We just had our bathroom redone (including built-in tiled shower). The shower tiles are now leaking through the wall into our living area.
Our contractor suggested to just apply a waterproofing solution to the grout lines (especially floor/wall join where we suspect the leak to be), but I am worried this is only a temporary solution.
So, will a waterproofing solution (such as UFIXX No Leak) work permenantly, or do I need to get the tiles re-installed with the waterproofing re-done?
The bathroom is only about a month old.
Click for larger view
The white marks are where the contractor drilled/dug to investigate.
We noticed the water marks above the skirting, and when we removed it, it was soaking wet and the plaster was soft and you could dig it with your fingernail.
The contractor assures me it is not the pipes, as they are higher off the floor so we would see damage higher up. The damage is the worst at floor level, pretty much opposite where the shower cubicle is (and where water pools during showering, soon drains and leaves just a thin film that will evaporate)
Edit: Questions from comments
Do you have a basement? What is under the shower?
It's a low-rise apartment (2nd floor) so it's another unit below.
Is that sheetrock or cement board? Is there any waterproof membrane
(rubber, plastic or paint-on?) under the tile or board? Have you
determined which side the water is coming from?
The floor (under the tiles) seems to be concrete, the wall between living and bathroom is solid but I am not sure of the material (he had drill/chisel the holes to investigate, brick or concrete or something similar).
The water is coming from the bathroom, we have not used the shower in 2 days and the wall has dried up considerably.
Also: water pooling when you shower = sign of really bad contractor.
At this point, I'd start over. Gut and rebuild
I maybe was unclear, it doesn't pool for long, drains in 30-60 secs until there is just a thin film of water that will evaporate.
Final Edit: After much investigation (5 different contractors/plumbers) it was determined that there was a leak in the building column next to my bathroom that carries waste water from all the units (5 high, I was number 2). Although the below accepted answer would probably be considered correct for most cases, in this case it was nothing to do with the work done in my bathroom (just happened to occur just afterwards).
Everybody got distracted looking for what was wrong with the new bathroom work, not realising it was an issue with the common pipes in the building column. Perhaps others will learn from this, to think of other possible causes too.
Best Answer
I honestly don't even see how a poorly done tile job can leak this quickly. I can tile and grout a wall pretty sloppy and it will be good for at least 4-6 month and possibly a lot lot longer.
The short-term fixes you can do now are exactly that at best - short-term. It is possible that you will spend money trying to waterproof after - which in no way is ever the answer - and it could possibly have no impact.
You need to get your money back from this contractor. Even a bad contractor puts up some sort of water barrier in a shower. A bad contractor would put up the tile with a bad grout job or wrong grout and maybe the drywall gets wet and eventually moldy. Your contractor either has no clue or is insanely lazy. You cannot let him back in your house.