You don't remove it; you tile over it which is a TCNA approved method. No waterproofing risk.

Oh! If the pebbles have moved due to pressure (and an inferior grout job) when stood upon, I figured they may well be pushing a dent onto the foam Kerdi pan. That’s the only explanation I can think of to explain the grout spaces around most of the tiles and some grout crumbled and missing in small places.

I thought to take the pebbles out and try to leave the mesh underneath the tiles, if that’s possible.

Pebbles are notoriously difficult and often the thinset only bonds to the mesh not to the pebble itself. It takes a really finicky installer to get them in well. Ugh I have no idea what to suggest now.

The edges of the shower appear to have none to minimal grout cracks. Areas we stand on when showering including by drain area, have cracked gout with a few areas that have crumbled away. Almost everywhere I look the grout is separated from the pebbles and much is crumbled. It does not seem to me that tiling over crumbling and cracked grout would be structurally successful. Feeling overwhelmed a bit.

"You are experiencing point loads and there is no fix."

Mint:

If larger tile were properly installed over these, there would no longer be a point load. That would be a fix. And a hell of a lot less expensive fix than a "3X MORE expensive" tear out.

Kind of A True story Joe. I am not seeing larger tiles are you!

Reality is even then the bonding flange drain is already locked into mortar. no Way to raise it up properly to the new height of added tile w/o some kind of hacky cowboy move !

Thank you Mint, and Joseph for your honesty. I am grateful for help with this shower issue.

I did hire only one tile installer to create the entire corner shower, walls, curb with granite, along with tiling the bathroom floor. He never mentioned anything about the stones being a problem and I actually had shown him different tiles I had on hand previously chosen for the shower floor. Yes, the installation is Schluter all the way with the foam pan and the bonded drain, membrane, etc. It appears the grout is cracked, crumbling and not hugging the stones, and most recently randomly missing in bits, in the area that one would stand on under the water spray. Outlying areas seem fine, as nobody stands there. So, knowing this I see how it could be the stones moving a bit into the foam pan. Ugh!

Would those pebble sliced stones and their grout come up easily or is this a tear it out only fix? Also, if replacing the stones with porcelain on the same shower pan is not an option, which would be best for the rebuild... a mortar pan or dare I have a tile installer use a new Kerdi foam pan again with two-inch square tiles for example instead of stones?

Disappointed, to say the least, and it took over two years to get anyone to do this work. For some reason, people just don't want to grab job opportunites and make some money here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Hello: I have a new install with sliced pebbles on a kerdi pan which problems already. How did you resolve your problem? Thanks.

"Hello: I have a new install with sliced pebbles on a kerdi pan which problems already. How did you resolve your problem? Thanks."

Unfortuntely only one true way to remedy, rip out and start over.

Thank you. That is what I'm seeing but I was hoping there was a better way.

Are you an installer? or did you have this

experience yourself?

" Are you an installer? or did you have this

experience yourself?"

Nope, just been in the construction supply business for 40 plus years.