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July 7, 2009
Tile and Caulking
I have this problem in my bathroom I can’t seem to fix: The caulking on the row of tiles that butts up to my bathtub keeps coming loose. It’s not the caulking that touches the tub but the one between the last row and the next one up. I had someone come who actually took it all out and put new tiles in, re-caulked and it happened again within about 8 weeks.
Does anyone have any ideas on why this would be happening?
Comments
Do you mean the grout between the tiles? The grout is falling out from the gap/spacing above the first row of tiles, or is the grout "washing out" and disappearing?
Could be many reasons... not letting the new grout cure long enough... Leaks...
Is there give in the wall when you lean against it? Does the tub rock at all? What did your guy who recently replaced the tile say was the reason for the failure?
Posted by: IMBY at July 6, 2009 11:31 PM
Perhaps the weight of stepping into the tub and/or filling it with bath water is causing the tile to move, shift and pop?
Posted by: kelly at July 7, 2009 9:00 AM
I think I have the same problem as you. rob ( the tile and grout guy) explained that this phenomenon is called "tenting". Basically, your tub is slowly sinking/settling and creating a space between it and the tile. The tile then slightly collapses which places pressure( from above) that causes the tile to pop out. Supposedly, there is supposed to be a small empty space between the tub and fist row of tile that is covered with calk to prevent seepage. this would allow the tub to move without disrupting the tile. very difficult to repair, but if you can create a little space before the first row of tile, you might be able to remedy the problem. best of luck.
Posted by: owner12 at July 7, 2009 12:21 PM
I would go so far as to say you may have a bigger issue.
Structural.
If your tub is indeed "sinking or flexing" when there is weight in it, it means the support beams/floor below it are wonky, potentially not sufficient enough to hold the weight...or even wet from seepage due to the caulk issue from the beginning.
I have firsthand experience...we had a leak from our tub above our front foyer (loose tile and faulty caulking...go figure).
When we opened up the wet ceiling we saw the main beam holding up our circa 1950's cast iron tub had been deeply notched to run electrical. We ultimately sistered a new beam to it and laminated both beams with metal to keep them from flexing.
So, you may want to do some exploratory looking in an adjacent wall or the ceiling below. Better than taking the express train to the floor below while taking a bath!
Posted by: Action Jackson at July 7, 2009 2:40 PM
Yes it is the grout between the tiles and the tub does move just a bit. The person who replaced did not say much and maybe by his silence indicated a bad job (there were some other small problems I had fixed.
We totally gutted the bathroom and there were no indications of structural issues. I keep re-caulking so I don;t think water is getting back there the bathroom shares a wall with the kitchen and no indication of water leakage.
Did Rob your tile guy solve your issue? I can't imagine dealing with this forever. Did my tile person mess up? I would not be surprised -- the price you pay for taking a low bid -- learned my lesson on that issue.
Posted by: AnnieJ at July 7, 2009 8:22 PM
Well just to make sure i understand your situation your caulking is coming out well like another commenter said your problem could be that the caulk was not given enough time to dry. Caulk should be left dry for a complete twenty-four hours before getting it wet. Another reason could be that the caulking that was used was bad and when I say bad I mean expired, in a sense that is. Yes caulking can go bad or expired but that is while its still in the tube. After it is applied appropriately and the right way there should be no problems. So what i can simply suggest is that you just get the caulking redone. Hopefully i helped you out and you can get your problem fixed. If you still are not happy after you have your caulking redone we can stop by and give you a free estimate to re-do your caulking . Thank you have a wonderful day!
Posted by: allgrout at July 8, 2009 1:49 AM
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