A month ago, there was a leak from my second floor tiled shower into the first floor dining room. I had a tile guy come out. He thought it was the tile on the shower seat causing this. He replaced the tile. However, now it is no longer leaking into the first floor ceiling, but the water leaks down below the seat(I cut a hole in the wall behind the shower to look under the seat). When the shower is on and pointed towards the seat, water slowly leaks through the grout line where the vertical tiled portion of the seat meets the tiled shower floor.
I don't see any cracks in the new grout he put in, but the grout is very soft and can scratched away easily. Is this something that I can remove the grout and regrout it or can I try putting silicone grout over the existing grout.
Thanks.

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Originally Posted by rlaracy

A month ago, there was a leak from my second floor tiled shower into the first floor dining room. I had a tile guy come out. He thought it was the tile on the shower seat causing this. He replaced the tile. However, now it is no longer leaking into the first floor ceiling, but the water leaks down below the seat(I cut a hole in the wall behind the shower to look under the seat). When the shower is on and pointed towards the seat, water slowly leaks through the grout line where the vertical tiled portion of the seat meets the tiled shower floor.
I don't see any cracks in the new grout he put in, but the grout is very soft and can scratched away easily. Is this something that I can remove the grout and regrout it or can I try putting silicone grout over the existing grout.
Thanks.

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... leak sealed for the time being to prevent future serious damage (silicone grout) and when you have time (and are interested) redo the grout. Reason #2 to fix it now without re-grouting is so you might find the actual leak and make certain all damage resulting from it is located and repaired.

Thank you. When I go to re-grout it, what is the best way to take out the existing grout, (ie hammer and screwdriver?).

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Originally Posted by rlaracy

Thank you. When I go to re-grout it, what is the best way to take out the existing grout, (ie hammer and screwdriver?).

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... fastest way to slip and break tile! I might do it for a few tile, but if you are going to redo all the existing grout invest in (or borrow) a Dremel tool and a bit made just for grinding the grout away. If you are an artist and have plenty of patience, a hammer and screwdriver will work but I don't recommend it except for small patchwork. There are also tools made for this that are not costly but require some elbow grease. Try a nearby hardware store.

Thanks. Does sealing grout with a grout sealer actually waterproof the grout(I thought grout was water proof) or does it prevent the grout from staining in the future.

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Originally Posted by rlaracy

Thanks. Does sealing grout with a grout sealer actually waterproof the grout(I thought grout was water proof) or does it prevent the grout from staining in the future.

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... both. Waterproofing against stains also prevents water from reaching past the stain into the grout and past the tile.

I just bought Stone Tech Professional Grout Sealer. How many applications should I put on and how long between each applications should I wait. Should I seal the floor grout.
Also , is there such thing as clear silicone grout? I heard about using clear silicone to patch any areas that still leak. Is is grout or caulk?

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Originally Posted by rlaracy

I just bought Stone Tech Professional Grout Sealer. How many applications should I put on and how long between each applications should I wait. Should I seal the floor grout.
Also , is there such thing as clear silicone grout? I heard about using clear silicone to patch any areas that still leak. Is is grout or caulk?

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... allowing 24 hours between applications. You are referring to clear silicon caulk. Don't use this on the grout before applying the sealer. The chemistry of the sealer may be made ineffective by it. Apply it after the sealer dries if you need to.

From my understanding of things cement grouts are not waterproof. Therefore, people install vapor barriers behind the cement board or whatever the tile is stuck to in order to direct the water into the shower pan of the tiled shower floor. Check out the forums at johnbridge.com they have experts on this over there.

Don't feel bad about this many "tile" people make this kind of mistake all the time.