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The guy who demo'd my bathroom, installed cement board, then tile has done some things that I question -
He did not caulk the cement board seams before putting up tile
He did not fill new tub to test it before tiling. By the time the plumber came half of the tile was on the wall so there was no "testing" done. The drain did not hold water, the ceiling below is damp, as well as the top half of the wall in room below. Paint is cracking and feels spongy. I am having plumber come by to adjust drain and tell me what to do about ceiling and walls. Do I need to open up asap and replace asap so as not to get mold? (The main reason for the demo in the first place, but not the same cause of mold.)
The tile work is level, he says, but not straight vertically especially, and the grout lines are inconsistent in width. He says the walls were not plumb, but the tile is level. He did not run any kind of string while tiling nor use chalk, etc., nor lay out the tile beforehand for either floor or tub surround.
He grouted all the corners as well as the line where the first row of tiles meets the tub. Grout only.
Do I put clear caulk over the grout? Leave it alone - dig it out?
There are many reasons why I am not happy but for now I am just trying to ensure that I don't have problems down the line.
I always thought caulk goes in the corners and tubline - but there is grout there now.
this is a bathroom and tub/shower that is heavily used by my four children.
He shouldn't have filled the cement board seams with caulking...he should have placed a mildew-resistant mesh tape and the wall tile adhesive he is using to install the tile at the seams.
The plumber is responsible for testing the tub water and waste...has nothing to do with the tile guy except that they should have coordinated things a little better, perhaps...
Now..some use grout at corners and between tub and tile...some use caulking/silicone. I started out learning the grout method...moved on to the caulking/silicone method as I became convinced that different materials contract/expand at different rates and buildings settle....so think this the best method. However, I also know from experience that there are an awful lot of older jobs out there where the caulking is still standing up in between these materials without issue...but things were done differently then...for sure!!
What material is the tub made from...? Fiberglass, acrylic, or cast iron....each needs to be set differently and will make a big difference in long term here, so let me know...O.K.?
The tub is an american standard acrylic, I think, with some kind of insulating factor in the walls. Looks quite basic - bought at Home Depot, the next best to the cast iron, which I replaced b/c it was uncleanable and trashed.
Honestly, I don't know how he installed the tub - the plumber, regretably perhaps, was not involved. It seems solid and stable, but we don't know yet.
Thank you for your input. So I will leave the grout as is and no caulking needed at this time, if I understand you correctly. I feel a little better - fingers crossed.
An Americast tub is extremely flexible compared to the old cast iron tubs. I would have definitely caulked/siliconed between the first row of tiles and the tub. In fact, the manufacturer calls for a sealant as well. You can look up the installation instructions for your tub at:
Americast tubs are NOT supposed to be set in mortar...voids warranty, but they do require that a STRINGER board be installed end to end of the tub (you can't see it as it under the tub). See if the plumber can see that stringer board when he opens up the ceiling. If not, you will have other isues in the future!
Finally, if the tiles are not straight VERTICALLY throughout the install...EXCEPT at the corners, perhaps, becuse the walls are out of plumb then the guy is definitely a HACK as any decent tile guy will make plumb lines and install tile so it is straight everywhere.
Any chance you can post a picture of this work...?? Was a plumbing permit or building permit issued for the job (I'm betting not!!).
He did not caulk the cement board seams before putting up tile
Actually, it's alkali resistant mesh tape, not mildew resistant tape, they dont' get caulked, they get taped and thinsetted, tile adhesive (mastics) should not ever be used in a tub with a shower for any reason. I really hope that prior to installing the cement board, that your isntaller used some sort of moisture barrier over the wall framing and overlapping the flange of the tub, either 4 mil plastic sheeting or 15lb roofing felt. Your cement board is 100% NOT waterproof, only 100% not affected by water. It will very happily allow water to pass right through. If a moisture barrier was not used, you can expect to have plenty of issues. Grout sealer does not water proof the grout either.
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The tile work is level, he says, but not straight vertically especially, and the grout lines are inconsistent in width.
My guess is that he may have tried to cheat some grout lines or the tile came from different calibers. When tile comes out of the kiln and cools, it's all marked with the dye lot, but they don't all cool down to the same size. They are sorted into similar size groupings known as and marked as "calibers" 2 tiles, same lot, but different calibers can vary in size by 1/8" or more.
Out of plumb walls mean the grout lines from one wall to the next would be wider or narrower to maintain tile at the same level, still no excuse, though, there are tile industry standards for tolerances on the framing.
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He grouted all the corners as well as the line where the first row of tiles meets the tub. Grout only.
Do I put clear caulk over the grout? Leave it alone - dig it out?
Those areas should only ever be caulked. Grout will always crack out of those areas. Long ago, when surrounds were formed by using cement over metal lath, you had essentially a monolithic cement structure within the house and the inside corners could be grouted because the entire surround acted as one structure independent of the house. With cement board, each panel is going to react with the wall to which it's attached. For this reason, it gets caulked. This is why what used to work does not work now. When walls are floated, they can still be grouted.
Caulk will only perform as well as it's base. Caulk over cracking, unstable grout will fail in short order, so remove the grout prior to caulking. Fill the tub with water prior to caulking the tub line and allow it to remain filled with water during the curing time of the grout. If your children are young, keep the door locked to prevent any tragic accident.
Any chance you took pictures during the renovation and can post them here or provide a link to them?
Or you can just post them here under the go advanced feature at the text box when posting. Here, click GO ADVANCED, then click MANAGE ATTACHMENTS then click BROWSE and upload your saved pics. Then click SAVE CHANGES and all will post here.
Lack of spacers and experienced caused the problem way more than out of plumb wall. Did you watch him do the install, bet he started in a corner didn't he.
Here are a few.
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