My bathroom is around 15 years old and my shower tiles are starting to show some water damage. I am a bit worried that this is leaking and may cause some water damage elsewhere.
The grout doesn't look good and in some parts the tiles flex a bit if I push it.
One contractor said I should take half the wall down and redo it, which takes 3 days.
Another contractor offer to just re-grout the tiles, and takes just 1 day.
My questions:
Am i just hiding the problem if I re-grout the tiles?
Will I get worst/more water damage down the line?
Is re-grouting the tiles myself a bad idea?
Best Answer
If your tiles are flexing its likely that the wall behind has deteriorated because it became wet. Its possible that it was not installed from either moisture resistant drywall or from cement board and that the silicone seal has deteriorated. You may have water seeping behind your tiles leading to mould growth.
Re-grouting and re-sealing are your cheap, but temporary solution. If those tiles are flexing, in 2-3 years the silicone will break away again and deterioration will continue.
Base this decision on your current home budget. If you have the money to do a complete replacement without getting into debt, do it. You have to get it done anyway. If you do not, re-grout and re-seal and save up for a complete replacement.
Consider that if you do a complete tile replacement (as you should I think), your older bath may look out of place and your fixtures may look out of place too.