Shower Floor Grout Remains Wet Looking

3 years ago

Hello,

We recently had a new tile shower installed in our master bath. The wall tile was SurfaceArt Amalfi Vein Cut in Bianco size 6x24 and the floor tile was Daltile Uptown Glass UP20 Matte Alabaster Hexagon. The grout used was Polyblend non-sanded in Alabaster for the floor and Polyblend sanded in Bone. The grout was sealed, but the sealer used by the contractor is unknown to me. The pan was covered in RedGuard to waterproof it.

We noticed initially that the area around the drain remained darker in color while the rest of the grout dried after a few hours. The shower then began to leak and the floor had to be pulled up, retiled, and resealed after the leak was identified and resolved. I thought the initial issue with the grout was due to either too much water used during mixing or not waiting long enough prior to sealing...so the positive to the leak was they would have to redo the floor/grout.

Now that the shower is back together we again are noticing the discoloration in the grout when wet. I understand grout is porous and will change color when wet even if sealed, but my understanding is that it should typically dry and return to normal color within 15 - 20 mins max. I'm okay with the darker color when showering, but we have not showered for 2 days and have been running a fan on the shower floor for the last 18 hours to see if it would dry and the discoloration remains. While it does not appear wet around the drain as in the original install it is now wet looking around the perimeter about 3" out from the wall.

Initial feedback from the contractor is that this is just how the grout might be, but based on my research this is not typical.

From what I've read on here likely causes seem to be 1) either too much water used when mixing the grout or when wiping the grout during install 2) Not allowing the grout to cure long enough before sealing (they waited 36 hours I believe even though I asked for 72 hours), 3) The mortar bed is getting wet due to something such as incorrect slope, weepholes, etc.

My questions here are 1) Am I overreacting and should I just accept this as being normal? 2) If properly sealed how long should grout really take to return to it's dry appearance 3) Any thoughts on the actual cause other than what I listed above?

Comments (10)

roarah
I think it is worth exploring why it is happening. I had a similar issue in the spring with my nearly built shower. It was a draining issue but grout was the first possibility explored but than my wall joints by the floor began to stay dark too which is when we all knew it was more than a case of bad grout. Are your wall joints wicking water at all?

Unfortunately my issue's solution was a total redo so you need to document everything in case you have a fight on your hands, I did not but some have had contractors bail. If you have progress pictures they are very telling usually and helpful with troubleshooting the causes as well as fighting any possible financial fight with contractors. Put out an email to your contractor stating the issue and keep record of conversations.

now that my shower is properly done my grout is dry within an hour not days....it was worth the trouble to ask why!
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
Carl Goodwill thanked roarah
PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
You had a new shower leak and that is a huge cause for concern. What caused the leak and how was it repaired? Any in progress photo's would help greatly. What wall board was used? Plug the drain and fill the base with water. Let it stay filled for a couple of days and watch for leaks.
3 years ago
Carl Goodwill thanked Creative Tile Eastern CT
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geoffrey_b
It could be that the shower floor is not properly sloped. It is too flat around edge, so it is holding water. The problem areas look even (in the picture) - like the width of a float, the entire floor needs to slope towards the drain.
3 years ago
Carl Goodwill thanked geoffrey_b
Carl Goodwill
So many challenges with this simple project combined with a pregnant wife made for a nightmare. Wish I had taken progress photos, but unfortunately didn't think of it.

To address the initial leak a hole was cut in the ceiling below the shower to observe the source of the leak. It was identified that the leak was occurring around the drain of the shower. A section of the floor around the drain was removed. The area was resealed and a new drain installed as the old drain was not secured correctly. A water test was conducted and the leak actually was worse, but was no longer leaking directly from the drain, but from the actual pan. The entire tile floor was removed including the first layer of wall tile. They then put on a new liner type material (a mesh of some sort), re applied a couple layers of Red Guard, and conducted another 24 hour water test. There seemed to be no indication of a leak.

The wall board used was a cement backer board. The process that was supposed to be used for ensuring waterproofing was:

-- 30 pound felt liner down

-- Concrete layer sloped towards drain

-- PVC liner membrane over pan, 6-12 inches upon side of shower

-- Fill with water over night to ensure not linking

-- Cut out opening

-- Mortar concrete base on top of membrane

-- Membrane goes up and over curb

However, what was actually done could have been different. I do know that the contractor's process was not working (obviously as my shower leaked), but I also know at they same time as my project they had at least 3 others leak as well...very concerning.

My absolute fear around the grout issue we are now seeing, and as I think geoffrey_b might be hinting to, which is that there is still a leak occurring and this is causing the grout to remain wet.

All I really want is for this project, to be done with...started in February of 2016 for just a shower tile job.

The feedback from the contractor is that they think this is associated with the sealer or how the sealer was applied. While I am in no way an expert, my thought is that the area is too uniform around the perimeter to be an issue with the sealer, and is likely another problem such as the slope of the pan like geoffrey_b indicated.

My take away at this point is that I am not over reacting and this is actually indicative of issue that needs resolution.

Any other input is always appreciated!

Thanks!
3 years ago
PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
Sorry about your situation. I'm going with another possibility. You have a liner with mud on the top and cement wall board. The leak saturated the mud bed and then the repair was redgaurd on top of the mud which would trap the moisture in the middle. If the cement board was embedded in the mud the trapped moisture will be wicking around the perimeter and into the wall board. Stating that you had multiple leaks is a clear indication that the contractor has no idea of the required process. A leak on the perimeter of the shower would probably still only be visible at the drain from beneath due to the fact that is where the plywood is cut. I realize you just want this to be done but I would strongly suggest contacting a professional tile contractor to come out and look at your project. To verify geoffrey's point about the pitch lay a level on the floor. No matter what, there is still a problem and the odds are your contractor is going to apply another band-aid. For your reference a properly waterproofed shower should be usable without any tile installed. We have no way of knowing what was actually done behind the tile. There is always a bright side. You will be a dad soon:)
3 years ago
Carl Goodwill thanked Creative Tile Eastern CT
Carl Goodwill
Just a quick update on our project. The contractor's thought was that it was an issue with either the grout or the seal and came out and removed the grout from about 1" around the perimeter of the shower (stopped maybe halfway around as I think the task became a bit too tedious with the small hex tile).. He then applied a seal into the cavity where the grout was removed, re-grouted those areas where it was removed and applied a 5 year seal on the grout again after waiting 5 or 6 days for the grout to cure..

We waited 72 hours from the seal to shower and unfortunately we are still seeing the discoloration primarily around the perimeter of the shower that lasts 48+ hours.

By no means am I an expert, but my personal thinking is that is an issue with the pan. I've requested that we take the following action. Wait 4-6 weeks to see if letting the grout fully harden has a positive impact (I actually think it will have the opposite as I believe the bed is going to continue to get wet and the area will increase in size or stay discolored for even a longer period of time), if discoloration continues then, as Creative Tile Eastern CT mentioned, we have a tile tile contractor/expert come and assess the situation.

I'll keep this post updated as it progresses, and always open for ideas and feedback as well.

Thanks.
3 years ago
PRO
Avanti Tile & Stone / Stonetech
To me, Unsanded grout is a deal-breaker. Fine for some backsplashes but NOT for ANY floor. It washes out too many times to count. I just did 1700 sq. ft. of a "wood look" ceramic tile....and it washed out the colour in MANY places. We repaired those areas, but the HO still wasn't satisfied. Anything from 1/8" on should have sanded grout. Anything else....you'll be fighting it forever.
3 years ago
geoffrey_b
"He then applied a seal into the cavity where the grout was removed, re-grouted those areas where it was removed and applied a 5 year seal on the grout again after waiting 5 or 6 days for the grout to cure.."

Sounds half-a**ed. Seal in the grout lines before grouting?
3 years ago
PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
No need to wait. Find a pro now. As expected here come the band aids. All of which are just more things done wrong.
3 years ago
Christie Halcomb
This is an interesting read as I recently purchased a home with the same issue which led me to this thread. Ironically, the photo that popped up is my exact tile. Any current feedback on this would be much appreciated if you still receive notifications on posts here. Thank you!
12 days ago

Shower Floor Grout Remains Wet Looking

Comments (10)

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