Tile shelf in shower

[msmsm]

Hi,

I have recently moved into a new house (old house actually, but new to me..)

When using the shower I noticed a small leak. I tracked this down to a 'shelf' at the end of the bath, beneath the shower, that is about 1 tile deep and 6 tiles wide. This is tiled but the grouting was cracked allowing water to leak through the plastic edging and onto the floor. The boarding behind seems fine and the tiles are still firmly stuck.

I raked out the old grouting (which was very wet) and have replaced with new grouting (suitable for power showers and wetrooms). However, because this shelf is horizontal water sits on it and so I am sure the same will happen again.

Is there something I can seal it with (will silicone sealant along the grout lines work?) to make it repell water long enough for it to dry out between showers? The shelf is not is the direct flow of the shower, but suffers collateral water spray when actually showering and is used for shower gel and shampoo storage.

Thanks,

Matt

 

[tictic]

either use an epoxy grout in this area or look into a sealer for grouting..
aquamix/lithofin/universal/hg/fila....or try the spray can sealer from sealguard..

 

[msmsm]

Thanks for the reply. I have regrouted and sealed the edges with silicone and then sealguarded the whole lot. It seems to be working fine and as an extra precaution I wipe down the shelf after the shower to keep it drier.

And after all this I think I will be getting a new bath/shower anyway, but at least I did something that worked for once!