Help with mildew at tub/shower joint with tile

15 years ago

I am about to shut the water off in my son's bathroom and let him shower outside. We had his bathroom re-tiled (it had 3 or 4 different rose colored tiles and 2 shades of rose grout when we bout the house) and the only problem with the clean white tile is that I keep going up there and finding the line where the tile meets the tub growing mildew. I have repaired caulk and grout (found a crack in the corner) and nothing seems to help. The wall has an opening behind and nothing seems to be damp behind the wall. We did not replace the tub -- it seemed to be fine, but the deck part seems to be flat or sloping toward the wall just slightly or and not the tub. Is that something the tile guy could have messed up?

If that's the problem, it's been too long since the work was done and I wouldn't have the guy back in my house anyway. After he did this job he did a bathroom floor in another house and the cops had to be called, then the lawyers. So, if that is the problem, what options are there for dealing with it? Do we have to pull the tub and replace it? I really don't want to do that, especially if we have to retile the entire thing, but I can't keep up this work on the grout and caulk with no improvement.

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Comments (8)

lascatx
Original Author
15 years ago
Nothing? From anyone? Was it something I said?
ae2ga
15 years ago
Short of taking everything out and putting everything back in, I suggest one more serious de-chaulking, cleanng, and rechaluking, and then make sure your cherub runs the exhust fan for at least 15 minutes. I had a similar problem with a teenage girl who couldn't shower in less than 30 minutes and then "forgot" to turn on the exhaust fan. For one week, I would turn on the water and flush toilets all over the house to "encourage" her to hurry up after 10 minutes. Our compromise: I'll stop if she remembers to run the fan - there has been no mold problem since then.
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lascatx
Original Author
15 years ago
Actually, he is pretty good about running the fan in his bathroom. He is the one who noticed water running back from the tub towards the tile and pooling. That's what's making me wonder if the tile guy or his assistant stepped up on the edge to do the top part of the tile and might have pushed down that edge. I believe the tub is porcelain over cast iron.

I am planning on doing another super cleaning and recaulking this week while they are out from school and it will be easier for him to use our bathroom or his brothers to shower for a couple of days so we can make sure it's good and dry. After that, I just don't know what else to do other than rip out the whole thing.

Can anyone tell me if we could pull the tub and not have to retile the whole thing or would that be a bad idea even if we could?
ae2ga
15 years ago
Well I am of no help then - hopefully, someone who knows about these things will come in and answer - have you considered posting in home repairs?
bill_g_web
15 years ago
I'm not a pro but is it possible that mildew can grow due to water behind the caulk joint, meaning there's a leak in the wall somewhere and water runs down to collect at the tub deck behind the joint? In other words, the problem isn't water collecting on the tub deck but lies somewhere above, in the tile wall(s). And I believe you mentioned cracked grout in the corner - if I interpret this right, the tile guy grouted the corner, which I'm pretty sure is wrong; corners should be caulked, not grouted.
lascatx
Original Author
15 years ago
I did find a crack in the corner about half way up that I have recaulked. I'm not seeing any cracks now.
wisrose
15 years ago
If the recualking doesn't do the trick my suggestion is to wipe that ledge dry after each shower. I know that is not what anyone wants to do but if that ledge pools water a fan will not dry it out. Just a quick swipe with the bath towel to eliminate the "standing water" should eliminate the mildew. The hard part is getting cherub to comply!
lascatx
Original Author
15 years ago
Yep -- that's kind of where we are right now, and this 14 yr old male, while not a bad kid overall, wants to see how little he can do and how much he can get away with. Outdoor showering in the winter might wake him up and get his attention. Don't worry -- I figure it would only take one or two days with his water shut off to get his attention and its a balmy 74 here right now. ;-)