Wetroom tiles 'squidgy'

[IT Minion]

We've moved into a new house. After enjoying the fancy wetroom webew noticed one of the tiles on the floor near the drain is loose and water bubbles up if you step on it.

I'm new to wetroom but I suspect this is a bad sign, any pointers on things to check on? My intent is to lift that tile to see what's underneath, but I'm concerned I might have to lift and redo redo the entire floor?

 

[terryplumb]

If its a new house ,get the builders to sort it. If you mean its just new to you ,but not a new build ,then get a pro in to assess . last week i went to a couples house ( been in several weeks ,so new to them ) ,to investigate leak on ceiling in kitchen ,below shower in bathroom above. Major damage to flooring joists caused by water seeping from shower enclosure ,costly repairs to follow. Get it looked at by a pro.

 

[bobasd]

its a very bad sign. you dont now how long its been goin on. the odds are you will have to lift and redo the whole floor.
most water damage in bathrooms from my experience comes from,
leaking enclosures, WC/soil pipe connection, an leaking plumbing

 

[IT Minion]

Sorry for the delay, despite the gradually worsening smell (me, not the wetroom) that had to drop down the to-do list.

The house is new to me, the previous owner had great ambitions but doesn't seem to have a perfect eye for details.

I've popped up a few tiles to take a look. The surface underneath looks more like cement than anything else. The two tiles I've lifted don't seem to have kept anything. The grouting, or at least I hope they did use grout, is all pretty crumbly. I'll probably have to bite the bullet and bring in a pro, but pulling things apart first is fun.

If I were to have a go at this would I need to lift the entire tiled floor and then scrape off whatever they used as adhesive and start afresh or is a patch possible for the short term?

 

[bobasd]

the diagonal cut tiles are unusual an might be from a past repair esp. with the big grout lines?
ther's no signs of adhesive on the floor? is ther adhesive combed lines on the tile backs?
where ther's water stains means water has been there an will go ther again unless somethins done.
liftin the tiles around the drain an removin the drain grill might show why an how water has been gettin in?

at the floor edge ther's a v. big grout or sealin line - is that line on the floor or the wall?

 

[bernardgreen]

Diagonal cuts make it easier to achieve the gradients necessary to get water to the drain hole. Most of the wet rooms I have seen have had diagonal cut tiles creating four triangular areas sloping down from wall to drain hole.

Relying on tiles and grout for a water proof shower tray or floor has a very high risk of failure with water leaking into the room below.

 

[jctilingservices]

it looks as though the whole job has been a D.I.Y attempt, Truthfully if it were me I would shut the water off to the shower,lift the tiles and drain cover, then try to take the board from underneath up, then get a pro in to do it correctly including tanking it, that are in the pics does not look like any tanking system I have ever seen, and possibly whoever done it laid the tiles using a plasters trowel as I can see no comb marks either

 

[foxhole]

Have you checked the drainage?, no point renewing if the pipework is blocked or faulty.

 

[cwhaley]

most water damage in bathrooms from my experience comes from,
leaking enclosures, WC/soil pipe connection, an leaking plumbing

So basically every potential water source in the room

 

[JP_]

So basically every potential water source in the room

what about boys ****ing on the floor?

 

[bobasd]

cwhaley and jonbey,
dont shout your ignorance esp. after youve both already proved your lack of basic buildin nowledge in previous posts.
if you looked at my post it shows the causes i mention bein listed in order eg. "leakin enclosures" comes first.
or do you need watch my lips moments to even faintly grasp somethin that difficult?
please God that you never have to tie both your shoelaces at the same time.

jonbey,
i wonder about an adult who seems to find it necessary an perhaps even excitin to mention
boys an urination in a DIY thread - just sayin.

 

[IT Minion]

Yeah, it's a mess.

There is some signs of water penetrating between some tiles but not too much. There is a grey rubber membrane under the adhesive which as several people have spotted looks like it was laid with a flat trowel and the tiles plopped on top.

The grout around the edge is, as you'd expect, seperatise from the floor/walls.

Im going to refit the tiles with CT1 around the edges, scrape out and regrout everywhere it looks ropey, probably seal it as well, and then get the new planned bathroom fitted asap so I can rip that wetroom out and replace with a simple downstairs toilet and sink.

 

[bobasd]

fair enough but wheres the water comin from - anythin else is useless unless you find the cause.

 

[IT Minion]

The shower head.

 

[bobasd]

i take it thats a well meant remark.

somethins leakin an it could be the shower enclosur or curtain. surely your not showerin without any form of enclosure?