can i use silicone instead of grout ?

[steve340]

stupidly i didn't tank my plaster board before tiling , over time the grout has cracked which produced a leak , i have now got a slight movement in a couple of tiles , i was wondering if i used a good quilty silicone instead of the grout aronud these tiles would there be any problems ? Many thanks

 

[jefoss]

my suggestion would be, rip it out and start again.

 

[Softus]

If the job was done right then the grout wouldn't crack and so tanking wouldn't be as vital.

The cause could be:

. Plasterboard not fixed securely.
. Studwork not rigid enough.
. Poor quality grout, or too wet a mix.
. Shower tray movement.

...or any permutation of the above.

Silicone is actually a good quick remedy in this situation, but only if you (a) use only a top quality mildew resistant product, such as Dow Corning 785, and (b) expect more grout to crack and other problems to arise.