Leaking showers, tubs, and sink basin FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
You have questions.
We have answers.
The first thing to fail in a shower assembly is typically the caulk. As the wood framing of your home expands and contracts with the ceilings the walls and Floors of your home shift a bit. This causes stress on the corners of your home and over time, caulk to fail. Regular home maintenance should include inspecting and replacing caulk in tubs and showers to prevent leaks.
When the ceiling below your shower shows signs of water damage it is not hard to deduce that the shower is leaking, but from where exactly? Has the caulk or grout failed? Is there a crack in your shower pan or is something wrong with your pipes? Infrared cameras can help to answer this question, but the simplest most cost-effective way is to open up your ceiling and track the leak. Once the source is pinpointed you can arrange for the necessary repair.
Maybe. Shower valves can be replaced from behind if you have access. If the other side of your shower wall is drywall you can cut into that and change the shower valve from behind. If it backs onto and exterior wall or another tiled wall, you’ll have to remove some tiles to replace the valve.
Mostly. The water proofing membrane of your tiles shower pan wraps up the shower walls to protect the corners. Prefabricated pans have a flange that goes behind the bottom row of wall tile. When replacing just the shower pan you will need to come up the wall a minimum of 6 inches to install a new water proofing layer. It’s important to consider if you have any left-over tile to repair your wall or if it is each to match or coordinate with what is already on your walls. If not, you may want to replace your entire surround for aesthetic reasons.
Like a shower pan the water proofing from a tub also wraps the corners and goes up the walls. Most tubs also have a floor tile flange requiring some of the floor tile to be replaced as well.
Reviews from happy customers
I can't say enough about how pleased I have been with the quality and the service from Wayne and his team at Merrick. They restored a balcony railing and floor for us last year, and we had them return to install new shutters recently. We will certainly be calling on them again for other projects!
The Handyman team has completed several projects for me this summer including tile work, furniture repair, exterior work and more. All the tasks were done in a timely manner and done with a detailed eye. Thanks so much Merrick Design and Build.
Ready to tackle that to-do list?
Put our 30+ years of home repair experience to work for you and your home.
