I just spent 10K on labor alone to remodel my master bath. I purcahsed all Hand made tiles (Walker Zanger) and the contractor came highly recommended...

After less than one month of use (and I did seal the shower walls and floor with a very good sealer), I noticed a hairline crack in the Grout where the shower wall tiles meet the shower floor tiles. A couple weeks after I noticed the crack, which was getting bigger, there appears a stain in the center of the shower floor across the tiles. It looks like someone poored bleach in the middle of the shower. But we use nothing other than shampoo and regular soap. I had not even used bathroom cleaner in the shower yet as we wipe it down after each use.

Anyway, after my contractor blew me off 2 weekends in a row, I hired another guy to repair the crtack in the grout. He said it appears as if moisture is under the floor tiles all along the shower walls (hence they are now darker and the center is light)

He suggested not using the shower for a while to see if the discoloration goes away (if the moisture drys out)... seemed like a great idea ot me. However I told my contractor and he said that the shower pan tiles extend back under the shower walls about 3/4 of an inceh and it would be hard for water to get past that... even with a small crack. Plus we would not be able to remove the shower floor tiles without ripping out the shower walls.

I have heard of tiling shower walls first and always the floor last - has anyone heard of this type of construction where the pan is completely tiles and the walls are done on top of them?

Also, what about the discoloration, does this sound like moisture under the tile? I can actually see lines through some of the tiles where the color changes. (of course was not at all like this when installed... )

Any ideas. I am still praying it dries out, and was due to that crack...

Thanks,

Ledeen

The seam between the wall and the floor should be caulked, not grouted -- As should the corners of the walls.

If they used grout alone, then this would explain the cracking and the weeping at the transition.

Most grout manufacturers sell color matched caulking to match their grout colors.

The shower walls MUST go on top of the floor tiles. Think gravity and watershed. However, you use the provided colored caulk to do the floor-wall seam and corners, you should never grout the corners!

Hi River...

Lots of different approaches for sure! In this case, Ledeen's problem occurred in 2007, so I sure hope they have it figured by now, but seriously, thanks for posting a reasonable response here.

Check out the main plumbing page ( https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/plumbing/ ) for the most recent questions and let us know if we can help you as you navigate through the site (refresh page on occasion).

Thanks...

Mark

Just an FYI as to how this was resolved and what the problem was:

We found that water seeps through the grout, and when it hit the sides and underside of the tiles, the tiles actually soaked up the water and this is what caused them to change color.

The contractor had noticed that if we ran water on the back of the tiles they soaked in the water and changed color.

So the manufacturer replaced the tiles used in the pan, and I had to pay the contractor to rip out the tiles and replace with the new ones, which were a different type from the same manufacturer that matched close enough.

This resolved the issue and never again did I have the tiles changing color.