Do I understand correctly that to inspect/unplug weepholes, we will have to remove the stone around the drain? Is there any hope of doing that without destroying it? How do we unplug the weepholes? Are there any special tools required? It CAN be done, even as a DIY task. You need to cut the grout joints around the tiles you're going to remove, and then use a hammer and chisel. once you have the tiles out, you need to be very careful not to damage the pan membrane. All it takes is a pin prick, and the whole thing is coming out. Once you clear the weepholes, though, you need to tape them off and water test it before you put it all back together to make sure it's still watertight.

oh geez, that is ugly. Total installer error. A sealer of does help reduce the chance of grout building up in the cracks and crevices of natural stone, but by no means does it eliminate it. The use of a small brush, even something as simple as a toothbrush, during grout cleanup would have eliminated your problem. The solutions have been covered by Bill. Due to the thickness of grout that needs to be removed, this needs to be a combination of chemical (acid) and mechanical, with the mechanical "assisting" the acid. In overly simplistic terms, the acid will dissolve the binder in the grout, leaving you with the sand filler, that will simply fall away. Mechanical abrasion (a stiff brush to start with) will assist the acid in dissolving the grout and cleaning the tough stuff out of the micro-grooves and pores. If they show up with a jug of muriatic acid, send them home. If they say "what's sulfamic acid" send them home. The discoloration on the grout after their premature cleaning attempt? That's why the instructions say to not use it on green (uncured) grout. There's usually a 10-14 day waiting period. Cleaners can get into the uncured grout and "burn" the grout, resulting in an unremoveable powdery-looking residue on the grout surface. You have so much buildup on the stone that I would not let them do a "mop" type of application, sloshing it everywhere. They need to apply it to just the built-up parts, because it's going to take several applications to get through the full thickness of some of those build-ups. If you have them proceed with the cleanup, find out what product they intend to use, then read up on that product before they show up to use it. Oh, and one of the beauties of sulfamic versus muriatic is that they could use muriatic that's so strong they could do more damage than good. With sulfamic, you mix crystals into cool water. Once you get a saturated solution, no more crystals will dissolve, they'll just sink to the bottom of the bucket. Don't let them mix sulfamic in hot water. That's a way to boost the amount that's dissolved and thus boost the "strength" of the acid. They need patience and multiple acid applications with this cleanup, this is not a one-shot attempt.

So you're saying it appears the vapor barrier didn't go up the walls as far as it should have, right? I guess then it's hard to know exactly where it ended. The current cracks are all in the corners where walls meet shower floor, not going up the walls. If I can get the installer to redo that change of plane with caulk, is that likely to be enough to prevent future leaks/bad smells? Or am I likely to have problems either way since I think I've read that some moisture goes thru the grout (thus the need for the vapor barrier and preslope in the first place)? I might be confused, but what do you suggest now? Unfortunately, I was not at home when this part was done, and didn't pick up on the missing vapor barrier at the top of the durock. While I def value Bill's expert opinion, and I know Bill that you're advising the absolute right way it should be done, I'd also like to hear from folks who had a similar situation and how it turned out (I think- actually, maybe I don't want to!)

Bill, Mongo- thanks. We will definitely give it an extra day. My husband will be disappointed (!) I did take a bath last night- heaven. I have the cleaning crew here again today doing picky things like feeling all the tile surface with their hands for haze and grout smears and touching up baseboards and walls. I do not feel guilty in the least, either. I told them not to run water in the shower. When my husband gets home tonight, I will have him help me move in the linen cabinet and rehang things. Can't wait to turn the floor on either- I wait 30 days from SLC poured?