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We have a situation with an upstairs bath that’s leaked through damaging the plaster ceiling below. The tub and tile surround are original to the house, which was built in the 1920s. Examination via the access panel reveals that the leaking problem has been going on for a long time, as there are water stains on the joists as well as rusting on the underside of the tub. The plumbing is galvanized with an older mixer for the shower, that has been problematic. The tub has been refinished once, and that is now beginning to peel off.
The leaking appears to be the result of cracked grout lines. My proposal is to rip the tile out, update the plumbing, and replace the tub and tile surround. However, we have received the opinion that simply re-grouting the tiles would solve the problem and save money. My question is– how feasible is it to re-grout tiles that were wet-set years ago? Besides the fact that re-grouting isn’t really a long-term fix, I’m curious to know if it’s even a good idea in this situation. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I’m planning on doing whatever work is decided on myself, so budget isn’t a huge consideration. The biggest consideration is that this is the only full bath in the house, so ripping it apart would be an inconvenience.
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I had the same problem in a 60 yr old house and it turned out that the soap dish grout was the culprit. Seems that the angle of the splash varied whether my wife (5'1) or myself (6'1) were in the tub using the shower - amazing but true.
I dug out the problem grout as best I could and applied caulk - problem solved. I also replaced the tub fixture and the tiles surrounding the fixture. Tile replacement was left to a pro who did a pretty good job of matching whites.
Try to isolate the problem grout and fix there. If you can't, then I would bite ze bullet and sledge away. BTW, American Standard makes a tub that has the look and feel of iron but half the weight.
Good Luck
*An even quicker fix is to place a bunch of plastic buckets behind the tub where it's leaking. Anyone who says you can "fix" this by re-grouting isn't living in the real world. It's been 80 years, it's long past it's prime, plus the galvy needs to be replaced with copper. Rip it out.
*i It's been 80 years, it's long past it's primeWell, not exactly. There are numerous examples--far too many to mention--of tilework way older than you can believe. The problem is in the substrate. Portland cement base grout (dry white) doesn't crack on it's own. When it is subjected to movement iswhen you see cracking. It could be anything, but it's not the tile.A quick fix like regrouting is ephemeral at best. Particularly if there is water damage already. Moreso if it is 2nd story or higher. Even more problematic if there is interior plaster. But I agree about the plumbing.
*So much depends on the substrate and trying to determine what causes the leaking. Is it the drain? Is it the water supply? Is it calk failure? Is this tub surround also a shower?I can't imagine the tile being the source of the leak if the area is a tub surround. I guess I could imagine a lot of frolicky kids splashing water on the wall for decades, but jeez, that would take a lot of water to damage the framing.If the tile is historical, you may want to invest the time determining the cause of the leaks and address that, and save a beautiful design. This would probably involve exploratory holes from the adjacent walls and ceiling below, and removing some of the tiles and trying to match or duplicate them. This can be time consuming and expensive. But given you need new copper and probably new faucets, and if the tile has no historical significance, I think you would be better ripping the whole mess out, and installing the bathroom of your choice with 21st century technology. I would not waste the time to re-grout and delay what appears to be the inevitable. Gut it.
*This particular tile is of no historical significance, it's just plain white (can't remember the shape offhand.) I did forget to mention that this tub surround is a shower, which is why I think the leaking may be primarily due to the numerous cracked grout joints. It is very possible however that the old mixer or drain could have contributed significantly.Guess I'll get the pry bar and have at it! Thanks for the input.
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We have a situation with an upstairs bath that's leaked through damaging the plaster ceiling below. The tub and tile surround are original to the house, which was built in the 1920s. Examination via the access panel reveals that the leaking problem has been going on for a long time, as there are water stains on the joists as well as rusting on the underside of the tub. The plumbing is galvanized with an older mixer for the shower, that has been problematic. The tub has been refinished once, and that is now beginning to peel off.
The leaking appears to be the result of cracked grout lines. My proposal is to rip the tile out, update the plumbing, and replace the tub and tile surround. However, we have received the opinion that simply re-grouting the tiles would solve the problem and save money. My question is-- how feasible is it to re-grout tiles that were wet-set years ago? Besides the fact that re-grouting isn't really a long-term fix, I'm curious to know if it's even a good idea in this situation. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I'm planning on doing whatever work is decided on myself, so budget isn't a huge consideration. The biggest consideration is that this is the only full bath in the house, so ripping it apart would be an inconvenience.