Does this sound right? (Tile question)

12 years ago

We had a custom tiled shower installed as part of our complete home renovation. Existing bathroom was completely removed and rebuilt, including the studs. It's a walk-in, about 3' x 6' (small bathroom).

We're 95% done, and I just checked the shower. The are pockets of the tiled floor that are lower than the drain, and obviously hold water. That was the last straw with the tile guy, and I told our contractor that I had no faith in his ability to fix that. One of the (many) other tile issues in the bathroom is that the junction between the 2x2" tile floor and the 3x6" subway tile wall is not straight. It looks like a toddler tried to draw a line with a crayon.

Today the contractor told me what the new tile guy has in mind to fix it: he said that removing the tile floor completely, along with the first row of subway tile, will compromise the integrity of the waterproofing of the shower wall and floor. Instead, he wants to remove the first row of subway tile, 'scuff up' the existing tile floor (leaving the tile in place), apply a layer of mastic on the existing tile floor, and then place another layer of tile on top of that.

He said that by doing it this way, he can fix the drainage issue as well as the aesthetics of the floor/wall junction. I said I'd research it.

I did, and what I've seen is that mastic is an organic compound, and any exposure to moisture can create mold, etc. My hesitation is that if he does it this way, the mastic between two layers of floor tile will act like a 'potential space', just waiting for a crack in the top grout layer, and then eat our shower away from beneath.

Full disclosure, I know nothing about tiling, just what I've been reading the last couple months, and specifically tonight re mastic.

Has anyone ever heard of fixing a shower this way? What's the industry standard on something like this? Will I be setting myself up for failure once my 1-yr warranty (on the build) runs out if i use mastic?

Thanks so much in advance for any insight!

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Comments (5)

worthy
12 years ago
Mastic is not suited for wet areas such as a shower floor. Maybe the contractor misspoke, confusing it with thinset, which is the appropriate material. Normally, you would tear it down and start over if this were an old shower bed, but adding a layer should be no problem. Of course, this assumes that a tilesetter who couldn't figure out the proper slope did the bed properly.
Gabe
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Worthy. I'll verify tomorrow if the contractor misspoke, or if we need to discuss the planned material further.
So assuming the shower bed the original tilesetter built is correct, then it sounds like there's no problem having thinset between 2 layers of floor tile?
That's a relief that there's an alternative to tearing the entire thing out and starting from scratch again. Thanks!
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kas4
12 years ago
After moving into our new home we decided we didn't like the shower floor tile so we paid the tile guy to change it. He laid a new shower floor right over the existing tile so we ended up with two layers on the floor. He didn't remove any of the wall tiles. We had no problems in 8+ years.
DLM2000-GW
12 years ago
Speaking as a homeowner, bill payer and not as an expert by any means, this compromise wouldn't fly in my house. As irritating and inconvenient as it would be I'd expect a do-over and to get what I contracted and paid for, which presumably is a properly installed, fully functioning shower.
Gabe
Original Author
12 years ago
kas4, that's good to hear that you haven't had any problems in that amount of time.

dlm2000... that's been my point exactly with everyone I've talked to about this, including DW. It's not like the contractors would be fixing someone else's mistake; they're fixing their own! Well, the sub's, but still.

I spoke with the contractor today, and voiced my concerns. I'll be speaking directly to the new tile setter to see what he has in mind before I make any decisions or let him proceed.

One possible solution is to go ahead and let them apply a second layer of tile flooring, with their assurances that it will 'last'. This would have to come in the form of a written warranty that far exceeds the standard 1 yr. Perhaps a 5yr?

I've attached some pics. The walk-in shower is tiled all the way up to the 9' ceilings, and the waterproofing is up to 7' on the walls. As much of a perfectionist as I am, I think I'd really hate to have to rip out the entire shower.

I don't know. Decision is still pending.
Thanks for the input.

Bathroom overview:

Wrong slope. You can kind of see the standing water to the Right side of the drain. About 16" L x 12" W

In the back right of this photo, you can see a glimpse of the crooked junction between the floor and the wall tile.