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.

 

[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.

 

[True Tiling]

Bad advice mate - any movement joint should not have to be re-applied.

 

[widler]

So if a movement joint, erm moves you just like erm leave it ?

 

[True Tiling]

I was just thinking that a movement joint should have been properly filled in the first place using the correct Silicon or movement strip. It would be a pain and a threat to the tiling if movement joints in supermarkets and leisure complexes had to be repeatedly filled would it not? Why anywhere else? (Don't mean to offend!)

 

[Spud]

I was just thinking that a movement joint should have been properly filled in the first place using the correct Silicon or movement strip. It would be a pain and a threat to the tiling if movement joints in supermarkets and leisure complexes had to be repeatedly filled would it not? Why anywhere else? (Don't mean to offend!)

Silicon joints do need replacing over time , movement joints in floors dont prevent water ingress and are filled with elastic material for the finished look to prevent an unsitely gap where dirt may be trapped the important part of a movement joint is only the actually gap its self not the material it is filled with

 

[True Tiling]

But isn't it very important that a movement joint needs to move? Can't fill it with any material like you say I'm afraid.
The thing is Gary, that in a wet room situation, a movement joint cannot fail under any circumstances, so I question your "unsitely gap" theory and disregard your text. A movement gap using a 25% flex 100% Silicon sealant over a correct installation IN ANY SITUATION is a sure move, no? Shouldn't need to be re-filled if the floor has been checked out, acclimatised and tiled properly...