Bathroom tile nightmare

[Mooky]

Was hoping for a simple caulking job at base of shower pan. One loose cut piece of tile. Pulled it up and found soggy wallboard underneath. That of course became a much larger job pulling the entire first row of tiles up.

Has anyone ever heard of using 1/2" Sheetrock as floor underpayment? Plywood underneath is ok thankfully. Regular Sheetrock, not green board or my choice for all tile work, cement board.

So much for a relaxing end of year vacation!

 

[toyoguy81]

So, you pulled the first row of tile starting from the bottom and found drywall behind that was rotten? If so, andif it were me, you'd probably have to rip it all out and put backer board or dura rock then re-tile. I did both my showers like this, and have tiled bases, but the base prep work is much more complicated. You need to have two layers or mortor beds and an Oatey liner, correct drain and other things. I know its not what you want to hear, but if there is drywall behind the tile in a shower, I would just rip it out and start over cause its not right

 

[HeavyD1]

My home is 10 years old and I found a shower with drywall behind the walls and the floor. Sounds similar to what you describe, I went to caulk the corner and a piece of tile fell out. Drywall was only part of the problem in that shower. I tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it completely about 6 years ago, no problem since. Good luck.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Are you saying regular drywall was used as the underlayment in a bathroom floor? Actually drywall at all isnt a good idea to use on a floor. It's soft and turns to mush with a minimal amount of water. Backer board is made for this reason.

 

[stage20]

To be clear you found this on the floor or the wall?

 

[toyoguy81]

If you have drywall on floor and on walls it needs to all come out, here is what i did to mine before tiling, tar paper, wire mesh, 1 layer of portland cement, water mixture, Oatey shower liner, second bed of portland cement and water mixture sloped correctly to drain. Then tile. Also you must use correct drain designed to tile not just a regular drain set up, its a two part deal that screws into the base of it

 

[VictorBravo]

^ What he said.

I've done this three times in three different houses over the past 16 years. Tear it completely out and put in a proper pan and drain with weep holes, use water barrier up the sides, hardibacker or equivalent, retile.

Last one I did only took two weekends, but I had become skilled at this sort of thing through various remodels.

Edit to add: also, make sure the joists are sound. Last replacement required rotted ones to be cut out and replaced.

 

[The Cobbler]

I can't count how many times Ive heard, " there's only a few loose tiles" . when there's a few loose tiles, usually you're in for a lot bigger job than originally anticipated.
I have a very good friend that has been saying for a few years, " we have a few loose tile in the bathtub shower, I need to fix it soon" I tell him, you better be be prepared! he doesn't want to believe me.

 

[toyoguy81]

Sounds like this is perfect oppurtunity for OP to do a complete shower remodel.

 

[tdkkart]

I will never have a tiled shower in a house of mine, just asking to run into problems. Even the experts seem to screw it up on a regular basis, and it's easy to see why. We all know that cement cracks, why would we expect grout to be any different, especially in a wooden framed house that we all know moves around as the season changes.

Give me seamless fiberglass any day.

 

[Mooky]

Thanks for the replies!

A bit more information, Sheetrock was used on floor and the walls beneath the tile.
On the floor: fiberglass mat (very thin) on top of the plywood, Sheetrock, tile.
On the walls: mat, Sheetrock, tile.
Damage was confined to the area just outside the shower pan beneath the door.

Two years ago I ripped out the seating ledge in the shower stall which was built similar to the floor. All of the supports for that, were rotted along with the floor below. Cut open the ceiling in the garage below to sister a joist that was slightly damaged. New plywood, mat, cement board and granite was used to rebuild the ledge. Cement board behind all of the tile removed.

The floor of the room will eventually be ripped up and replaced with a nicer tile floor. Not in the cards at this point. That will be a week off when the kids are in school. This repair will be to the area in front of the shower pan.

Surprised that standard Sheetrock was used anywhere in a bathroom especially in the shower. House was built in 2000, we bought in 2010. This bathroom seems like an end-of-budget room. Builder grade cabinets/sinks and off white 4" tile. Quite a contrast to the other tile work and cabinets used in the other baths & kitchen.

Thanks again for the information! Rest assured it will be redone properly!

 

[Top_Fuel]

I just built a 60" x 48" shower with a tiled floor and walls. I looked into the "proper" way to do it (mortar bed, rubber membrane, weep holes etc.)...and quite frankly it sounded like a big pain in the *** while still leaving a risk for potential moisture problems if everything wans't done perfectly. Not a good outlook for a DIY'er.

I ended up using a Schluter Shower Pan Kit. I'm not sure you can beat these for fool-proof installations. Yeah...this is not the cheapest way to build a shower...but I know the installation is 100% leak-proof and I don't lay awake at night wondering if my shower floor will start smelling moldy because I f'd up the installation.

Oh...and I'm done with Hardibacker, Durock and every other ******** cement board out there! If I build a shower or tub surround, I spend a few extra bucks and use Kerdi Board. It's 100% waterproof, weighs nothing, cuts with a utility knife, and comes in a wide variety of thicknesses. For a DIY shower or tub walls, you can't beat this stuff.

 

[stage20]

While sheetrock should never be used under a shower floor it is not uncommon to use green board(drywall) or purple board(drywall) on the walls and tile over it. Builders want it done cheap. I spread. Rubber membrane over it and onto the floor to seal the best I can. I do not like doing this but I'm just a pawn. Are you sure its drywall on the floor or just hardibacker that has been wet for years?

 

[Casey69]

Was hoping for a simple caulking job at base of shower pan. One loose cut piece of tile. Pulled it up and found soggy wallboard underneath. That of course became a much larger job pulling the entire first row of tiles up.

Has anyone ever heard of using 1/2" Sheetrock as floor underpayment? Plywood underneath is ok thankfully. Regular Sheetrock, not green board or my choice for all tile work, cement board.

this is the reason i opt to do most stuff myself (if i can) instead of using the "pros". i've seen new home construction with shower tiles right over regular drywall, and not even use the greenboard garbage. never seen it on a floor though...that's a new low!

i'd use that shower pan kit mentioned, as it's pretty foolproof & has been around a while. use cement board for the walls & mortar (not mastic) for the tile adhesive.

 

[pcmeiners]

"never seen it on a floor though...that's a new low!" Just when you thought workmanship could not get lower !! What is next, cardboard.

Was able to get 14 and 16 years on two shower/baths I did many years ago with green board, not enough for me. I will NEVER use anything but cement board, sealant, and fortified thinset within a bath or shower area now. Using thinset as the tile "glue" is close to double the work, but you will not need to replace the tile due to water damage; with the correct tile cleaner, tile replacement is likely when you get tired of the tile color.