My shower floor is leaking :(

[Oregonconversion]

I made a huge mistake.... When I put in my shower floor, I did not put a shower pan or rubber mat under my pebble tile. 

It is 3/4" plywood, then the pebble tile. Just recently the grout has cracked and I noticed that it may be leaking. I now realize that grout is not a water seal.

Anyone think there is a way I can fix this without ripping up my tile in my shower?

I was thinking about re-grouting then poring on a clear glaze over the pebble tile and grout. Some sore of epoxy? 

[scanzel]

We all make mistakes, but if the water has soaked the plywood underneath it will now start to rot and only get worse. When I bought my coach to convert there was a water leak buy the rear cap. When I pulled out the floor the plywood was rotted, soaked with water and black with mold. My suggestion is redo it the right way, only looking to get worse down the road.

[robertglines1]

I agree must come out. Awhile back there was a thread on showers,it referred to a floor pan designed to have tile laid over it. Bob

[belfert]

Grout, even if not cracked, is not necessarily waterproof.  Even cement board is not good enough in a shower.  You need to have a membrane under the floor and on the walls.

[JackConrad]

I did ours a little differently when I built it,  floors and walls are 3/4" plywood, floor is 4 pie shaped sections to creat slope to the drain. I then fiberglassed the floor and wals using glass mat and cloth (several layers) with polyester resin, just like I would fiberglass a wood kayak. I then installed the tile on the fiberglassed walls & floor. 10 years & no leaks so far. Jack

[RickB]

Awww Jack,,, I don't mean to alarm you but...

THERE IS A TIGER ON YOUR BED!!!

alright, lay off the golfer jokes before they even start!


Oregon, you could always quit showering just trying to make you smile because with as much work as you got in front of you, you need to smile


Rick

[thomasinnv]

Jack, beautiful craftsmanship there.  I love it!

[Lin]

There are several issues.  First is to try to determine if the plywood is wet and if so, can it be dried.  The other is what sort of cosmetic finish you will be satisfied with for now and in the future.  If the plywood is compromised, you will probably have to remove it.  I have a tendency to look for easy fixes if possible, so if I believed the structure was still okay, I might try to see what I could do to make the present condition work.  This might include something like getting the shower coated with with Rhinoguard or similar.  I am sure that many would find this to be too much of an aesthetic sacrifice.

[brando4905]

It's possible something like bar epoxy would work.

[Oregonconversion]

OK sounds like Im going to tear up the floor then fiberglass the base then re-tile. Oh fun! But then I can have piece of mind knowing its done right. That and I have been looking for something to spend my time and money on!    

Here is a pic of my shower. 

[bottomacher]

Hate to say it, but you should extend the pan under the first course of tile on the wall a few inches- grout will wick the water up the wall.