What is an anti crack membrane?

An anti crack membrane, also known as anti fracture membrane or decoupling membrane, is a barrier placed between the tiles and the substrate. This ensures that any movement or cracks, caused by movement, are isolated and do not transfer through to the tiles. This is particularly important if you are tiling onto substrates such as timber floors.

Anti crack membranes such as Durabase CI++ and Anti Crack Mat Pro eliminate the risk of tiles cracking or becoming loose when subjected to lateral movement. This is achieved by one side of the matting having a fleece like decoupling layer. When the substrate expands or contracts this fleece layer can decouple from the mat above. This means the movement of the substrate is not passed through to the tiles on the top which stops them from cracking. As tiles have become larger anti crack membranes have become even more important due to there being fewer grout joints, which are basically small expansion joints. For further information check out our range of anti crack membranes and accessories here.