeable and qualified to repair or replace the floor.  If you want to pursue restitution from the original installer then you should consider going through the better business bureau or small claims court systems.  Good Luck!

It can be repaired and likely will look as good as new if a qualified and competent stone fabricator does the repair.  They can align the slab to be level and properly supported, and then they can re-epoxy and clamp the piece together.  Then they can finish the surface so it looks acceptable.

Good Luck!

It could be the tile had voids or was not bonded correctly.  If it is an isolated spot then you can repair it fairly easy.

If the crack is telegraphing up from the mortar bed where the radiant heating is embedded then it would require repairing or replacing the mortar bed.  Whether you have to replace the radiant heating depends on what type of radiant heating you have.

There is no way to easily answer your question.  If it is a small application you should hire a qualified installer to look at it for you.  If it is a larger application where it may justify paying for our services then we could investigate it for you.

Good Luck!

There is a chance that the whole floor may need to be replaced.  Certain types of wood sub-floors will be more susceptible to damage than others.

You can wait and see, by letting the floor complete dry out for a month or so and then see if there is any damage in terms of cracked grout or tile.

If you have problems then you may have to replace both the tile and wood sub-floor depending on the condition of the wood.  Wood does tend to loose some of its structural strength after it has gotten wet.  If the wood is determined to be substantially suitable, then you can apply a cementitious mortar bed backer board over it for the installation of your new tile.

Good Luck!