You have water getting thru the tile to the pan like it is supposed to but the shower pan appears to not be draining properly. Sealing the tile and grout do not make it waterproof it is sealed to slow staining and etching only.

Thank you so much. If the shower Pan is not draining, what is the best solution?

Rip the entire shower out and redo the entire thing properly.

Ouch!

Does this just affect the Pan under the ground though? We just moved in 2 weeks ago. I have the builder and the tile guy coming over tomorrow to check it out. Anything I should ask, push for, etc when they come? I’m dreading what may be a massive headache for us. Really appreciate your help man.

"Anything I should ask, push for, etc when they come? :"

Exact means and method of construction of the entire shower walls and floor, including materials and waterproofing methods. Documents showing what was used, not only described. Proof of flood test for the shower pan.

Thanks! If you were me what would you do and what would you expect the builder do? Would sealing the grout solve the issue?

No the sealer has nothing to do with waterproofing and is not waterproof. Shower should be able to be used and drain properly with just bare waterproofing, no tile. The pan not draining is due to it not being sloped properly before the tile was installed. I would expect the documents showing what exactly was used and a step by step explanation of exactly what was done per TCNA standard, Or they rip it out and do it over, period. Now, if this is a developer type home or a tract home you have a better chance of seeing god than getting it redone.

Why is water getting in thru the grout lines though? Is that common for marble?

Grout is not waterproof. Grout and tile are decorative wear surfaces and are not waterproof.

As I said grout is not waterproof, tile is not waterproof, sealer is not waterproof nor are any supposed to be. A shower pan is basically a water in, water out system. the water is supposed to go thru the tile/grout to the pan where it runs downhill to the drain. Your water is sitting because the hill (preslope) is not correct and the water is not running downhill properly.

If it was a pan issue, you would see the moisture in the floor as well. It's might just be a product choice issue.

Millworkman answered you already. You asked what you should push for when the builder and tile person come over tomorrow. Millworkman answered:

"Exact means and method of construction of the entire shower walls and floor, including materials and waterproofing methods. Documents showing what was used, not only described. Proof of flood test for the shower pan."

While the house was being built, were you able to visit the site and take pictures during the building process? If you have any in-progress photos of the shower-build post them here.

What does your contract say?

@AJCN what do you mean contract? We have a 1 year builders warranty. Please see pics of what I did take - unfortunately no pics taken between these and ultimately when the tile was laid.

I heard from a friend to have the shower completely dried out - maybe 1-2 weeks - and then seal the grout specifically. If water still gets down to the ground area (where floor meets the vertical tile) then consider an epoxy-based grout which should get as close to waterproofing as possible). Love this groups thoughts on this idea!

Do and believe what you want.

I have zero idea what to do. That’s why I’m asking on this forum! would sealing the grout do anything productive? What about epoxy-based grout? Id be most appreciative for your thoughts here so I can take up with the builder tomorrow

Grout is not and was not ever intended to be waterproof. The water that gets through is too drain towards the drain (preslope) you have water sitting which in my mind means the preslope is not correct.

Is the preslope just under the tile on the ground? Like could they (if that’s the issue) rip up the tile on the ground and redo the preslope, or would everything need to get ripped up to fix this?

The wall tile is installed correctly laps the pan system so at the very least the bottom row or two but being they may have blown the preslope and the pan the hopes are not good the walls are correct. Again reread my earlier post and ask those questions and demand the answers. And if this is a tract or developer home do not hold out much hope of these answers or them fixing it.

Most likely they will try to lie to you when they come over tomorrow. Blame you, blame the tile, blame someone, say it's not a problem, say you're being too picky, say you are too hard to please, etc, etc. So you might want to read up on waterproofing tonight and make a list of questions. Ask them how they built it and take notes on what they tell you. Ask open ended questions such as "how did you build the shower?" Ask questions that have known correct answers such as "What's the slope of the floor?" Ask "What did you put for waterproofing?" Send an email after the meeting confirming everything they said in writing such as what their excuses are, what they said they would do to fix it or rip out and replace.

There are lots of waterproofing threads on here. Don't look at a bunch of YouTube things though bc you can go down a rabbit hole of misinformation pretty quick. The exception I make is that I did learn a lot on Sal Diblasi's videos. He's a tile pro in the Boston area.

So this is a new build and you don't have a contract? A contract to build the house? For example, did the contract say things would be built in accordance to local codes, industry standards, pass inspections such as the flood test, etc.

Don't tell them what your friend said to do, or offer any other solutions. Let them tell you what has to be done.

@Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.What do you think the issue is? That's a great idea to have an independent qualified/certified contractor come in. Anything else I should ask/probe with the builder tomorrow? Per others' comments in this thread, seems like the preslope isn't draining effectively. Is that your perspective as well? If you were to guess, based on what the issue is, what level of work would be required to resolve? Rip out the tile on the floor and one or two rows up from the base to replace?

@AJCN definitely have a contract. Standard residential contract.

Is this a tract or developer type home or a custom build? This will help in how you approach the builder for sure.

as dragonfly states it needs to be inspected onsite. The person looking at it must be "Qualified" to do so. where will you source and find this person... youve shown a photo of a weep hole drain...thats all weve got to go on...

@millworkman this was a semi-custom home build

@Mint tile Minneapolis would any other pics be beneficial to your analysis re: what may be going on?

appreciate anybody else's thoughts re: what the issue may actually be here. Thank you in advance, y'all are awesome!

The issue seems to me that water is puddling up under the tile on the floor. Water is expected to get under the tile. But it's supposed to go downhill into the drain once it does. Yours isn't completely draining.

In order for the system that Fori is describing to work, the Walls and floor have to be waterproof under the tile. This is one thing that many builders don’t bother to do. Ask the questions Millworkman listed. Write each question on its own page and write their answers. Then post their answers here and the pros will help you out. Do not agree to anything at this meeting. Nothing you can do from the outside of the shower will fix this.

There are professionals who can evaluate your shower, though you would have to pay them. The pros here will tell you if you need to do that.

Millworkman’s third comment is the list of questions, which he discusses in his fourth comment.