Why Flooring Fails in Dubai — and How to Avoid It
The most expensive marble in the world will crack within months if it is laid on a poorly prepared substrate. Yet that is exactly what happens in countless Dubai homes. The screed is uneven, the adhesive is wrong for the tile size, expansion joints are missing, and the result is hollow tiles, cracked grout lines and lippage you can feel underfoot. It is not the material that fails — it is the installation.
Wood flooring presents a different challenge. Dubai's humidity levels swing dramatically between the air-conditioned interior (sometimes as low as 20%) and the ambient environment (regularly above 80%). Solid hardwood cannot cope with this range and will inevitably cup, crown or gap. Even engineered wood will fail if it is not properly acclimatised before installation, if the subfloor moisture is not tested, or if expansion gaps are insufficient. We regularly replace flooring that is less than two years old because the original installer cut corners on preparation.
- Tiles crack and delaminate from poor substrate preparation
- Grout discolours within months from wrong product selection
- Wood floors expand, buckle and gap in Dubai's humidity swings
- Uneven transitions between rooms from inconsistent floor levels
