Hi everyone…..We have neglected to regrout our tiles when we noticed some was coming out in the shower recess. By the time hubby decided to try to do it he scraped some out of the bottom corner and some water dribbled out. We would like to get an expert to determine if there is water behind the tiles before we reseal them. I am worried that companies may tell us we need a new bathroom when it may not be the case. We had the shower completely redone which included waterproofing four years ago. If there are any experts out there I'd be really grateful if you'd share some knowledge with me. We have stopped using the shower for about a week now so also would be interested to know how long would it take to dry before you can regrout. Any advice and/or recommendation will be gratefully received. We are in Hills district Sydey. Thanks for reading my post.
Regrouting and Advice Re Small Leak
Comments
If you had the bathroom done 4 years ago and it needs regrouting that doesn't bode well for the quality. If there is still warranty left you may want to call upon it.
I regrouted our shower tiles after 15 years (and that was just to reset my losing battle against mould spots).
We had a reputable company remove the tiles and waterproof the shower 4 years ago. But I really think the problem is that we neglected to replace the grout when some fell out. There is a lot of movement due to a lot of clay around our area and we lost a fair bit of grout which we neglected to do something about immediately.
It shouldn’t be grout in the corner, it should be silicone. You can get matching silicone from Ardex.
http://cdn.ardexaustralia.com/pdf/Spec%20Sheets/ARDEX%20SE%2…
Not an expert, so happy to be corrected.
Tile grout is not waterproof, so water behind the tiles is not unusual, in fact, normal.
If you had the shower waterproofed 4 years ago, then, before the waterproofing is applied, a puddle flange should have been fitted, which will drain away any water that comes through the grout to the waterproofing membrane. You can't stop moisture coming through the grout, but you can ensure it drains away.
Just regrout your tiles, make sure the silicone joint on the corner edging etc is sound, and you will be fine.