Loose ceramic tiles after this week’s freeze

No signs of water anywhere. The house is almost 40 years old. And The ceramic tile was laid about 15 years ago. And yes, I’m in southern LA. I hope you’re right!

Same thing happened to me a few years back. No water lines in that area and there have been no repercussions since.

See from Google:

Can cold weather cause tile to crack?
As the ground freezes and thaws, moisture levels change, which causes subfloors and tiles to expand, contract and, in some cases, even crack. However, with the proper installation materials, you can have your tiles withstand this onslaught for much longer with little to no trouble.

I wouldn't worry about a busted pipe.

A floor guy can fix your loose tiles. Tap on the floor with a broom handle and you can hear which ones are loose.

Ask the flooring guy to put a membrane under those he replaces. It will allow some movement without popping loose again.

Yea that is really just an indication that cheap thin set was used when laying the floors. It's not uncommon. Glad you didn'thave a busted pipe.

A lot of flooring guys install with a thin set called CustomBlend, it's a very cheap product. A lot of times it works perfectly fine and you never have any issues, but it doesn't hold up as well in extreme temperatures and doesn't set properly when laid at a temp that is too cold or too hot. Buying a product called VersaBond (same company, just $7 more a bag), gives you a much better bond and if installed properly, won't ever have an issue like this.

Just something to know in case you ever install new floors in the future. Let your flooring guy know that is what you want used. Will usually only run you about $0.25 a square foot more, but more than worth it.

The tiles can pop and delaminate from the concrete in times of cold. The temp causes enough expansion in the slab that the mortar just pops free. It's often a loud/violent sound when it occurs.

The drought has also led to excessive settlement in lots of homes.

My 20 year old house (slab on grade, no Post Tension) has a few tape joint cracks in the garage ceiling that are new and also one hollow, loose ceramic tile in the kitchen, all new just this year.

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Yea that is really just an indication that cheap thin set was used when laying the floors. It's not uncommon.

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This. Happened 3 times at my house over the last 7 years, all during or shortly after extreme cold snaps. Finally pulled up all the tile last summer and put down LVP. Should have done it a long time ago.

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Usually tile is installed after cabinets

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Two schools of thought on this.
I prefer the other way. Tile first, then cabinets. You use a few more tiles ( cheap), but you have a lot less labor involved ( not cheap).
Plus you get a cleaner look, shoe molding is now optional.

Eh, I'm not a contractor but I've laid enough tile. If a bunch of tiles popped you could blame the thinset. This was likely just a couple of tiles that had poor adhesion due to sloppy tile job. It happens, not everyone is perfect and it doesn't mean your tile guy sucks.

There's no perfect flooring option.

If your tile actually did pop up it should be loose and its fairly easy to lay it back down. Matching the grout is the most difficult part.

1.) Remove popped tile
2.) Find 5-10 random extra tiles everyone has somewhere in the garage or attic leftover
3.) Use hammer drill or hand chisel to remove thinset from flooring
4.) Re set tile

One or two random popped tiles is a hell of a lot easier to fix than many issues with other types of flooring.