Shower grout cracking/ separating

last year

after less than four months after shower was done this has started to happen. the grout near the threshold tile in the shower and outside the shower has cracked and separated. Hoping this is not going to be a problem for a brand new bath, or cause leaks to floor below. This has now made it difficult to open the glass shower door - it tugs because the threshold has risen. I trimmed the rubber gasket a bit, it has helped somewhat - I may need to trim it some more. Any ideas what is going on or wrong - much appreciated.......

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PRO

Stonetech/Avanti Tile

last year

Any change of plane areas in a shower must be caulked with pure silicone. If grouted, these areas move and crack with time and moisture.

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Comments (11)

millworkman
last year
" This has now made it difficult to open the glass shower door - it tugs because the threshold has risen. "

That is not good, I would have the installer back for this. Is there wood beneath the curb? Something is moving. What was the waterproofing system used? Do you know how this was all constructed?
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"One shower wall is an exterior wall, another has no cabinetry on the other side, and another has very minimal cabinetry." Well then, there you go. It's not due to work that was done on the other side of the wall. ie, no one tiled a wall then had other workers beat the heck out of the other side of the wall, causing the tile to crack. Could it be settling? Sure, But if it is, it's unusual. When a house settles, cracking usually first occurs in the changes of plane (corners) because those are the weakest points in a structure. If the grout between the field tiles within a wall is cracking due to the house settling, that's significant in terms of it being a significant structural issue. Also, you have marble tiles which are not very strong. If you had significant structural issues, your tiles could crack too. But again, looking at the grout itself: pinholes in the grout, raked out grout lines, inconsistent surface texture of the grout within the grout lines. And the cracks that look more like shrinkage cracks instead of structural cracks? Those are all signs of a poor installation by the person that installed the grout. "How can you tell the grout wasn't mixed well? " Because everything you described, and everything I see in the photo, is a symptom of that. I'm not saying I'm right. I'm telling you that's my opinion based upon the evidence you have provided. And that's assuming (rut row) that he properly installed and prepared the tile backer board. If he didn't properly detail the backer board then the seams in the backer board could telegraph through as cracks in the grout. But you provide no information on that. Just the photo. But based upon the information you have provided, in my opinion it's simply a grout installation issue, and it's the fault of the installer. But again, that's simply my opinion. Good luck with your remediation.
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Drywall diy guy, actually the crack is on an interior wall. What looks like the corner of a window is actually the corner of an inset shelf.There shouldn't be a big temperature variation on any interior walls in our house because we live in an area of Florida that is so humid, we have air-conditioning on about 8 months out of the year, heat on about 3 months of the year, and open windows for about one month of the year.:-) Generally we keep our thermostat between 66 (at night in the winter) and 76 (while we're at work in warm weather, so our belongings won't mildew and our pets will be comfortable). In case you haven't read any of my previous threads, a little info: the bathroom was gutted down to the studs and completely remodeled a few months ago.The waterproofing in the shower failed and the grout on the shower curb is cracked and the tiles are starting to separate. We are concerned that the original contractor didn't do a very professional job so when I saw the crack in the wall last night, I became concerned that this might indicate further structural issues. If a drywall crack is just a drywall crack (in other words, not a sign of structural issues), I will rest easy and just have the contractor fix it. Thanks for your response and if I am misinterpreting your response or you have more to add, please don't hesitate to repost. I am fairly clueless about construction (except for what I've learned on this forum).
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Ok that looks a lot like one of Schluter's foam pans. I think both aforementioned possibilities are still likely. You'll be best off bringing in your tile person to diagnose on site. Edit: one more question - Do you know which grout was used? I see the Latisil for silicone, so I'm assuming Laticrete something. Some grouts aren't rated for pebble floors....
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catbuilder
last year
It sounds like water has gotten into the curb. The cracked grout isn't letting the water in, it cracked because water got in and subsequently the curb expanded. In other words, the cracked grout didn't cause the problem. The problem caused the cracked grout.

As said above, get the installer back out there.
cpartist
last year
Grout is not waterproof. How was the shower waterproofed?
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
Posting photos from during construction would help.
rm231 thanked HALLETT & Co.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
If you don't have progress pictures, you're probably going to need some selective demolition to find out what's going on. Do not delay please.
rm231
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
I am not sure of the proper terminology but he had installed some orange material at the base of the shower. The project ended REALLY badly, it was actually a nightmare and I do not want to bring him back and relive it all again. He was yelling, actually screaming at us, I have never experienced that in my entire life from anyone. It was beyond unreal. They destroyed my entire house, inside and out. Would I have to get the house base removed ? Shower glass etc. and have it all re-done is this what is needed ? I am terrified.
rm231
Original Author
last year
I would think in my non-professional opinion that there should have been caulking inside the shower near the base and lip of the shower - that's where I think water has gotten in and caused this because the shower head beats down on the shower door and the interior curb.
millworkman
last year
The waterproofing is behind the tile. Again tile nor grout are to be waterproofing. If there is movement behind the tile, the waterproofing is not working and something is swelling. Is the threshold wood? If so there is your answer.
cpartist
last year
Caulking and grout are NOT WATERPROOF. You could caulk it till the cows come home and it still wouldn't be waterproof if what is behind it isn't.

Show pics of how it was waterproofed BEFORE the tile and grout were put on.
rm231
Original Author
last year

Shower grout cracking/ separating

Stonetech/Avanti Tile

Comments (11)

millworkman

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Shower grout cracking/ separating

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