The debonding and falloff of ceramic tile systems are common failure modes for ceramic finishes of buildings and infrastructures due to the damage accumulation caused by application of mechanical load or changes in environmental conditions. To better understand the mechanism of the damage, a newly developed push-off test was conducted and a quantitative acoustic emission (AE) technique was developed to detect the damage processes during the loading history. The source locations of internal damage were determined by a new three-dimensional algorithm. Test results show that the growth of damage and the onset of failure can be monitored by AE technique. Also, the experimental results indicate that a probability density function of AE activity can be used to quantitatively describe the degree of damage of a material. It was found that the ceramic tile system with a lower strength adhesive displayed a higher AE rate than that with a higher strength adhesive at the same loading level prior to failure.