Regrouting Shower Floors – An Impossible Job??

Shower floors take a beating and get lots of wear and tear over time. If yours is starting to show its age, and you can’t get it clean enough, consider regrouting it.

Regrouting shower floors can be a challenge, however. They usually have sanded grout, which is tougher to remove than the thin lines of wall grout. Because of the difficulty in removing the old grout, some contractors say “Regrouting a shower floor – we can’t do it”.

They may be right, in some cases. There are times when the grout is so tough and there’s so much of it that it’s not cost effective to remove it. But sometimes the grout is recessed enough that there’s no need to dig very deep. All we need is enough room for new grout to bond correctly and some grout does not need much room. So if your grout is recessed enough, regrouting your shower floor may be a doable project.

Additionally, when removal is necessary, we’ve had good success using a diamond blade power tool, some carbide steel blades and a synthetic grout that stands up to heavy duty use. The exact shape of the tiles may affect this. Square grid layouts that create long straight lines are more feasible than hexagon or circular shaped tiles, for example.

Some shower floors dry very slowly due to moisture beneath the tiles, so we aren’t always sure how long it will take to dry. This is different from wall tile regrouting, which dries within a day or two. That’s due to the water trapped in the 2 inches or so of deck mud cement directly under the tile. (You can thank the Massachusetts Plumbing Code for allowing flat bottomed shower pan liners. The section for those interested is 248 CMR 10.10(7)(d).These allow the concrete under the tile to remain ‘perma-wet’ for years at a time. In some other states, these are illegal. This is often the culprit for slow drying grout).

The photos above show before and after shots of shower floors we’ve regrouted using this method. And while it can’t offer a total guarantee against water leaks and moisture penetration, at least it may help, since this grout is much less porous than regular cement grout.

If you click on each photo, you’ll get a larger screen version of the shower with better resolution, then you can click the back arrow on your browser to go back.

If you’d like to get a quote, you can call or text us at 617-221-4002 or simply fill out the form below.

Our contact information:

Act One – Marble and Tile
15 Main Street # 138
Watertown MA 02472-4403
617-221-4002 Text or Call

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