Replacing "wetroom" tiling with a shower tray?

[catinapickle]

I've attached a photo of the en-suite shower in the house we've just moved into. It is fully tiled, but the previous owner can't have used it much because, after just a few days of us using it, a brown stain started appearing on the ceiling below, suggesting a slow leak.

We have stopped using it and have had a few property maintenance people look at it. Opinions have ranged from "It just needs sealant", to "It needs to be re-grouted", to "it could be the pipework not the tiles", to "wetroom leaks are notoriously difficult to resolve long term - you'd be better off with a shower tray".

We can (and have) try the sealant option ourselves, but as it was a very slow leak we're not confident it has been resolved - we would have to open up the ceiling below to check for drips and we haven't been brave enough to do that ourselves, and haven't yet found anyone interested enough to do it for us. (Is it easy to do?)

Re-grouting would be a more expensive option, and as I don't particularly like the tiles anyway, I'm more minded to replace the whole thing with a shower tray instead. I'm seeking quotes for this though - so I may change my mind when I get them!

What would you do? And, as a wildcard, could a shower tray be installed over the existing tiling or would that look terrible?

Hi, most wetrooms these days are "tanked" by the addition of a waterproof rubberised coating to the shower area. The idea is that any water coming through the floor will be contained within the tanked area. That said, I am not sure that tanking is such a good idea. Firstly, as you are finding, any water leaks seem to find their way through one way or the other and secondly it can sometimes lead to complacency with some of the trades relying on the tanking instead of making sure it's waterproof. I do think however, there is some merit in the argument they can stop moisture migrating into the timber and causing problems.

As for your own room. It's obviously very difficult to be exact without looking but I have fitted quite a few wetrooms and been to repair a number of others so I maybe able to at least point you in the right direction. Firstly don't worry about the tanking it's more important to make the shower waterproof. Secondly, if there is a grout problem it will most likely be that non flexible grout and/or adhesive was used or there has been excessive movement in the underlying floor. You will notice straight away as the grout lines will be cracking and if the wrong adhesive was used some tiles may well be even lose. If this is the problem then the floor needs replacing or at least re-grouting (if it's worth the trouble of re-grouting) new shower tray or not.

There is the possibility of a waste pipe or trap problem but they are rare unless not fitted correct in the first place. If there is a problem it's easier to remove a section of ceiling underneath, repair the leak and make good the ceiling. If you want to be certain where the leak is this also the beast way to find out. Before you do all that check that there is sealant behind that chrome plate covering the shower controls and if you are going to the trouble of having someone look at that he can also check there are no leaks on the connectors to the shower valves.

Lastly, looking at the photo and I know photos can be misleading, it seems to be quite neat and well put together. As such I would say the smart money would be on it just being a leak in the sealant joints. Where the walls meet the floor there is always some degree of movement and if it wasn't well sealed, or the floor has moved, the sealant can shrink back leaving thin crack lines, sometimes just in a localised area, the water can then seep slowly through it. Likewise if water is running out of the shower into the bathroom area it can pool and find its way through any cracks. If it's only a small leak I would be more inclined to repair it than fitting a shower tray on top. The shower tray too relies on effective sealing and you maybe just swopping one problem for another.

Hope this helps, if you require any further info feel free to ask.

Thanks KitchenGuy. I really appreciate your advice. I've had several people look at it, and the most recent one seemed more interested in getting to the root of the problem by opening up the ceiling. I'm waiting for him to get back to me with a quote now, so I'll let you know if I have any more questions.

Hi there. I know it’s ages ago but do you mind me asking what you did in the end? I’ve got the same problem and not sure what to do! Thanks x