Tile grout

[TheWanderer]

We've just bought a new house about five months ago and I'm having problems with the master bath shower grout.

All along the edges inside the shower the grout is starting to turn darker and it has cracks in it. It's fairly obvious to me that water is getting into the cracks and causing the grout to erode.

The problem is that the builder says this is fairly normal and not to worry about it!!!!!!!!! Should I or should I not demand that he re-grout around the base of the shower enclosure??

Thanks for the help.

[professorpaul]

He should replace it under the customary one year builder's warrenty. I have had this show up later. I simply dug it out with a grout saw (handy tool!!) and regrouted with silicon caulk. The base of the shower had settled and the grout had pulled away. 1/2 hour job, at most. Once the house "settles," this problem should go away. I wanted the resiliency of the silicon caulk to avoid the problem of "mortar" type grout breaking up/cracking in this case.

When I did some tile work in a bath a couple of years ago, I ran a small bead of silicon caulk around the edge of the tub before I set the tile, then grouted in the usual manner. Any "flex" seal problems got taken care of by the silicon caulk.

I'm not sure if this is the accepted way to deal with it, but sealed up nicely in both cases.

[Michael B]

If your surgeon were to amputate the wrong leg, would you go back to have him do it right the next time?

If it were my shower, and the grout was degrad> We've just bought a new house about five months ago and I'm having

[Bob F]

The experts I talked to were quite firm on the opinion that grout was not appropriate for corners and the tub edge. They recommended

100% silicone caulk for those locations to accomodate the inevitable movement which will occur over time and temperature swings.

Bob

[TheWanderer]

Thanks for the help everyone. I'm going to give him a call and ask him to re-grout the shower base with silicon grout. I can understand the settling problem, I've already had a couple of stress cracks. I knew I'd get straight answers here.

[Norminn]

Silicone CAULK!

[Michael B]