New and convenient materials do different things to help homeowners. When a the shower is used often, mold and mildew begins to inhabit the grout lines in the lower corners and areas where it is constantly getting wet. Soap scum also aids in mold and mildew accumulation along the floor corners or the corners above the tub edge.
The fight against mold and mildew has begun and you begin the use of chemical cleaning agents and scrubbers to keep the grout clean. This process eventually wears through any caulk that was placed and into the grout. The grout now begins to loosen, crack and break out. More caulk is generally added and it is very common for mold to develop under that caulk.
If this issue is not addressed soon, water will get in behind the tile into the backing and before you know it your tile will be falling off the backing. Now you have a real problem. Contractors will insist upon removing all the tile and backing replacing it with a water proof medium in effort to insure their work. A standard shower stall or tub-shower will cost easily around $2000 or more to repair depending upon materials.
As the grout wears, water gets into the standard builders greenboard backing and mold begins to grow there. The solution is to remove and regrout the tile. This is a lot harder than one might think. Removing grout is difficult and it's very easy to chip or scratch the tile. So don't waste your hard work by using inferior materials when you regrout.
You will find some very convenient pre-mixed grout at your local home center. Don't use it. This stuff is nearly useless. It will look nice for a few weeks maybe before it begins to break out. And all the hard work performed in digging out the old grout will be little more than wasted time. Get the real thing. Generally non-sanded grout for the standard 4x4 tile in showers.
The problem with shower stalls today is that builder grade materials are junk. Today's 4x4 tile is not like the construction and materials of yesterday. The 4x4 tiles were thicker and the surface walls where the tile was applied were concrete. Since the tiles were thicker, the grout was deeper and actually adhered to the concrete backing. There was little chance of water invading that type of construction and materials.
Although it may seem quick and easy to slap some pre-mixed grout into missing or removed grout areas, do yourself a big favor, get the real thing. You'll end up with a better job and it will last a lot longer. You might want to consider a professional service to do this for you.
There are a lot of things to consider when maintaining, installing, and selecting tile and stone for your home. You can learn more and view photos at my blog.
http://howtofloortile.blogspot.com/ for pictures and more tile information.
Ed Sunderland resides in North Texas with years of personal experience in buying, repairing, , and selling foreclosures. He has a background in real estate and construction dating back to 1974.
No comments:
Post a Comment