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How regrout damp area of shower base?

Hello Community,

While removing old silicone, found out this place (marked in the photo) is little damp. And if I use dryer then little water is coming out of the grout (possibly from under the tile?). If I don't use dryer, then no water but that dampness is still there in that area where wall meets floor base.

I have not observed any leak issues in surrounding places (nor any warning signs before I start this project) but the grout is old and maintenance needed. Attached full view & close up pictures where you can see little shining damp area. Tried to remove shower handle to check whether any leak with cartridge but it does not show any water.

How can I handle this problem ?

Full pictureDampness area

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EricL

Hello @ppp

If there are no signs of leaks along the outside vicinity of the shower, it's possible that this could be just water that has gone through the grout and has settled onto the waterproofing membrane of the shower. By re-grouting the tiles and re-sealing the edges with silicone you should get a new positive seal for your shower. My best advice is to seal the grout with CPC 220ml Shower Plug Sealant. This will seal the grout and prevent water from passing through it.

Before you begin to grout, I also suggest leaving the tile gap open for several days to allow the water to evaporate. Make sure the shower door is open and that there is adequate air circulation passing through the shower area. Once the area appears to be dry enough, you can then begin grouting the tiles.

However, if the water begins to rise even further then odds are there is a leak occurring somewhere inside your shower assembly. I recommend engaging the services of a leak detection specialist to track down the source of the water leak.

Let me call on our experienced members @Nailbag and @Dave-1 for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

Dave-1

Good Evening @ppp

I am thinking that the substrate may have soaked up a bunch of water, @EricL's suggestion to let it dry for a bit is a good idea to start with. If its Still damp after a few days then the next step I would do is to get someone in to see where and how far the water may have traveled. (leak detection spealist) It is a pain to keep looking into what caused such and such but if you regrout without knowing then you may end up in a world of pain down the track.

If you have access under the shower stall you can do what an assor did when seeing if my old shower was leaking and block the drain, fill up the area and then go under to see if it was leaking. And yeah mine was leaking like niagra falls.

Dave

Nailbag

Hi @ppp

Firstly the most noticeable concern is there is no silicone surrounding the mixer where it protrudes through the tiles. Water running down the wall can easily penetrate behind the mixer handle decorative plate internally down the wall.

If this is the case, then your waterproofing is already compromised which is something I take very seriously. Due to the potential more serious flow on issues I have personally experienced I highly advise you source either a leak detection device to establish internal water ingress (This is what I would do), or a shower restoration company.

Nailbag

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