Tile Shower Repair

I am sorry if you are reading this because you have a similar issue 😢 There’s nothing worse than a leaky, moldy shower…..

Unfortunately, I see this quite a bit in very expensive newer homes!

This home was only built 7 years ago

There are typically 2 major reasons for a shower that leaks or is not draining properly

The reason for the call at this home was cracking of grout joints & water not draining after a shower

The #1 cause for water not drain properly in a tile shower is not having any pre-slope under the rubber liner.

This was a big shower 5ft x 5ft. The rubber liner needs to be pitched to drain in order for water to escape this kind of shower system. This floor was completely level

The #2 reason for water not escaping a tile shower pan system is clogged weep holes

Believe it or not, this whole system is relying on a few small 1/4” holes around the clamping drain for water to escape the mud bed. This is the primary reason I prefer not to install a rubber liner shower pan system 👊

There are better ways to build a tile shower pan!

It starts with a better shower drain system 👍 This FLO FX drain system is a bonding flange drain system that is designed for waterproofing to be on top of the mud bed (directly below tile) and allow water to escape easily from all angles when water gets under tile

Set & support bonding flange with mortar & thinset

An easy way to pack a mud bed for a shower pan is to add a perimeter guide to screed to. Minimum 1/4” per foot

Definitely a lot easier with an odd shape shower like this

Now you can simply apply pressure to drain body and perimeter guide to create a sloping shower pan

Sloped mud bed for a tile shower 👍

The most important aspect about this method is adding waterproof on top of the sloping mud bed 👍 This is Schluter Kerdi Sheet Membrane . I used this because it’s the fastest method to get into tiling. You can immediately tile over this membrane after setting

An alternative is to use a liquid waterproofing system like Ardex 8+9 . In some ways this is a better more fool proof way to go. For more details on this method check out the Basement Bathroom Course

No matter what method is used, flood testing is important 👊

In this Tile Shower Repair Course, I highlight some of the most efficient ways to tile a shower 👍

One of my favorite trowels for setting smaller tiles. Superiorbuilt 1/4” x 14” trowel

The most complex task of a repair like this is fitting in the bottom row of tiles.

It can be very time consuming! If you are a contractor bidding on something like this, I highly recommend a full day just for fitting in the wall tiles 👍

In this Tile Shower Repair Course I’ll help guide you through the entire grouting installation process

Completion 🎉🎉 Like there was never an issue in the first place 😃

Enroll in the Tile Shower Repair Course 😊

One-time payment, that’s it 👊

Lifetime access

Guides & Material checklists

Contractor’s quote

Support, ask a question about your own project in any of the tutorials 👍

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