r/DIY • u/StevieG123 • 1d ago
home improvement Shower leaking into next room
In November, I had cracked grout going around the base perimeter of my shower. I removed the grout, and replaced it with this sealant. Now I noticed that the water is leaking into the floor of my closet that is on the other side of the closet. What did I do wrong?
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u/The_Mrs_Jones 1d ago
We had this same problem and had to rip out the entire shower to have the pan rebuilt and proper water barrier installed.
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u/LyGmode 1d ago
open up drywall on the other side and try to confirm the source of the leak, though it seems likely from the shower pan. If its from a leaking pipe that would be best case.
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u/middleofthemap 1d ago
This. It could be a pipe in the wall with a bad connection not the shower floor itself.
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u/YesNoMaybeTho 1d ago
If it wasn't leaking prior to your grout replacement then you pierce a hole or slit in the waterproofing. You can't try to dig it all out and put a sealant like kerdi fix but likely you need to test it out and replace.
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u/Medium_Spare_8982 1d ago
Tile and/or grout is NOT waterproof. Silicone caulk is more to make it look pretty than anything.
If your shower leaks, your shower leaks and caulking won’t fix that.
It has to be ripped out and done properly.
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u/BeetrootPoop 23h ago
Yeah I just had to have two bathrooms replaced for the exact same reason as OP. The previous owner tiled straight onto regular drywall with no waterproof membrane. We noticed it when the laminate flooring in the bedroom next door failed with water damage from the shower.
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u/KRed75 1d ago
Most likely, you damaged the shower liner that's behind the tile. Grout isn't water tight.
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u/ImaginaryBluejay0 1d ago
Right? People blaming the contractor here is wild. The owner ruined the liner when removing the grout. It wasn't leaking until then. It was a $10k mistake. Sucks but it happens.
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u/the-awesomer 1d ago
Unless it was leaking elsewhere unnoticed
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u/ImaginaryBluejay0 20h ago
Shower was 19 years old they'd have noticed it leaking years ago. It's not a coincidence they noticed it leaking a few months after chunking out the grout.
Just an expensive mistake they won't make again. Sucks.
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u/the-awesomer 19h ago
You are probably right, but there is still chance the path of least resistant thru the cracked grout meant water was going down and now that they replaced with silicone sealent that path is no longer available so more water is wicking/leaking out a new area.
But not that it really matters now, replacing pan is pretty much only solution forward.
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u/thefamilyjewel 19h ago
I can't imagine they'd dig deep enough while removing grout in the corners to penetrate whatever water proofing is there. They only have to get the grout to the surface of the tile to silicone the corners.
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u/StevieG123 6h ago
I used a grout removing tool and a grout file. Where I removed the grout, there was only tile on the other side. I didn’t see any liner.
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u/hexnone2 1d ago
Is this the tarp liner that you guys are referring to? Is it really non salvageable?
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u/ImaginaryBluejay0 1d ago
In theory yeah it could be patched with rubber glue and something akin to a tire patch. You'd need access to it and the area around it large enough to patch, so you're already taking off tiles. Any time you take off tiles you risk damaging the waterproofing (not shown in your photo) which is painted on prior to tiling.
So you need to find the exact spot of the leak, remove just enough tiles to patch the membrane while not damaging the rest of the waterproofing, then re-tile and re-caulk and hope to hell you didn't just waste two weekends on something that's untested and may not even work.
On addition to the above if you damaged the membrane one spot you might have damaged it in more than one spot - so you could have multiple leaks that you're going to patch unpermitted with unproven patching.
If I had no money at all maybe I'd try it. But on a budget you could also remove all the tile and redo the waterproofing and membrane and tile yourself without spending so much.
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u/StevieG123 1d ago
I didn’t see any liner when I was removing the grout. In the cavity it just looked like more tile.
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u/Far-Bill-7593 23h ago
I don't understand how everyone in this post is so wrong.
I'm not going to say that there is no waterproofing, there definitely isn't.
It seems to me everyone has overlooked an extremely common problem, all inside corners need to be silicone caulk, not grout. If you look closely at the pictures the inside corners at the bottom of the shower are already missing grout, and that is where the water intrusion is coming from. Same like the part that OP correctly identified and caulked.
Tile expands and contracts with temperature changes and needs space to do so.
Grout and tile aren't 100% waterproof. They are 99% water proof (99.5 with grout seal), which is why red guard, Kerdi Board and even cement board with chemically joined PVC for walls are up to code. A shower without a vapor/ moisture barrier won't show visible signs of water damage for many years, if ever. It will however slowly rot the framing behind and under the shower until the entire shower and adjoining rooms are compromised.
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u/StevieG123 23h ago
Do I need to use a different sealant than the one in the picture?
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u/Far-Bill-7593 23h ago
I'm not going to discount the fact the shower is almost certainly a gut job with hidden water damage - it almost certainly is. There probably isn't the correct vapor/ moisture barrier installed as well. Caulking all of the inside corners (even over the grout for short term) will help you save a little bit before trying to take on or hire out the job.
Am I correct in seeing that grout is missing from the vertical inside corners?
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u/StevieG123 23h ago
Grout is there, just cracked. That’s what the base looked like before I removed the grout and applied the sealant.
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u/Far-Bill-7593 22h ago
Even if you had no membrane, or pierced the redguard while removing the old grout, it still doesn't explain the large amount of water coming through to the closet on the reverse room. Do yourself a favor and remove the damaged drywall. Then caulk all inside corners. I wouldn't even worry about removing the grout. The loose/ cracked/ damaged grout is most likely suspect and needs to be fixed asap.
Take a close look and pictures behind the drywall and set up a fan to try and dry it out. I don't know if it's your sole bathroom in the house, but it will likely need to be replaced. If you're in the VA area I'd be more than happy to take a look and refer you to any of the plumbers/ tile workers I happen across at work.
What I don't understand about this post is how everyone jumped on the waterproof membrane without seeing what I see. There are three main posts on /diy. "Is this load bearing" (consult a structural engineer) "Is this asbestos?" (Probably, send it for tests, cover it and stop ripping it out) "Why is my grout cracking" (cause it's and inside corner and shower/ bath tiles expand and contract) I see that your inside corners are grout, and they are failing. You were smart enough to remove and caulk the inside corners at the floor level, but damage has been done, and all inside corners need caulk. (I highlighted in blue the one that looks sus to me).
I'm sure my post won't be highest, but I've seen this many times, and I've been through it myself... But never trust a Redditor and feel free to get a second opinion.
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u/StevieG123 22h ago
Thank you so much for the advice. Truly grateful.
The amount of water that got into the closet isn’t a huge amount. Almost as if you left a wet towel on the ground. There’s no signs of damage to the drywall(to my knowledge). So stains, discoloration, or it feeling spongy.
We have a second bathroom that doesn’t get used, so we are using that shower in the meantime.
For now I think the plan is to wait a week and see if the moisture goes away, if it does then I think that narrows it down to either the suggested issue at hand, or possibly some issues with the drain itself. After that I’ll remove the old sealant, and put in a bunch of new stuff. Depending how that goes I’ll open up the drywall on the other side and see exactly where the water is coming in.
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u/koozy407 17h ago
If it’s leaking through the wall you need to rip your shower out and start over there’s no amount of silicone or caulk or grout or anything else that is going to fix this
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u/takeyourtime123 1d ago
So you worked on it and then it started leaking?
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u/Endersgame485 1d ago
My guess is in the grout removal they may have sliced waterproofing membrane
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u/Busy-Cat-5968 1d ago
Sorry man. You got a tear it all out. There's obviously no membrane, and the cheap floor on the wall tile confirms the shitty build attitude.
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u/theImplication69 1d ago
Do you know if it’s from the tile or from the pipes? I’d check the pipes first.
When my shower was leaking I covered up parts of the wall and sprayed water around. That let me find which area was leaking, luckily it was a grout issue I could fix easily (the walls were not waterproofed, but at least it’s fixed until I can replace it)
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u/StevieG123 1d ago
I was just assuming it was from the tiles, just because the length of the wall on the other side is wet.
I do think cutting into the dry wall to investigate is my best bet for now.
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u/forcherico-pedeorcu 15h ago
You guys are always making this waaaay more dramatic than it needs to be.
Look at the third image — on the vertical line in the corner, there’s a crack. That’s the problem.
There’s no water barrier under the tiles? Yeah, that’s not ideal… But at this point, I’d personally just fill the crack with silicone (clear silicone looks better there), and maybe open up the wall in the other room to install a small vent or something — just to help with air circulation, just in case.
Either way, you’ve got to let the inside of the wall dry out properly.
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u/Overther 1d ago
Had the same issue. The problem for us was the drain screw being loose, creating a space between the pipe underneath water could escape. But we had a ceramic floor for the shower. I think the other replies saying the tiles are just letting water through are more likely to be correct...
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u/NightOwlApothecary 1d ago
If the leak is opposite the valve body, pull off the escutcheon plate and check for any gaps. Since it’s leaking into hopefully the back of the closet, if that doesn’t help, check out the largest access panel in a big box store, and cut out the Sheetrock appropriately. Non destructive and you know what is going on in the wall. Too many variables unless you poke inside the wall. Too many horror stories including my own. You did not state if it’s new construction, a remodel, renovation. Again too many variables unless you take a peek inside the wall. Repost when we can be of help.
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u/Archanir 1d ago
I sell material to tile and shower installers 5 days a week. I bet whoever slapped this shower together didn't flood test the shower after installing the shower liner and waterproof material. There's no way in this day and age of shower installation material, that shower should be leaking anywhere before 10 to 20 years depending on materials used. You're most likely going to have to gut and replace the shower pan and 3 feet up the wall at a minimum to be able to repair and replace what's defective. It could also be what the plumber did. Maybe something is leaking along the line. Could be the inlets or the outlet. Only thing that's going to explain what is happening is exploration demo.
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u/ImaginaryBluejay0 20h ago
Pretty good call on your part about 20 years. OP says it's 19 years old upthread.
Honestly for most of us to assume it's a 1-2 year old job kind of implies it was good work 20 years ago.
It's a gut and replace job now for sure though.
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u/okieman73 20h ago
I swear a prefabricated pan might be the best way to go when doing a shower. Well made fiberglass can last a very long time but they don't look nearly as nice. We're going to redo a shower before long and I'm not sure which way we will go yet.
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u/StevieG123 20h ago
Do you do this kind of work?
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u/okieman73 19h ago
Yes and no. I've done remodeling for a long time but I'm not a tile guy. I've just seen so many problems with shower pans. A fiberglass pan will have its own shortcomings as well but they rarely have a leak that is difficult to find.
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u/StevieG123 19h ago
I only ask because I’m in Oklahoma, assuming you were from the same place hence your username.
I’m glad to take this on as a project. Never done tile work or anything but I’m glad to learn more from this experience.
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u/Schemen123 17h ago
Lawyer....
I had the same issue and it cost me 2 qm of floor that rotted through right into the room below.
Our solution was to remove the floor completely.. yes.. complete.. build a support frame below the shower fill that up with some gind of granulate .. rebuild the shower completely.. including water proof barrier.
We kept the original tiling and put the waterproof layer on top to reduce costs a bit
Which bzw worked well, not visible from the outside .
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u/RhettSovalReddit 8h ago
if you have a hillbilly, duct tape solves all problems, kind of mentality like me and you just want it to temporarily stop the leaking yet still look just OK, here's what I would do. Remove the metal drain cover and plug the hole with a rag. From there I would buy the flex seal clear, the one in the paint can. Then I would evenly cover the floor, make sure to get the corners where the wall and floor meet, then go up the wall by the first row of tiles. Test the flex seal to make sure it doesn't look horrible on the tile first. As I said, this is NOT how this should be fixed and the other messages about this being a build issue with the water membrane are correct.
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u/Jirekianu 1d ago
Nah, the problem here isn't the caulk not being put in properly. This is whoever installed the shower that fucked up. As others have said there's supposed to be a water proof layer/membrane that causes water to be fed to the drain if it somehow gets behind the initial layer of tile/fiberglass.
The reason you're getting this leaking is likely that membrane either not being installed, or poorly installed, and there's potential for something like your shower pan being damaged or improperly installed. Either way. The only way to fix this is going to be to rip out the shower and re-do it.
Otherwise you're just slapping band-aids on an infected puncture wound that will get worse over time.
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u/That_Jicama2024 1d ago
Sorry to say but your only solution here is to tear out the shower floor and about a foot up the wall. you need to install a waterproof membrane and re-tile.
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u/Wolseley_Dave 5h ago
That sealant doesn't work in a shower. Read the specs; for use "Around tubs, showers and sinks" not in them. Sadly, I speak from experience. I made this mistake twice.
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u/StevieG123 5h ago
So would any normal silicone work?
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u/Wolseley_Dave 4h ago
Yes. I like to use translucent white, or clear. It's a chore, but if you clean out the Custom stuff and use regular silicone, you might just solve the leak without ripping it all out.
I switched to Schlueter coloured silicone because it's rated for inside tubs and showers. I do bathroom renovations for a living.
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u/ARenovator 1d ago
You, personally, did nothing wrong.
However, you've been royally screwed by the builder, apparently. Modern shower building requires that a waterproof membrane or box be created before the tile gets laid.
When you get a leak (not if), the water is contained within the waterproof enclosure and should get directed towards the drain.
Seems they may have skipped that step when creating your shower.