Wet Grout

t_banning · Aug 06, 2014 8:26 pm

Hi there

I'd love some advice on this one. Completed the bathroom about a month ago and have been using it for the last two weeks. Some of the grout lines on the floor, outside the shower, appear wet/dark and have remained that way even a few days after the last shower use.

Any thoughts on what it could be and more importantly how to fix it??!

Appreciate any suggestions.

Photos below and details on how it was put together.

Construction details:
It's a ground floor bathroom, with Scyon sheeting over bearers and joists. A 3:1 sand/cement screed is laid with falls to the shower and floor drains. PrimeX and then poly bond breaker and K10 applied to full floor and walls. Puddle flanges used for both drains.

Ultraflex used for the wall and floor tiles. Davco grout used with Davelastic added.
An angle was used for the shower base and protrudes 5-10mm above the finished tile. The shower screen frame sits over this and is siliconed on the outside.

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mgilla · Aug 06, 2014 9:02 pm

how much lower than the floor is the shower floor? and how high is the shower angle, it looks to be about 50mm.
if the angle is only to the top of the bed water will track under the tiles and straight across the top of the waterproof angle.
if you haven't already, get your builder to have a look at it?

t_banning · Aug 06, 2014 9:20 pm

Hi Mgilla - thanks for the reply.

The angle is 5-10mm above finished tile height and the shower screen track sits over it, and is silicone from the outside.

The floor levels are about the same, the highest point is the angle and it slopes away from there (both to the shower drain and the main floor drain).

I did the work myself, so there's no builder to call on.

Any thoughts on what could be the cause or what to try?

Splashers · Aug 07, 2014 5:31 pm

Another reason is nothing to do with shower but where the puddle flange is mounted in the floor it is slightly higher than the floor due to the flange so the water can run down to the lip of the flange but not enough to flow over the raised area of the flange and into the drain hole. So a small amount of water will always sit around the flange edge.
Or have you put any sealer on the floor ?

t_banning · Aug 07, 2014 9:02 pm

Hi Splashers - thanks for the reply.

I recessed the flange, so there is no lip. (Advice I got from this forum

)

Do you mean seal the finished grout? No, I haven't done that. Planning to let the grout dry and then apply a sealer. It's been 4 days since we've used it and it's still wet. Have had a heater going but still looks much the same.

Wondering if we might need to remove the shower screen to see if water was getting trapped under the frame and then making its way through the grout from there..

Any other thoughts?

Lex · Aug 07, 2014 10:23 pm

Probably not what you have, but my 2c.
I thought your grout looks a little bit like the old style "grout" for floors (or as my builder labelled it - "natural" - I think it's sand/cement/??). Ours were done that way and they always look like yours, more so in wet weather :shock:

. Anyway, I tested it many times with fingers to see if it's really wet or is it jsut the colour. It did feel wet. Then we did some other tiling and I asked the tiler about it. He said it's some kind of clays/grease/what-not in the product and that the builder actually recently told them to stop using that grout! (he also contracts for the same builder, by chance!) So dunno ... but you seem to have used a proper grout? What is the name of the colour? what does it say about teh actual product on the packaging?

t_banning · Aug 08, 2014 11:31 am

Hey Lex - thanks for your comments. We used Davco sanitized grout in grey #4. Have used it before without issue.

Any other ideas?

Stewie D · Aug 09, 2014 11:06 am

Personally I don't think it is a result of the grout you used.
Did you lay the sand/cement screed yourself then glue the tiles to the screed a couple of days later? Most tilers doing a bathroom floor would lay the screed and stick the tiles down with cement and a little water in the one day. I was told by a tiler friend of mine that the glue can sometimes trap small pockets of water under the tiles. Maybe that is what is happening here ?

Stewie

JB1 · Aug 13, 2014 4:48 pm

I had a similar issue.

Fixed it by caulking the inside of the showerscreen frame (only on outside previously).

I'm not how it fixed the issue, as it shouldn't matter, but it fixed my problem for me.

In my case, it seems the water was trapped under the showerscreen frame and then escaped via capillary action/grout.

Anyway, give it a go, can't hurt.

Melsie68 · Aug 30, 2014 1:50 am

We have grout staying wet in one of our showers . We have been told by the builder not to use shower until they come and have a look .a few of our tiles got pulled up . After been layed due to wrong drains put in . Then it was put it crooked . So again tiles where pulled up .wondering now if they waterproofed in between.in perth we have a waterproof warranty .but ill let you know what the outcome is . Im sure someone can come out to you and test the moisture level under the tiles .

Grout Perfect · Sep 10, 2014 12:29 pm

Maybe a bit late but have you used a hair dryer to see if it dries. It does not look wet to me but hard to tell from photo. My guess is you may have installed the grout to early as the tile glue ( thinset ) needs 48 hours to cure before installing grout. If this is the case you can try and use hydrochloric acid which may bring the original colour back. If not then regrout is the only option. You can also colour seal your grout but I would be worried if moisture is coming from under the tiles.

Melsie68 · Sep 10, 2014 1:56 pm

Still waiting on the builder .havent used shower for 2 weeks . I think going to be long process .can they test if moisture is getting under neath . Mine is only in a small area one or two grout lines. Where there is missing grout

Grout Perfect · Sep 10, 2014 2:52 pm

Oh missing grout that is not good. Is the missing grout in wet area shower cubicle or outside? They can check with a moisture probe but I doubt they would carry one. If you have not used the shower for 2 weeks then I would be surprised if it is wet as it would of dried by now. Sounds like grout discoloured during install.

Melsie68 · Sep 10, 2014 3:04 pm

Yeh dry now . Lol . I did have it sealed though .

t_banning · Sep 11, 2014 8:23 pm

Just a quick note to say we got the shower screen guy back in to remove and replace screen. On doing so we found a section he missed with the silicone. He said that he had run out of silicone on the original install and couldn't be bothered going out to the truck!

It's now back in and, surprise surprise, no leaks - no wet grout. I replaced the damaged grout and have sealed it. All seems good now.

Thanks everyone :-)

http://timandkatiesrenovationdiary.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/room-reveal-bathroom.html

Melsie68 · Sep 11, 2014 9:32 pm

My builder is coming on monday .he said over the phone that because we have had missing grout water got in the bottom and because its been water proofed it is just sitting there . But i guess will see when he comes out Hopefully as simple as taking that section grout out .re grouting . Thanks for writing about your wet grout because if I hadnt read it I wouldnt of relized I had a problem . Coz really not many people would pick that up in a room that always gets wet .

Grout Perfect · Sep 12, 2014 10:36 am

Missing grout is a real concern here. If he re grouts it will only happen again as there is deflection. I would ask your builder if tile underlay was used and what nails were used to fix in.

Melsie68 · Sep 12, 2014 12:57 pm

I live in perth we do things different here