Bathroom nightmare

CrashTestZombie · 15 September 2017 at 7:12AM

Hi there,

We had a wet room installed in July by a local company with a good reputation. Last month we noticed cracks in the grout on the tiled shower tray and water was leaking underneath the shower so we contacted the company and they came back up and re-grouted the area.

Two weeks later and the same problem has occurred so I contacted the company again and the owner has come back to me saying that the only solution is to rip out the tiled shower tray and put in a normal shower tray, i.e. - no longer have a wet room. He said that because the house is relatively new (it was built 30 years ago) and the construction is lightweight, there is movement. He also blamed by weight (I'm a big guy). He has said he'll speak to the installers and come back to me with a price.

Am I right in thinking that I shouldn't have to pay anything more to have this issue fixed? I paid them to install a wet room which was fit for purpose and they've failed to do so. At no point were any potential issues with the construction or my weight previously mentioned and he was happy enough to take my money (£6600) and do the project in the first place.

Thanks.

andyhop · 15 September 2017 at 7:54AM

The tiles and grout are not what should create the water tight seal. The tanking membrane underneath this is what should

It sound like corners have been cut, I would expect this to be put right at no cost to yourself should you have adequate paperwork to show it's not fitted as per quote , if not small claims

£6600 imo is too cheap for a well constructed wetroom

Post a few images of the drain arrangement and I'll be able to tell if you have a preformed tray etc

Strider590 · 15 September 2017 at 11:18AM

Shouldn't it also have a concrete layer underneath supported by re-enforcing the existing construction, to STOP any flex from occurring????

CrashTestZombie · 15 September 2017 at 12:20PM

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

I'll post some photos of the drain when I get home. We didn't specifically ask for a wet room - just just wanted a tiled shower tray that was flush with the rest of the floor. The company referred to it as a wet room from there forward.

The tray is balanced on the joists (with some of the joists cut to make it level with the floor). The water is making its way through the cracked grout and onto the actual tray itself which then makes the tiles squelch when you stand on them as the water is underneath the tiles.

ComicGeek · 15 September 2017 at 4:06PM

When they've cut the joists to drop the tray down they've made any flexing in the tray even worse, which just cracks the grout and creates a water route. My concern would also be whether the tray flexing results in water spilling elsewhere, creating future problems with damp in the joists. Try not to use it until it's been fixed.

Sounds like a shoddy job to me - they should have said that what you were asking for wasn't possible without further strengthening works to support it properly. They might have gotten away with it before with lighter clients, but not an excuse for not getting it right - all the shower trays I've used in the past state that they don't have a weight limit if supported adequately. The price you paid sounds cheap to me for what you were looking to achieve.

ryder72 · 16 September 2017 at 6:33AM

A tiled shower tray is a wet room, so you effectively asked for one to be fitted.

Joists shouldnt have to be cut. The normal way is to ply the rest of the floor and build it up to match the tray build up. Cutting the joists have likely weakened them adding to the flex that already exists in joists.

Looks like a proper bodge job and £6k is too cheap to do it properly. Water should not be getting under the tiles if its been tiled and grouted properly but that isnt necessarily the problem. The likelihood is that the joists and tray are flexing and the tanking has failed.

You shouldnt have to pay to put this right and if it is a wet room you paid for, its a wet room you should have.

CrashTestZombie · 16 September 2017 at 5:44PM

They have come back to me and offered to replace the grout with silicone sealant. Is this a good fix? I assume there's a reason they didn't use it in the first place?

andyhop · 16 September 2017 at 6:18PM

The pictures you sent me actually look reasonably well done BUT it's what you can't see that gives cause for concern

You have a purus gulley fitted and given you said they have cut the joists I can only presume they have made there's own timber former .

No amount of silicone in the world will fix this, unfortunately if it's sprung a leak it means there is no tanking in place or it has failed . Either way the room is scrap and can not be repaired

lewishardwick · 16 September 2017 at 6:22PM

Sounds like a bodge of a bodge.

It needs removing and the underlying problem fixed.

I had similar with a shower over bath arrangement. When you stood in the tub the sealant spilt. Water got behind and started to for the chip board floor beneath, which exacerbated the issue.

The most sensible solution was to rip it all out and screed the floor to give a solid foundation.

Bathroom nightmare

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