Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Jun 19, 2010 11:42 am Hi I am a forum newbie! I recently discovered mould growing on the concrete at the door of my bathroom (for some reason the previous owner did not tile there!) My plumber reckons that the shower is probably leaking and causing damp/mould - does anyone have any recommendations of good types of shower repairs? My shower is a tiled shower - I am not really a DIYer so more suggestions of which type of fix I should be looking at, ie some companies claim to fix the problem without removing tiles, others remove all floor tiles and the first 1-2 row of wall tiles (and shower screens too). Also once the leak is stopped what do I about the mould in the concrete? C Re: leaky shower - mouldy concrete :( 2Jun 19, 2010 1:14 pm It should be properly inspected, including checking of taps and pipes for leaks. There are various tests, including a pressure test that should be conducted. After leaks have been identified and fixed, it will likely take at least several months to dry naturally. This can be sped up using structural drying methods, but it would cost probably a grand or two to speed dry. If left without proper restoration, things can deteriorate. Here's a place I was called to inspect a couple of months ago. The first pic shows the wall from a stairwell where a leaky shower was behind the wall. Next photo is the shower, and another of the bathroom. This place has been terribly neglected and either needs restoration and mould remediation worth tens of thousands of $, or demolition. So its important to get to the source of the problem and fix it. Its best NOT tackling mould with bleach. Is there just a small localised area of mould, or is it more pervasive? Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Ash. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: leaky shower - mouldy concrete :( 3Jun 28, 2010 11:35 pm hi I actually specialize in these. Usually what happens is the shower leak begins by water slowly leaking through cracked grout or aged silicon or between the showerbase and first row of tiles. Sometimes the silicone sealant deteriorates after years of cleaning etc, the silicone breaks away, or sometime leaks between the waste and the base. The showerscreen can also cause a leak if there is a lack of sealant on the joins This can usually be fixed either by removing all of the existing silicone and grout and replacing with new sealant and re-grouting(we offer a 10 yr guarantee on our showers we do so that they wont leak again-so make sure whoever you get to do the job offers this otherwise you could risk it leaking again in future and having to pay for it to be done again). If its too late just to re-seal it you may have to remove all of the tiles and re-plaster and re-tile it all and re-seal it all aswell- again whoever you get to do it make sure you get at least a 10yr warranty on it. If the showerbase needs to be replaced, this can be done by removing only the first row of tiles, and re-sealing it. Just to re-seal should cost no more than $400 - they should use a sealant that is guaranteed not to crack, and one that will make cleaning easier as it wont be scrubbed off with scouring/cleaning products etc, also repels mould. to re-tile or retile and replaster could cost you from $1500-$2500 depending on your shower, and for those prices they shouild give you a 10-15 year guarantee its a good ides to get a few quotes as different shower seal companies vary a lot with their prices yet they all do the same thing:) hope that helps, good luck with it Re: leaky shower - mouldy concrete :( 4Jul 29, 2010 4:06 pm I recently had a similar problem and called a company in Brisbane who seal showers. They came in to do a free inspection and checked for all sorts of likely causes. They recommended a re-seal of the shower floor and the lower section of the walls. It cost me around $350 and they fixed it first time. The workmanship was absolutely first class. I was very impressed. If you like I can dig up the name and post it here? I'll look into different shower heads and ask the plumber about some engineering and see what he says. Thanks 2 9551 Hi All, about to commence a bathroom renovation and need some advice on subfloor works. Current subfloor is hardwood T&G floorboards on 90x45 joists, but intention is to… 0 5816 |