Help 1 year old pebble shower floor, grout deteriorating, cracks, etc
How do you remove a sliced pebble shower floor without hurting the kerdi membrane below it?
Do you leave the mesh the pebbles came on and try to pull the pebbles off of the mesh?
I had a water test done before tiling began and now I am having cracks in the grout around the tiles and some of the grout seems to be disintegrating in places, leaving pockets of low places. To my surprise, one tile stuck to my foot the other day and came out of where it was originally placed. The underneath of this free tile has only one 1/8" spot of adhesive where it was supposedly stuck to the mesh it was meant to hold onto.
I notice now numerous cracks, and areas of missing grout that must have broken in tiny bits and disintegrated down the drain have gone unnoticed. Only along 3 corners do the pebbles look grouted to the top, and other areas obviously should have more grout.
The tile man applied Schluter system all around, before he arrived I applied Kerdi board to the walls with Kerdi fasteners, covered with Kerdi tape as they directed. A 3"x6" wall tile was installed and shows no issues. The pan is the Schluter foam pain for corner showers, the drain is Kerdi, the drain has the Kerdi membrane and extra strips as Kerdi instructs it to be done.
At this point, I'm contemplating removing the sliced pebbles, I'm worried about the pan, and I'm worried if the stones have pressed into the foam shower pan despite the Kerdi membrane as some responses to other posts note stones and foam pans are a no, no, no!
Pictures included, please know that we live by the water of the Chesapeake Bay and our home water is conditioned for rust, etc, but it still shows rust in toilets and in the shower floor grout. Also, some areas of the shower floor were still wet when I took pictures.
Scroll down for the tile that popped out yesterday stuck to my foot.
# ...Lastly, the tile guy doesn't want to come back and "fix" this, so I'll take that as a blessing.
Please advise, thank you,
Comments (8)
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
last yearIlene Richardson
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Pebble stone shower floor
Comments (43)I installed a sea glass tile floor in our shower like the river stone pebbles. I was told the glass wouldn't get slippery like the natural stone might get because they retain the moisture. it is very pretty, but the glass pebbles are cracking for no apparent reason and continue to crack. I am guessing it is because the room temperature is cool and when the hot water hits the shower floor the glass expands and cracks. has anyone had this problem and what are the recommendations for replacing the glass tile. it seems it would be hard to do....See MoreHow to repair cracked old grout?
Comments (3)Repair that grout joint, and all you've done is set it up to crack again. Most likely, the reason that particular joint is cracking is because that's where the top of the pan membrane is. Most likely, it's time to replace the shower pan, as well as about 18"- 2 feet up the walls. One thing everyone who reads this thread needs to keep in mind-- when grout cracks, it's not the problem. It's a SYMPTOM of the problem, and 9 times out of 10, that problem is either structural movement, or moisture getting at the framing and making it swell. Either way, the problem needs to be identified and mitigated. Otherwise, you can grout it, caulk it, tape it up-- whatever. You're still going to have a problem that will need attention sooner or later, and the sooner you take care of it, the cheaper it'll be to do so....See MoreGrout discolored on 6 month old shower floor
Comments (9)The oddest indicator to me is your first photo, the sliver of "whiteness" on the floor along the wall in the left part of the photo. If that is truly there and not a photo anomaly, I'd not think the problem originates with the grout itself. I'd venture it has to do with something done post-installation; the cleaning, or the sealing. So many variables, but the overall blotchniness? Could be the application and use of the product used to clean the grout shmears off of the stone. If the texture of the grout was changed during the cleaning process, the sand papery grout can hold shower residue; soap and shampoo product, etc. Same with sealer use. If the sealer pooled in some areas versus others, or if the sealer dried on the surface, it can become tacky on a micro-level. You may not feel it, but it can hold dirt off the bottom of your feet, or hold shower residue. The following two things will typically whiten grout versus causing it to go darker: Could be efflorescence, but with the linear drain I'm guessing you have a surface applied membrane under the tile. Efflorescence is more common when tiling over an improperly built mud bed or a slab. Could be latex leaching. Latex leaching can be effected by water usage during the installation, as well as an insufficient grout drying/curing time before the shower was used. Latex leaching will typically lighten a surface, but the latex can hold dirt. No solid answers from me. Just speculation....See MoreNew pebble shower floor grout is cracking!
Comments (12)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....See More
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