Loose Tiles in Shower

statty

Hi,
The lower tiles in the shower in my ensuite have come loose and the lower layer of tiles seem to have moved out from the wall. This is causing a leak down into my kitchen ceiling.

I am wondering two things. Firstly is there a way to take off the tiles (without breaking them) and re-placing them again i.e. cleaning the back of them to place them on the wall again?

I was also wondering why this would have happened. The house is relatively new and the shower has only been used for approx. 3 years. Could this be as a result of not having a water sealant in the grout or could it have to do with the fact that my house is timber framed?

Any advice or suggestions would be welcome!

daver123

I would stop using the shower and let the area dry out. What type of surface are the tiles on? I just caught my problem in time before the tiles started to come loose, i let the shower dry out and then put a good silicone sealant / adhesive over the grout.

kupus

What type of surface are the tiles on?
Very important to find this out. if its a cementie type of backboard or a drywall backboard.
If its a drywall backboard, look at the colour it should be GREEN. if its white you should consider ripping it out and retiling again with GREEN board. YOU CAN DO THIS ALL YOURSELF btw.

As for taking out tiles the only way is if you can get one off fairly handy by scraping away all the grout around the tile and try to leverage it off and then the slow hammer and chisel route for the rest, if you cant take the 1 st off then you will have to break it so you can get at the others taking care not to chip or crack them.

You can then use a grinder to grind off the excess at the back and replace again using a strong mixture of tiling cement.


In fact throw up a few photos of the area so we can see what it is you are dealing with.

kupus

also what side are the pipes because it could be a leak from the pipes making the drywall expand out

statty

Thanks for all the answers.
Ill have to explore some of these questions. All I can say so far is that the tiles are on plastered plaster board on a timber frame house. The pipes I think are on the wall adjacent to it. Ill get more answers and pics and post them up tomorrow eve. Thanks again!

biko

If you must use shower cover the tiles with plastic sheet to keep running water off them.
For a 3yo house it sounds odd tiles would come off already. Without seeing it myself it does sound like they weren't put in right in the first place.

TopTec

Discounting any leaking pipes water must be getting into the adhesive through failed grout or sealant. It also might be the case that the wrong adhesive was used.

Remember - Grout is not waterproof.

Covering grout with any mastic or sealant is not a long term fix. Grout is water resistant but one tiny hole can and frequently does cause problems like yours OP. Showers have to be sealed at the join between the tray and tile and the corners.

If water resistant board was not used then normal board should of been tanked to keep the water off it.

Once you find the problem then it needs to be fixed properly, whether replacing the board or sealing the shower properly.

TT

statty

Ya It does seem to me at this stage that the tiles werent put in properly in the first place with the wrong adhesive/sealant.

Thanks for all your replies. Will try fix them and hopefully it will work!!