How to fix soggy shower wall?

Question

I have a tile shower. I noticed that the bottom of one wall was rather "spongy". I took a closer look and water has seeped in and rotted some of the board behind the tiles. The "spongy" damaged area seems to be limited to a 2x3 section on one wall, and a 4x3 section on a second wall. All other areas seem OK.

What is the best way to fix this?

Answer 1

Understand first of all that tile grout is porous. Water always gets behind it. So if the wall was not constructed correctly, water will soak the material behind the tile, then the studs rotting all and allowing mold to grow. A shower must be waterproof in front of the studs, and made with a cement based material (cement board or mortar bed) over it that will not rot in contact with water.

Remove the loose tiles, and look at what is behind. Many cases, DIY homeowners put tile up over water resistant drywall (greenboard). This should never be done in a shower. The greenboard will eventually rot, and the tile will have nothing to hold on to. Water will also soak the studs encouraging either termites or rot. I have run into many jobs when the homeowner put the tiles on greenboard with tile mastic. By the time the tiles start to feel soft in one spot, most all the mastic has lost its hold on the greenboard and the whole wall of tile is ready to fall. The only thing holding it up is the tile grout! If the substrait is not cement based, remove it all and start over. No patching! Done right, tile can last a lifetime, done wrong, and you will always have problems with it.

Answer 2

Depends if you want to fix it right and permanently or just want a quick fix.
To do the job properly you must remove all the tile and back board. Then find out where the water is getting in. If its a leak fix it or if was just bad grouting then go ahead with the next step.
You must remove all insulation and check for any mildew or mold. if any is present kill it with a bleach solution and insure everything is dry and tight before proceeding.
Replace any insulation that may have been there with new stuff.
Now is a perfect time to upgrade your shower hardware if you so desire.
Re install new cement board ( its way better than the green waterproof drywall) and treat yourself to some new tile.
You don't have to be a brain surgeon to tile just be careful and take your time and it will come out great.
If you are not real handy it might pay off to hire a plumber to put in new fixtures if you so desire.

Answer 3

It's possible that water seeped in through a crack in the tile grout to cause the problem. But, you can't be sure without removing all of the tile and wall board from the affected area. It's likely you have some kind of leak in the plumbing that must be fixed before putting the tile back up.

Also inspect the framing for water damage. If you find mold or rotting wood, this must be replaced before continuing.

If you can get more tiles and grout that are exactly the same color as the existing tile, you should be able to just retile the area you removed them from. Otherwise, you're going to have to remove and replace all of the tile in the shower if you want it to look right. I would recommend this, anyway, because you'll want to replace all of the drywall in the shower area with a concrete-based wall board. That way, the walls will never get mushy again.

Answer 4

I am no expert other than the re-muddling I have done around my own home, but I would say that the cement board route would be the better way to go. No matter how well "sealed" the plaster board is, it will eventually draw moisture due to the constant exposure over the years. Before the plaster board is installed, the shower pan should be installed. The plaster board is then installed to sit just off the lip on the inside of the shower pan but not above the edge of the pan. When they install the cement board (which, by the way, is used as exterior siding on homes in the south) make sure they tape and seal all the joints, a process similiar to installing wallboard, but done with a mesh tape and mortar, instead. A reputable drywaller or tiler should know to do this, but I would make sure ... this is no time for misunderstandings. Water damage inside a house can cause a multitude of problems, not the least of which is the shower coming through the downstairs ceiling one night when the boss is over for dinner.

Answer 5

I would want to find out if mold is into the wall behind the tile before doing anything.
Never,I repeat ,'never' cover up rotton water soaked wood.
Any insulation that has water in it no has no 'r' rating at all when wet.
You'll start getting silverfish and other bugs that want to live in the cool wet murky area.
If that area is gone bad and the wood behind is rotton or soaked then one should assume that the rest of the tile will go bad starting from that area and working its way up.

Please do not band-aid this problem.Be safe and healthy.Then retile.

Answer 6

You should remove the entire bottom rolls on ALL shower walls to prevent any future problems. Replace it with "Concrete Tile Backer" . The backer comes 3ft x 5ft . When you attach it to the existing wall studs use only galvanized or stainless screws. When you replace the tiles use only mastic that is for WET AREAS. Also, I would be willing to bet the problem area is opposite the shower head. DO IT RIGHT/ DO IT ONCE

Answer 7

Get a grout removal tool (small hand held get a lowes or hardware)But if grout lines are wide if close take utility knife and try to remove as much grout as possible. careful
then start where most soft and remove tiles and try not to break.
Remove till solid replace backer/dry wall (recommend tile board) Clean and reinstall tile you can get premixed grout and just need to add water. Be sure to put a bead of good mold resistant silicon caulk along bottom whole way around tub/shower. Good luck