How serious is the damage to my shower after discovering a leak while trying to remove grout?
Asked by Josefina Garrido 
2 months ago
Last Updated: October 31, 2024
How bad is this situation? I bought this house with the Home Depot shower and now I’m seeing some stains on the shower floor. I started taking out the grout to check for leaks, and I found one. I think that red stuff is the water barrier and it’s just hanging loose in there. I don’t even see a barrier on the sheet rock. Looks like I’ll have to do some serious demo work.
You won’t realize the extent of the problem until you investigate further. Have you checked the crawl space? We had a similar experience with a leaky tub and faulty pipes that the inspector missed.
You have to listen to this guy.
Recently my wife and I purchased another property that had been completely renovated. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single inspection done. Within just 2 weeks, we discovered about 6 leaks, a number of electrical problems (luckily, fixing those was a breeze for me haha), and various other issues. It seems like the bank must have hired local handymen to do the renovations, as they used high-quality materials but the workmanship was subpar in most areas. The inspectors missed 95% of the problems we’ve encountered so far. Makes me wonder about their certifications sometimes lol.
It was a complete nightmare. I had to remove all the flooring, fix some pipes, Sheetrock, reinforce some joists, and install a new tub surround. But after a year, it’s finally all completed.
Thank goodness we caught it quickly. One of the leaks was in the second-floor wall between the kitchen and shower in a multi-family building. The plumbing joint wasn’t tightened properly and was leaking water into the first-floor bathroom lights. The other leaks were just pex leaks, one in the first-floor bathroom vanity which ruined the vanity before anyone noticed. We managed to fix everything in about 90 days, even with people living there and doing most of the work ourselves. The main issue was the improper pitch on the main trunk line in the basement, which caused problems. I had no plumbing experience, but our plumber couldn’t come for a few weeks and no one else would take it on.
Seems like a demolition is needed.
Well, even though I can’t offer any advice, I find comfort in knowing I’m not the only one who bought a property with a seemingly new bathroom only to discover it’s rotted beneath the floor joists! Definitely an unexpected demo.
So did you hire Home Depot for the job? They usually have a roster and subcontractors do the actual work. But did they follow through with that?
Ez I have a feeling the previous homeowner used supplies from places like Home Depot. The overall quality of the work is quite poor. I was planning on demolishing it eventually, but now I have to speed up my timeline.
I get it now. Yeah, that looks pretty bad.
Was the home inspected by a licensed inspector? They should have caught that.
We had the home inspected previously, but the stains were not present at that time. I think the grout must have broken down or not sealed properly.
It’s clear that they overlooked something, . They should have tested for moisture before going ahead with the company.
Not all home inspectors are the same, . Some are more knowledgeable and have better tools like thermal cameras to check for water leaks after running the shower, while others might just suggest getting a licensed contractor for further inspection. Haha. And maintenance is key too, especially for first-time home buyers. They should take a basic maintenance class, lol.
Is that a bench there?
Yes, it’s the bench from the shower. I believe the lack of proper gradient caused water to pool, making it even worse.
Those joints really needed to be caulked and maintained regularly, simply using grout wasn’t enough.
It seems like a complete renovation is necessary. Prepare yourself for the high levels of moisture you may find, along with other potential damages.
Oh no, that’s not good. I have someone coming by on Monday to check for mold and bacteria, just to be safe.
The issue is that it’s likely behind the tile and backer board. I’ve removed showers that sat unused for six months and found them to be soaked behind the tile and backer board.
Bill Matterazzo Why are you so upset, man?
Remove it carefully. It’s finished. Quick fixes won’t work in this situation. Once mold appears, everything needs to be removed.
Looks like you’re going to have to do a full gut job. I remember dealing with a similar issue in an older house where the tub was leaking, causing water to seep out through the outside of the house, even through the brick. It was quite a strange situation, with the shower needing a complete redo and eventually leading to a bathroom renovation due to the outdated white tile everywhere.
Sorry for your loss, but it’s unreasonable to blame Home Depot Special Shower for the failure just because supplies were purchased there. The problem is actually due to poor workmanship and lack of preventative maintenance like caulking.
David drexler comment I suggest giving him a listen, it’s really worth it.
That’s a pretty wide gap to expect grout to seal. If it were my project, I’d cut a strip of waterproof material, epoxy it in place as the initial sealing layer, and then consider a waterproof and flexible grout or sealer. Some of the flexible sealers tend to crack, so invest in a good product. The flexibility is important because the tub and surround will experience significant temperature changes, causing expansion and contraction that could crack anything rigid.
Every time I install joists where water or moisture could be an issue, I go with pressure-treated wood all the way. This applies to anything under a bathroom, shower, or toilet, anything above a crawl space, or beams that are exposed to the exterior of my house. So when I added more joists under the tub, they are pressure treated. Same goes for the rim joist I had to replace in a back corner of the house.