Slate bathroom : stains, sealing and cracked grouting.

[Mcarey]

Hi,
We've just bought a house, and have a ten month old demanding baby . The previous owners had a flood and the bathroom was redone. It has a slate floor and shower( slate walls). The grouting is cracked in the shower, and it leaks through the kitchen ceiling when running for too long- is this due to the cracked grout, or should there be something behind the tiles to stop this? The slate doesn't appear to be sealed and the bathroom now has lots of white marks I can't get rid of, what should I do? Any help massively appreciated. Anything that takes a long time is somewhat hard due to my little one, and I feel a bit stuck.

 

[kilty55]

oh dear doesnt sound good.....check with the shower down the tray only first to see if its the pipe work thats leaking is what i would suggest to elimanate thats as well but by the sounds of it it may well all need stripped out

 

[widler]

Some picks would help.
Is it cracked in the corners or in the grout lines, is it siliconed in the corners and shower base ?

 

[widler]

Sorry i meant pictures not picks

 

[EverDon Tiling]

as above pics would be helpful

 

[Mcarey]

Hi all,

attached is pictures of the cracked groouting, it runs vertically along where the two walls meet. don't know about the seal, seems sealed. I've attached a picture anyhow! also a picture of the staining (hmmm only two photos are appearing, perhaps there is a limit). Many thanks everyone!

 

[EverDon Tiling]

the crack is from expansion in the corner and needs to be siliconed.

 

[Mcarey]

Oh ok! That sounds easy enough ( I hope). Thank so much. I could do that and see if we still have a leak * sigh*

 

[widler]

Aye as above, id remove the old stuff from the tray as well and re Silicon the lot

 

[widler]

Ps the marks are possibly from shampoo/soap being used over time and the tiles not being cleaned regularly, they also could not of been sealed

 

[Mcarey]

Thanks all! We've only been here since mid dec and the bathroom was new when we moved in, given I've tried to scrub those marks off ith appropriate cleaner several times, I decided it wasn't sealed. :-( If I seal it, will the marks be less obvious, or is it basically ruined? Should the builders should have sealed it, ( and done the grouting correctly)? Can I just complain, even though they did it for the previous owners, or am I probably on a hiding to nothing, and will next appear on a day time BBc programme moaning about it? Sorry to go on, last questions I promise!

 

[kilty55]

i would advise you strip it all and re do it looks badly damaged

 

[Mcarey]

Take all the slate off, and re- do the bathroom?? Eek! Oh crumbs. I guess I sort of thought that, but hoped there would be a less expensive solution, I'm so mad it wasn't done properly. Perhaps this is one of thse learning experiences.

 

[kilty55]

you could try re sealing the Silicon etc mccarey but imo the mould etc will grow back through it looks pretty damaged especially if there is water coming through the ceiling the floor/walls may well be badly damaged

 

[True Tiling]

Sounds like water has got between the slate and the background to which they are (bonded). This, unfortunately cannot be rectified without a full strip-out of all tiles and walls. Simply attempting to re-seal will not work, as once water has penetrated through to your wall, shrinkage will occur after a good seal has been made and drying out has occurred. New sealants will not cure fully. The area needs to be completely dry.
It sounds like standard plasterboard and water-soluble tile adhesive was used in the fixing of the slate. In this case, the incorrect substrates and materials were used in the fixing of slate in a wet area, and you should seek advice for rectifying your home.