In my 1960s home, I have a tile tub/shower surround that leaks (its a 2nd floor bathroom). I have removed the drywall from the adjoining room and can see that the tile is set on a mud and expanded metal lath bed which seems sound but through which the water is seeping. Most of the wall appears damp on this backside. The tiles look good and are firmly set. The mud bed has no give although the drywall behind it is clearly ruined (the wall from inside out is stud, failed drywall, apparently good mud and lath bed, and then the tile).
So to my question, if I clean out the old grout, regrout and seal, will the wall cease to seep?
Is the grout itself water tight?, or does the lack of some form of membrane mean the tub surround will always leak a little (if there was tar paper between the drywall and mud bed it is long gone). Thanks for any help and advice.
Replies
Grout is not watertight.
You have an old-fashioned mud set tile job. It is inherently a very good system. But it isn't watertight, which you are seeing. There should have been some kind of membrane betwen the studs and the mortar. 30# tarpaper used to be used, and it still is by some people, and it's acceptable. You have two choices: live with the leaks, or tear the whole thing out and re-install with a membrane.
Taunton szells a book by Michael Byrne "Setting tile". Sometimes you can find it in HD or Lowes, and it's on Amazon. Excellent book. Read and follow it, and you can do the work yourself.
The hardest part will be demo-ing the old mortar and metal lath ... it's a nasty job. Here's one I did. You can see the rubber membrane that used to go up the walls and curb. There was no slope to the pan, so the membrane was holding water. The walls and entire bathroom floor were done in a mud bed, and I tore it all out. The curb was high enough that it formed a bathtub. Part of the problem was that the HO would open the door, sit on the high curb, and shave her legs ... with the shower running.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Edited 10/9/2005 9:27 am ET by FastEddie
"If I clean out the old grout, regrout and seal, will the wall cease to seep?"
Answer:...If yousubstitute epoxy based grout in place of mortar based grout,...YES. To my knowledge, water cannot penetrate epoxy grout.
BUT...this does not solve your problem associated with the decaying drywall trapped behind the wall tile. This can become a mold issue and therefore a health issue. Best solution...tear everything out, and start from scratch....more time consuming and costly...yes, but in the long run, this is the best alternative.
Davo
Good point Davo.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Thanks for the helpful response. Not what I wanted to hear, but quite helpful nonetheless.
Any tricks related to the demolition? Otherwise, I am just going at it with a sledgehamer.
Also, there is some mold in the wall cavity. Is a bleach solution the right fix or something else?
Thanks again for all of the help.
Small sledge (about 2-3 pounds) and a prybar, and a good set of gloves. Probably neeed tinsnips. Don't forget safety glasses. I found that I could get the bar under the tile structure and lift up, and large chunks wouldm break off. Sometimes too large to handle. Sometimes the rusty wire breaks too, sometimes it needs to be cut.
If you don't have a small sledge already, Estwing sells one through HD and Lowes, called an engineers hammer I think. One piece all steel handle and head with rubber grip. It's a nice size to swing one-handed in a small room.
Bleach works well, but somepeople recommed other stuff cuz of the fumes.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt