He is telling you that, because to replace it is a huge job. I would definitely not accept that. Make him replace it, and anything else he has to remove to do so. Make sure it is waterproofed properly too.

Did you pay for a new shower pan or a repaired shower pan? That being said, you need to pick your battles. If this is a hill you are willing to die on then fight it. If you have more work to where he may or may not attempt to get the money back, then........... Have him put in writing that the repair will give you no issues for an agreed amount of time or he then replaces it possibly?

If your brand new car got a dent in it would you expect your insurance company to replace the car? Not in the real world. That chip is a very easy fix for a competent repair co.

Yes, if my new car got a dent in it before I ever drove it, I would ask the dealership to provide a new vehicle. We are still in the renovation process and the shower has not been used (the shower is not finished yet, the wall edge is slanted which they are fixing). I just wanted to know if it was a reasonable request.

I would replace it. With something sturdier. Like solid surface.

And a different installer. One who at least knows that caulk is used at change of planes, not grout. When you see a rookie mistake like grout in the wrong place, you have BIG reasons to question what else this installer did wrong.

At a change of planes, should grout be used first, and then caulk? or just the caulk and grout should not be there in the first place?

Before you move forward, do you have pictures in progress of the work? People here are concerned that the work done under the tile is incorrect. If that is the case, better to fix it now than much later when your home is damaged by water intrusion. Everything may be fine, but why not find out now.

It is fixable but not with caulk or grout. Contractors caused a crack in our new tub, shower combo but it was fixed by a specialty company. You cannot even see the repair. I should add that fiberglass boats are repaired this way all of the time. Ultimately, it is up to you, but the right company can fix it correctly.

No, grout should not be there in the first place. It should have been caulk.Corner seams should have been also done with caulk, not grout.

Sabrina, the silicone caulk should be used at the bottom in the tile where is meets the white shower pan, no grout should be used there, also inside corners. That is a extremely rookie mistake. I would have a specialist make the crack repair, not the rookie tile guy if repair is what y choose. It probably can be repaired if done properly but I really wouldn't trust rookie to do it properly. What if specialist says it can't be repaired properly. I would hold off on finish until that is repaired, that is a pretty big crack that could possibly get worse over time. Yeah, I wouldn't accept it though.

I would not accept a cracked tub liner. That sort of defies the point of having one, since any crack is a potential water intrusion. The grout line is not only wrong along the top of the tub but it is sloppy. What did he do behind this? Did he tile too? If so, I would be concerned as to how he waterproofed.

These are the only pictures I was able to get while they were working.

I was told there doesn't have to be waterproofing behind the tile, it just has to be water resistant, because water doesn't accumulate on the wall. Is that the normal standard for showers? Or do ALL shower walls needs to be waterproof?

No, you need waterproofing. I dont know anyone that doesnt get water on their shower walls. Thats ridiculous. All showers need to be waterproof. The tile itself may be sort of waterproof, but, grout sure isnt.

So sorry this happened to you. Other than the waterproofing and grout issue, I am really bothered by the lack of protection on your shower base! All that crap dumped in there - nothing taped down to protect the exposed parts... I bet if you look close enough there are probably scratches in it too...

On a positive note - I love your floor!!!

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

" All showers need to be waterproof. The tile itself may be sort of waterproof, but, grout sure isn't."

So they say, but I've seen the tile on a few old (pre-1960) house tile tub-with-shower surrounds removed to reveal what appears to be plain plaster underneath. Are modern wall materials less water-resistant than plaster? Or was some special plaster used around bathtubs?

The waterproofing can be behind the cement board in the form of tar/felt paper or sheet plastic. We can't see if that was done. What we can see is that not nearly enough screws were used to secure the Durock to the studs (8" OC for walls, 6"OC for ceilings) and we can see that mesh tape and thinset were not used on the seams and corners.

Absent the waterproofing behind the cement board, a newer method is to apply 2 coats of RedGuard or similar liquid waterproofing membrane to the cement board. (After the seams are taped with alkali resistant mesh tape and thinset.) Obviously, there was no membrane applied to the Durock.

I'm not a pro, but aren't the seams of the boards (cement board, hydroban boards, etc) supposed to be taped and then thinset material spread over the tape? I'm probably not using the right words, but I'm referring to connecting the boards. Also, yes you need waterproofing. If they didn't do that they need to rebuild your shower. If they take the tile down before too long, they might be able to save it from breaking. I think a meeting between homeowner and contractor should happen as soon as possible.

You can see that the grout (that shouldn’t be in the corners because silicone caulking goes there) shrunk in the corner because it is cracked. And you absolutely should see the joints taped with alkali resistant tape and thin set, before the waterproofing membrane is applied. Too bad the contractor doesn’t know how to properly prep a shower for tile, because the floor looks lovely. (But expect to see crack lines develop because he probably didn’t tape those joints either.)

Look, I'm just a homeowner, but this kind of bad work happened to me about 18 months ago. I think the OP and contractor need to have a sit down meeting asap.

Sabrina, I recommend:

1) Calling the technical department of the manufacturer that makes your shower base. Have the photos ready to email to the tech. Ask the tech what they recommend...repair or replacement. If repair, have them email you instructions.

2) Read the installation instructions for the backer board that was used in your shower. See if it was installed correctly. You can also call that company's tech department, but no real need to, the instructions will tell you what you need. The product needs to be installed IAW the manufacturer's installation instructions. Especially in a wet area like a shower.

I sort of hate to write this, but you can have it redone today at your GC's expense, or you can have it, and the water infiltration damage repair, done a few years down the road, at your expense. Your insurance likely won't cover it since the products were not installed as intended.

Sorry for your troubles.

Is this the same tile installer contracted from the same big box store as the other shower? What state? This is not professional and in some states would be a license violation.

Uh oh. Is this the same contractor that removed your load-bearing wall holding up your second floor, and claimed he did a "stress test" on the undersized beam he installed?

I believe Lee Lee mentioned that your waterproofing wasn’t done correctly in your last post about this shower...back in October...

This is the same contractor that removed the load-bearing wall. Right now, I've switched focus from the shower to making sure that my house does not collapse.

Regarding the base, a company that specializes in fiber glass repair was called and they fixed the shower pan, it looks brand new. I contacted the shower pan manufacturer and they said that if it is a surface crack it can be repaired, which it was deemed to be by the repairman. The contractor covered the cost of the repair.

As for the waterproofing/tiling, the contractor said to run the water and aim it at the walls, and he guarantees that it will not leak. And if it does, I will see the leak immediately (not my words, his). The rest of the bathroom is still under construction, so we are not using it as our main shower.

Right now, other parts of the home are still being worked on and I will get back to the shower after the beam is corrected. There are so many other things that have gone wrong, that I am not sure what to do at this point. I told my GC that the subcontractor that installed the shower tile and the beam (same guy) was no longer permitted to work on my home.

So sorry your remodel has turned into such a big headache. Your contractor should be the one taking care of all these problems. Doesnt say much for him either, when he employees help that do not do things right.

What did the contractor say about the use of grout on the bottom of lowest tile and corner of tile in shower?

(Rather than caulk)

Glad they were able to repair the shower pan. Still question about the water proofing though. I wonder if sealing the grout would help. But I think that is something you have to do periodically, but I'm not sure, I just don't know myself.

Sabrina, that's what I was afraid of. Keeping your house standing is certainly your priority. I do hope you get the situation remedied as quick as possible.

The contractor said that the hardiebacker only needs to be installed with nails because we have a fiberglass pan and large format tiles- That the grout and tile can go directly on the cement board?

Can anyone confirm if that is the case?

Nails are ok, according to the Hardiebacker installation instructions from the manufacturer. You need waterproofing between the tiles and the hardiebacker. Redgard is commonly used, it's a paint-on product.

Waterproofing is always needed over the hardiback (cement board) when used in a shower. Seams all need to be taped with a special tape too. Usually two coats of red guard. I am also wondering if that crack in the pan was caused by them in the first place, by someone sitting on that bench they have in there, and not enough support under the pan so it cracked.

Waterproofing is NOT always needed over cement board. A barrier behind has been a long time approved method and still widely used today.

Do you mean a barrier behind the cement board? There is nothing behind there, it was hung directly on the 2x4. There also appears to be nothing at all behind the shelf in the shower.

Also, does all cement board need to be taped at the corners?

I would like to know with certainty, that whatever is behind the tile is waterproof. I would like to avoid replacing the shower tile just as much as my contractor would.

If there is no poly behind the cement board and no topical waterproofing applied over the cement board then what you have is in no way shape or form waterproof.

All cement board needs to be taped, so yes that means corners as well with Non-alkaline tape.

The contractor has FINALLY agreed to redo the shower. I am going to record the installation. Thank you all, yet again.

Read up on proper waterproofing and then keep watch to make sure it is done the way it should be.

No. DQ.

Additional question for people that may know how to lay tile: (I don't have the slightest optimism that this was installed correctly, I would just like to know the proper way to lay the tile)

Our subcontractor installed our ceramic floor tile over wire mesh. Now there are several tiles that are sinking (not drastically, but someone can still trip over them). Is there a process that's supposed to happen between laying the mesh and then laying the tile to ensure that the floor installation will be level?

https://www.rubi.com/us/blog/how-to-lay-tile-that-looks-like-wood/ This may help you.

That's a good read. "Tile is not flat" meaning that there will be some curvature over the length of the tile. If you line them up, the curves might match, but when you offset them as desired, you will get "lippage". The clamps help, but you won't get perfection. Rounded edges help. Grout spacing helps, so there is always a minimum per manufacturer.