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crack in shower floor

14 years ago

I have a 15 year old fiberglass (?) stand-up shower (no tub) with a seat in each corner. It has developed a 4" crack in the floor at the corner of one of the seats. I've tried to patch this a couple of times but nothing holds. The floor has a soft spot (you can feel it give slightly when you step there) and I'm sure that's what has generated the crack. Is there a way to fix this or do I have to bite the bullet and buy a new shower. The rest of the unit is in great shape and I'm hate to trash this for a 4" crack.......thanks for your help....Merry Christmas............. :) clark

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Comments (3)

baymee
14 years ago
There was a thread a few weeks ago about this. You can use fiberglass boat repair material.

Mine cracked too, but I'm junking it for a 3 piece.
wing05man
Original Author
14 years ago
Already used the boat repair and it didn't last as long as the heavy duty caulking I used the first time. The boat repair stuff is very stiff and it evidently doesn't work with something that moves a slight bit......thanks for the suggestion. Looks like I may have to belly up for a new one. I've been looking at an Aqua Glass four piece. They are supposed to be very sturdy and easy to install.......
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Not a professional. But cracks in grout means there is movement underneath. We just had Wedi wallboard installed and I watch Wedi installation videos. They showed people installing Wedi shower pans. In one the installer was asking the Wedi rep if it was OK if the board was being crushed under his feet after he put it in and was installing the wall board. The wedi rep said that was normal. But to me it would lead to exactly your situation as the foam compresses as you walk on it. Do you have pics of how your base was installed and do you know the material? To answer your questions. Yes I would stop using it and yes it needs replaced. I wouldn't let them do another wedi system if that is what they used. Our installer offered a wedi pan and I said no, I want solid surface. This isn't the video I saw of the installer asking about it crushing under his feet but another one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsG4lfsdVeQ Edit: this is the video where they note the product crushes under foot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ViFmacb0M from the comments: paul 2 years ago Great video as always Sal. I installed a Wedi pan on a recent job and noticed when I kneel on it the pan dents. How durable are these pans after the tile is installed on them? Thanks Answer: I have noticed that as well with most kinds of foam pads, that is one of the reasons I prefer to do mud. Wedi suggests that epoxy grout should be used when installing very small tiles on the pans to avoid problems, not needed with larger tiles.
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Im gonna insult you likely. yet its not my intent. These scenarios happen daily to the point of being an epidemic within our industry on account of unqualified labor. A red warning flag to A homeowner is A handyman willing to do PARTS of a tile install especially A shower build. In the professional tile world we dont engage in these scenarios for many reasons. The biggest being liability especially when we wrrty our work. This combined with Installing rocks on A foam pan tell me this guy is not qualified to work on your shower. Every tiler knows there is a high likelihood of failure when installing rocks on a foam base. You are experiencing point loads and there is no fix. Most true pro tilers avoid foam bases completely yet many novices swear by them.. Your best bet is to completely tear it out and this next 3X MORE expensive time around source and hire A qualified tiler. There are still a few tile pros here on houzz that would be happy to help any homeowner source a tiler in their area. Its just that nobody comes here to houzz asking for hiring help. Yet they always arrive angry with the disasters. Homeowners reading along You Always want to place the entire tile process SOLEY in the hands of the tile installer. This means allowing them to supply every material and installing everything from the studs OUT. including the subfloor. Adding to that A solid written contract with a detailed scope of tile standards to be met and followed. as an aside: " You don't remove it; you tile over it which is a TCNA approved method. No waterproofing risk. " tile over a disaaster !!!!!!! Stick to countertop advice buddy XOXO
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aidan_m
14 years ago
"The floor has a soft spot (you can feel it give slightly when you step there) and I'm sure that's what has generated the crack."

Correct. The shower pan needs a bed of mortar to support it properly. There are ways to fix the fiberglass, but none will hold without the mortar bed.

When you install the new shower pan, make sure you put enough mortar down to fill the void. To determine how much is necessary, flip the pan upside-down and place a straight edge across the bottom. Now you can measure the void. Select the type of mortar appropriate for the application thickness. Thinset can be applied as thin as 1/16", Medium bed mortar (the type of thinset used for large tiles) is best for 1/8" up to an inch thickness. Mason mortar (for bricks) is best for thicker applications. Mix the mortar to be workable depending on how thick it needs to be. If you use thinset it should be mixed to a thick consistency. Runny thinset mortar will do no good. Once you set the pan in the mortar, shim it level, force it down in the mud, and leave it alone for at least a day until the mortar dries. You might want to get the speed set mortar so that overnight is plenty of cure time.

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