I recently (with the past year) gutted my bathroom. As this was “my” bathroom I took out the tub a made a tiled shower enclosure. I used a ceramic tile that mimics tumbled marble. The tile is on 1/2″ hardibacker board, behind the hardibacker is a 4 mil plastic sheet, except where near the base of the shower floor where the 4 mil plastic overlaps the 40 mil pvc pan liner.
Recently I noticed that the grout line at about 2 tiles from the shower floor continuously has a darker look than the surrounding grout,(See photos 1&2) almost as if it were wet. At first I thought the the sealant had worn off, so I went 3 days without using that shower (I used the one downstairs), I figure if it were wet it would dry. Three days later still the same color variation. I was then think maybe that there was moisture migrating in from the outside (this is an outside wall) but with all the plastic that really isn’t possible, and the same condition exist on an interior wall (photo 3). The grout does not SEEM wet. any ideas on 1. what is causing this and 2. the cure? By the way this is the top floor of the house, there is nothing but a roof above.
I tried to edit this by resizing the photos, you see how well that worked out.
Edited 3/2/2005 11:21 pm ET by johnnybuilt
Edited 3/2/2005 11:24 pm ET by johnnybuilt
Replies
I'm not going to open those huge files.
I'm thinking the 'wet' or discolored grout line coincides with where the plastic VP ends at the liner?
If it does, it might be something to think about.
I'm starting to believe more and more that a shower 'room shoud be waterproofed ontop of the substrate and behind the tile as in Shluter system.
But what do I know?
I can't tell a steel column from a concrete one!
Eric
I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
[email protected]
could you rezie those photos please...
tooooo much for dial up...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Did you use a dark sealer behind the Hardi????
I did that once and it soaked through to the bottom tiles and grout.
Thank god it went clear around the tub area just on the first course.
It looked like I planned it that way......whewwwwwww....live and learn.
Be well
a...
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
That thought (about the PVC cross my mind too) and the line does correspond with that. The plastic runs over the pvc. I didn't seal the the hardibacker with anything I wasn't aware that I had too. None of the instructions that I read before said to do that. I'd be happy to resize the photos if I knew how. I'll try to figure that one out.
Consider this. Just a thought.
Moisture is collecting onthe plastic VP, runnig down to the the point where it is 'pinched' where the Hardi is tight against the pan liner.
Then it trys to get out horizontally.
Are you venting this room well?
It's just a shower not a steam right?
EricI Love A Hand That Meets My Own,
With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.
[email protected]
We have been sealing our studs with poly strips and leaving the back of the Cement board exposed to breath. That protects the studs and still lets air get around things. Just a thought. We have also used Tyvek tape, a little spendy but fast. Yeah I know it has little holes in it but so does the poly after being nailed or screwed
Greetings johnnybuilt,
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=24441.1
is an old thread here on Breaktime that includes a lot of data on posting pics and the Irfanview download.
Dialup patrons of the forum cannot download real large files or will take excessive time.
Two things are necessary to assist the dialups with your photos. Making sure that the set file association is set to jpgs if you are using the Irfanview system.
The other is to keep the KG picture size to preferably 50 to 75 KGs.
Welcome to Breaktime. Glad yer here.
SanchoRon the caballero bowed low as he waved his sombrero and said ...goodbye.
Thanks Razzman for the program I will use it in the future. Eric, It is only a shower. I redid they main bathroom in the house about 18 months ago, after lugging that cast iron Kohler tub up the stairs, I really wasn't thrilled about repeating it, only a floor higher.
I am hoping it is not trapped moisture, although the minute I noticed it that is was one of the first things that ran through my mind. I was hoping that by not using it for 3 days it would dry out, but if it were moisture where you suggest it would take a hell of a lot longer than three days to dry out. I have a picture of the shower while it was in progress, what you said makes sense. The only question I have is why did it take a year to occur? Could it be that the sealant on the tile (I had to seal before I grouted it, because it was so porous )has worn off? Better yet what can I do to correct this. Reseal, Weep holes? I wish I had foreseen this problem before hand I would have gouged a channel in the hardibacker to allow the water to escape.