Installer is more or less correct and incorrect in a way. You don’t replace a shower floor as a stand alone project. Ever. It damages the waterproofing under the tile, or in your case, pebbles. You can tweak the setting of the pebbles or grout before it’s cured.

But the mesh that holds the pebbles together is supposed to be underneath the pebbles. Not on top of them. There should be no fiberglass mesh exposed at all. That is really weird.

If the installer installed pebbles upside down in the shower, that’s a shower rebuild. Who knows what other insanities lie beneath. Such as it doesn’t have proper waterproofing, That’s a dollar bet that I will win, given that skill set.

Do you have pictures of the in progress build of the shower?

The home was a spec home so it was completed when I saw it. I know they have had to replace a couple other shower floors in this subdivision so question anything they tell me. Thank you for responding.

I would imagine that the pebbles are rounded (on the correct side). I'm not kidding when I say that when I was 12, I could do a better job than that (I'm now 68). I don't have a lot of hope.

OK, so that is not correct. Of course, the mesh backing should not show, and yes, that one pebble probably fell off the sheet and they put it in upside down. If it is under warranty, tend to the most important issue now: request a water test (plug drain, fill pan with water, sit 72 hours, take pictures and monitor the ceiling below, if you have access to that). If no signs of leaks occur, than attend to the pretty stuff. The contractor should gently carve away the netting and grout, minimum depth of 3/16th", and then re-grout. Seal it. Those pebble floors have a lot of grout. Get use to the maintenance of this type of floor. Because it is a new build, chances are new grout will blend well. This does not speak adequately to any of the issues that may be present "under" the pebble tiles, but that was not your question. Just make sure you are satisfied while the warranty is still in place (and you might just ask for documentation regarding the pan system used).

Obviously, I am old and out of my element with this shower. Went in and marked with blue painter's tape all the places the grid was above the grout. There are 18 places. Also noted that there is water standing in the drain pipe a couple inches below the cover. Shower has not been used in days as I am afraid to use it. Should there be standing water and is it okay that one side of the drain cover is higher than the other? Thank you for your responses. Sorry to be so ignorant.

Yes water fills the plumbing trap. It's always there.

Just talked to installer and now I am totally confused. According to him, there is no pan or liner. Instead there is a recessed cement floor with weep holes. When they lay the floor they pitch it and use portland sand and cement. They then use thinset and then lay the pebbles and grout on top of that. He says there is always water seeping through grout. He wants to scrape away the grout in the problems areas and regrout.

But what would stop the water from getting in the wood and leaking all over the house if there is " no pan or liner"? That statement by hime makes zero sense. You need to find out what if anything this warranty will cover and get something working now before you have issues as this sounds like a hot mess.

No need to apologize for not knowing this information. Not many people do know and you're doing the right thing by asking for help and outside opinions.

Cement, grout, and thinset are all water permeable (water can get through). In a wet area (shower, tub, etc), you want a water proof barrier on top of a slope so that the water is carried by gravity into the drain and doesn't permeate the bottom of the shower to whatever is below (wood framing, rooms, etc). So a correct installation is to have a sloped substrate at the bottom (cement or pre-formed material), then waterproofing (liner, Kerdi, etc), then tile with grout. The walls should also have a moisture barrier (Kerdi, Redguard, etc) to prevent moisture from getting behind the walls.

It is very concerning if the installer is saying that he pitched the floor (good) but did not install any kind of waterproofing between the pitched floor and the tile. Perhaps one of the pros can offer some documentation online about the building requirements for waterproofing shower pans that you could quote / show the installer and press him on the issue.

Dragonfly Tile & Stoneworks above suggested you request a water test. I think that's a great idea. A plugged shower should be able to hold water without leaking for 72 hours. Essentially you plug the drain completely, fill with water, take pictures and/or mark the wall for the water height and wait for 72 hours. Check back and make sure the shower is not losing water through a leaky pan.

As far as the water in the drain, that is correct. A drain (shower, sink, etc) has what's termed a p-trap (because it's shaped like a P) that always has standing water. This water prevent stinky sewer gasses from coming out of the sewer pipes and stinking up your house.

Thanks Mongo. I just read marilyncose1' recount of the conversation with the installer and was hoping that he "at least" meant deck mud. Scrolled down and you handled it. Very thorough.

Dragonfly, I'm hoping it is. I agree, if there's no membrane at all, really all bets are off. If they didn't use a membrane, I wouldn't be surprised to see them have used straight ole bagged concrete mix. That has been done on these forum a few times before.

Marilyncose, sorry for the tangent, but...

Dragonfly, I just realized, I used to live down the road from you. So to speak.

I lived west of you, in Slinger, used to live on Big Cedar Lake.

Mongo, unreal. We could use more of you around. We use to rent on Big Cedar and have multiple long term clients there. Small world.