Thanks for the welcome.
I have a problem with cracked grout in our en-suite shower, which is within the dormer of a chalet style bungalow, so a timber wall construction. Shower area has hardiebacker board fixed through 50mm overdrawn Celotex using turbo gold screws. 10mm porcelain tiles fixed with Bal White Star adhesive from tub and cement based grout from powder.
I fitted a Lakes Coastline Cannes glass side panel. According to instructions I applied silicone externally only. I filled wall profile fixing holes with silicone immediately before fitting, but I realise my rookie mistake was not using stainless screws. A few weeks into use we notice the gold of the turbo screws I used washing out the bottom of wall profile.
Some months later we notice cracking in the lower half of the 1st vertical grout line outside the shower, which is apx 150mm from the side panel. At this point, assuming corrosion of fixing screws is allowing water a path into the wall, I siliconed the inside of the wall profile, from head height down to within 100mm of the tray.
In the subsequent months the cracks have slowly become more significant, and I recently notice hairline cracks in the horizontal grout lines extending into the shower. There is no sign of grout cracking anywhere else in the fully tiled room.
Have learnt a few lessons and trying not to think too much about worse case scenario. Have started raking out cracked grout outside the shower. Intend to remove screen and wall profile and replace all cracked grout next weekend, re-fitting using stainless screws and silicone inside and out. Then optimistically hoping all remains stable.
Hoping you guys can recommend the most suitable grout to use, looking for max flexibility I guess. Will pay what I have to.
I have a problem with cracked grout in our en-suite shower, which is within the dormer of a chalet style bungalow, so a timber wall construction. Shower area has hardiebacker board fixed through 50mm overdrawn Celotex using turbo gold screws. 10mm porcelain tiles fixed with Bal White Star adhesive from tub and cement based grout from powder.
I fitted a Lakes Coastline Cannes glass side panel. According to instructions I applied silicone externally only. I filled wall profile fixing holes with silicone immediately before fitting, but I realise my rookie mistake was not using stainless screws. A few weeks into use we notice the gold of the turbo screws I used washing out the bottom of wall profile.
Some months later we notice cracking in the lower half of the 1st vertical grout line outside the shower, which is apx 150mm from the side panel. At this point, assuming corrosion of fixing screws is allowing water a path into the wall, I siliconed the inside of the wall profile, from head height down to within 100mm of the tray.
In the subsequent months the cracks have slowly become more significant, and I recently notice hairline cracks in the horizontal grout lines extending into the shower. There is no sign of grout cracking anywhere else in the fully tiled room.
Have learnt a few lessons and trying not to think too much about worse case scenario. Have started raking out cracked grout outside the shower. Intend to remove screen and wall profile and replace all cracked grout next weekend, re-fitting using stainless screws and silicone inside and out. Then optimistically hoping all remains stable.
Hoping you guys can recommend the most suitable grout to use, looking for max flexibility I guess. Will pay what I have to.
