Movement joists are a very important element of the tile assembly for absorbing structural movement and preventing cracks and tile delimitation. Fortunately, they could be camouflaged and have a minimal impact on aesthetics. As opposed to commercial projects, movement joist are rarely used in private renovation projects. This is due to the lack of technical knowledge from designers, general contractors and unqualified tile setters. However, failure to incorporate them could have serious consequences, even when using an uncoupling membrane. Concrete floors with large cracks, floors extensions, different substrates junctions, room’s perimeter, columns, door steps, and changes between horizontal and vertical planes are all examples for movement joints. Different types of movement joints exist and their implementation is different for vertical and horizontal movements.
